Skip to content
Formation Facts

What the state wants, and what it costs.

LLC cost guide · Massachusetts

Massachusetts LLC Fees (2026): What the State Charges and the 3 Best LLC Services

For anyone starting a limited liability company in Massachusetts this year, 2026, we would go with Mainstay Filing ($199), MA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199), in that order. Massachusetts charges $500 when you form the LLC and $500 every year when you file the Limited Liability Company Annual Report. Compared with the other 49 states over three years, that ranks 49th.
Briefing by the Formation Facts team

Massachusetts: key figures

49th

among 50 states for three-year state fees

Rank 1 is the least expensive state. The whole 50-state comparison

  • Fee the state takes at filing

    $500

    Confirmed in October 2026: sec.state.ma.us

  • Limited Liability Company Annual Report

    $500 / yr

    Deadline, as the state states it: on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization. Confirmed in August 2026: malegislature.gov

  • What the state collects in 3 years

    $1,500

    The fee to file and two years of upkeep

Services ranked for Massachusetts

Every criterion and weight is on the method page.

Best overall

1. Mainstay Filing: best for having fewer yearly chores

Year 1 is $199, later years $199, and the state fee is separate

Our first choice is Mainstay Filing. For $199 a year you get the Massachusetts filing, a resident agent and your annual report, and it renews at $199.

Three years of this provider's fees run $200 above MA Registered Agent.org's; what you get for the difference is a broader set of filings done for you.

Each renewal includes the Limited Liability Company Annual Report, and the $500 state fee is billed at cost.

What your money gets you

  • Prepares your formation papers and files them
  • Acts as your resident agent all year
  • Prepares and files your annual report
  • Applies for your EIN
  • The state fee is handed on as is

What works

  • One yearly price of $199 that includes the annual report
  • It files your EIN application
  • Renews at $199

What to weigh

  • Its renewal is $100 above MA Registered Agent.org's
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Massachusetts specialist

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

$199 plus the state fee; the agent then costs $99 a year from year 2

MA Registered Agent.org takes second place because getting started costs $199 with the agent paid for in year 1; each year after is $99.

You will still be filing the Limited Liability Company Annual Report yourself, every year.

What your money gets you

  • Prepares and submits your articles
  • First year of agent service

What works

  • Then $99 a year
  • No agent fee in year 1
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

  • The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is yours to complete
  • The EIN is not in the price ($99)
Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Massachusetts specialist

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

$199 plus the state fee; the agent then costs $99 a year from year 2

Massachusetts Registered Agent.co takes third place because getting started costs $199 with the agent paid for in year 1; each year after is $99.

You will still be filing the Limited Liability Company Annual Report yourself, every year.

MA Registered Agent.org and this provider charge the same.

What your money gets you

  • Prepares and submits your articles
  • First year of agent service

What works

  • Then $99 a year
  • No agent fee in year 1
  • $199 and the state fee

What to weigh

  • The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is yours to complete
  • The EIN is not in the price ($99)
Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The 3 picks compared

RankWhoYou pay in year 1Then per yearTheir fees across 3 years
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.
These are the prices each company showed on November 13, 2026. The state's $500 is not counted in the figures above.

What a Massachusetts LLC costs by year

Pick how many years you want to total and which provider you would use. What the state takes is built from its own schedule: $500 when you form, then the Limited Liability Company Annual Report from year 2.
Add $1,500 in state fees and $597 for Mainstay Filing and you get $2,097 across 3 years.

How Massachusetts compares with the states near it in the ranking

RankStateThree-year state fees
46thDelaware$910
47thNevada$1,125
48thRhode Island$1,450
49thMassachusetts$1,500
50thCalifornia$2,490
You will find all fifty rows at LLC costs by state.

Massachusetts filing fee for 2026

You will pay $500, and you file the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization with the Massachusetts Secretary of State, as M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 provides. The providers below hand it along without a markup.

The report Massachusetts wants again and again

Your LLC has to file the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year and pay $500; the deadline is on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.

Why the first pick is first

Mainstay Filing wins on upkeep the price covers, which counts 26%, and MA Registered Agent.org is next.

Filing the Limited Liability Company Annual Report for you tipped the score toward the bundle.

Massachusetts FAQ

How much will Massachusetts charge me to form an LLC?

Massachusetts charges $500 to file. Plan on $199 if you want a provider to file for you.

What will I pay for the Massachusetts Limited Liability Company Annual Report?

You pay $500, every year, and the deadline reads on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.

Is Massachusetts a low-cost state for LLCs?

Massachusetts ranks 49th of 50 on three-year state fees, at $1,500. Rank 1 is the lowest total.

Will I need a resident agent in Massachusetts?

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

Which LLC services does this page rank?

Mainstay Filing ($199), MA Registered Agent.org ($199) and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($199), from strongest to weakest.

Which LLC service should I choose?

We would choose Mainstay Filing first (one $199 price a year handles the formation, the resident agent and the annual report for you), with MA Registered Agent.org and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co behind it.

Other briefings

Where this briefing comes from

  1. Behind the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth section is sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  2. Behind the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth section is malegislature.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  3. Behind the M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 section is sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  4. Behind the Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source section is sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  5. Behind the Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source section is sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  6. Behind the Massachusetts registered agent statute section is sec.state.ma.us, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  7. Behind the 6 Del section is delcode.delaware.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  8. Behind the Delaware formation fee: Filing fee, official source section is delcode.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  9. Behind the Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source section is corp.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  10. Behind the Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source section is corp.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  11. Behind the Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source section is legis.delaware.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  12. Behind the Nevada formation fee: Fees at formation, official source section is nvsos.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  13. Behind the Nevada formation fee: Fees at formation, official source section is leg.state.nv.us, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  14. Behind the Nevada yearly filing: Annual list + license: fees section is nvsos.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  15. Behind the R.I section is webserver.rilegislature.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  16. Behind the Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source section is sos.ri.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  17. Behind the Rhode Island formation fee: Filing fee, official source section is docs.sos.ri.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  18. Behind the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division section is docs.sos.ri.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  19. Behind the Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division section is sos.ri.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  20. Behind the Rhode Island other cost section is tax.ri.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  21. Behind the Cal section is leginfo.legislature.ca.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  22. Behind the California Secretary of State section is sos.ca.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  23. Behind the California Secretary of State section is bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov, a page we reread in August 2026 before publishing.
  24. Behind the California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source section is sos.ca.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  25. Behind the California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and section is ftb.ca.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  26. Behind the California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and section is ftb.ca.gov, a page we reread in October 2026 before publishing.
  27. The page we used for Mainstay Filing (Massachusetts service page) was open to us on November 13, 2026
  28. The page we used for MA Registered Agent.org (pricing page) was open to us on November 13, 2026
  29. The page we used for Massachusetts Registered Agent.co (pricing page) was open to us on November 13, 2026