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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Massachusetts

Massachusetts LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

For forming an LLC in Massachusetts in 2026, our mentors would send you to Mainstay Filing ($199), MA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. You will work through 7 stages and pay Massachusetts $500 to file; later comes the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Key facts up front

Formation fee
$500
We pulled this from sec.state.ma.us in October 2026
Limited Liability Company Annual Report
$500 a year
When it falls due: on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization
What the state collects in three years
$1,500
Formation, reports and any minimum tax
Stage count
7
In order

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • The official Massachusetts fee and form
  • The resident agent requirement
  • The state filing that repeats
  • Who we would phone to file

If you would rather hand it off

Three-year cost and work taken off your desk weigh the most; how we score lists all five.

Our call

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little to do

Best overallYear one $199; renewal $199; state fee separate

In Massachusetts, Mainstay Filing leads the list: it wraps the filing, your resident agent and the annual report into $199 a year, and the renewal does not budge from $199.

You will pay $200 more than at MA Registered Agent.org over three years, but this service does more of the legwork, and we count that.

The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is part of the job, and Massachusetts's $500 fee is billed to you at cost.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Resident agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • The renewal stays at $199
  • $199 per year for the whole package
  • Your EIN application gets filed too

What to watch

  • $100 a year more than MA Registered Agent.org at renewal
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. MA Registered Agent.org: best for a no-frills formation

Massachusetts specialist$199 in year one, $99 after

Second place goes to MA Registered Agent.org, since the formation costs $199, and each later year of agent service is $99.

The price does not reach the Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

What you get

  • The Massachusetts formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $99 a year after that
  • $199 and the state fee
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • The Limited Liability Company Annual Report lands on your desk
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for another Massachusetts option

Massachusetts specialist$199 in year one, $99 after

Third place goes to Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, since the formation costs $199, and each later year of agent service is $99.

The price does not reach the Limited Liability Company Annual Report.

It charges exactly what MA Registered Agent.org charges.

What you get

  • The Massachusetts formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 a year after that
  • First agent year included

What to watch

  • The Limited Liability Company Annual Report lands on your desk
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The services compared

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2MA Registered Agent.org$199$99/yr$397Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Pulled from each price page on November 13, 2026. The $500 state fee comes on top of each row.

Formation in order

  1. Stage 1

    Settle on the company name

    the Massachusetts Secretary of State keeps the list of names in use, so check there before you spend time on forms; Massachusetts may turn down a duplicate.

    Have a backup name written down.

  2. Stage 2

    Name your resident agent

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A Massachusetts resident, a Massachusetts corporation, or a corporation from another state authorized to do business in Massachusetts. State regulations (950 CMR 112.13) also allow other business entities authorized in Massachusetts.

    The address has to be a street address in Massachusetts. A post office address is not sufficient.

    You can hire whichever recommended service you like for this.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sec.state.ma.us in October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Pick your route

    The state takes $500 regardless. If you hire a service from our list, add $199.

  4. Stage 4

    The paper to file is the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization

    Once the Massachusetts Secretary of State accepts the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization and $500, the LLC exists. The law behind it is M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sec.state.ma.us in October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Order a federal tax ID for the LLC

    When Massachusetts approves the LLC, go to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; your bank and any payroll service will ask for it. Mainstay Filing prepares the EIN application inside its package.

  6. Stage 6

    Draft the operating agreement

    The operating agreement is where the owners of a Massachusetts LLC write down who owns what and how they decide things. You keep it with the company records; the state never sees it.

  7. Stage 7

    Stay in good standing in Massachusetts

    Pencil the Limited Liability Company Annual Report into your calendar: $500, every year, due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from malegislature.gov in August 2026

What this walkthrough costs

ItemPayeeAmount
Formation feeThe state$500
Limited Liability Company Annual ReportThe state$500 every year
Optional serviceThe service company$199 in year one
State fees, years one to threeThe state$1,500
Add the filing fee, two later reports and any minimum tax and you have the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How the scores came out

What decided it was work taken off your desk, which carries 32% of the score.

Having the Limited Liability Company Annual Report handled counted for more than MA Registered Agent.org's lower three-year total.

Massachusetts questions answered

How much will Massachusetts charge me to start an LLC?

The state's fee is $500. The services we recommend bill $199 on top.

Which form creates the LLC?

Stage 4 shows you how to fill out the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization and where it goes: the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Is a resident agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Massachusetts require each year?

Count on Massachusetts wanting the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year, at $500, with timing described as on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state takes filings straight from owners, so no service is needed. Expect $500 plus a resident agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing ranks first and MA Registered Agent.org and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co follow; Mainstay Filing wins on work taken off your desk.

Where we got the facts

  1. Our Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth notes lean on sec.state.ma.us as of August 2026.
  2. Our Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth notes lean on malegislature.gov as of August 2026.
  3. Our M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 notes lean on sec.state.ma.us as of August 2026.
  4. Our Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source notes lean on sec.state.ma.us as of October 2026.
  5. Our Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source notes lean on sec.state.ma.us as of October 2026.
  6. Our Massachusetts registered agent statute notes lean on sec.state.ma.us as of October 2026.
  7. Mainstay Filing: Massachusetts service page, opened November 13, 2026
  8. MA Registered Agent.org: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: pricing page, opened November 13, 2026