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Formation ClassClass is in session: LLC paperwork, state by state.

Session 2 · Maryland

Maryland Registered Agent Class (2026): 6 Assignments and the 3 Best Agents

Today's class on getting a registered agent in Maryland in 2026 comes with one answer: hire Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Maryland Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and MD Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), in that order. 6 short assignments take you from the law to a correct agent filing.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Key facts for this class

Legally requiredYesCheck the textbook page: mgaleg.maryland.gov (read October 2026)
Service prices$99 to $149 a yearRead from each company's price page
Business Entity Annual Report$300 a yearCheck the textbook page: dat.maryland.gov (read August 2026)
Class assignments6One by one

By the end you will know

  • Why Maryland wants an agent on file
  • Who is eligible and the address test
  • Getting the agent listed
  • Who we would hire as agent

Class favorites in Maryland

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we grade), and three-year tuition and homework done count most.
Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for a nationwide agent at one price

$149 per year (renews at $149)

We start with Mainstay Filing; a flat $149 a year, whichever state the LLC sits in.

Three years of tuition run $150 above Maryland Registered Agent.co's, but this service does more of the homework, and the grade rewards that.

Covered by the tuition

  • A registered office in Maryland
  • Scans of papers served on the company, free and on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned free
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Strengths

  • Good in every state
  • $149 each year, no increase

Weak spots

  • $50 a year above Maryland Registered Agent.co
  • Agent service and nothing more
Focused on Maryland

2. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for LLCs that live in Maryland only

$99 per year (renews at $99)

Second place goes to Maryland Registered Agent.co, since a one-state plan costing $99 a year and renewing at $99.

Covered by the tuition

  • An in-state office address
  • Served documents appear online

Strengths

  • $99 per year
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price

Weak spots

  • Another state means another agent
  • You finish the Business Entity Annual Report on your own
Focused on Maryland

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for a second Maryland choice

$99 per year (renews at $99)

Third place goes to MD Registered Agent.org, since a one-state plan costing $99 a year and renewing at $99.

Its prices match Maryland Registered Agent.co's, so either works.

Covered by the tuition

  • An in-state office address
  • Served documents appear online

Strengths

  • $99 per year
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price

Weak spots

  • Another state means another agent
  • You finish the Business Entity Annual Report on your own

The services compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Maryland Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MD Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Every agent leaves the state fees unchanged.

The assignments

  1. Assignment
    1

    Learn the requirement

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

    Textbook page: Check the textbook page: mgaleg.maryland.gov (read October 2026)

  2. Assignment
    2

    Who counts as an agent

    A Maryland resident, or a Maryland corporation, LLC or limited partnership. See Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-101(x) for the text.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Pass the address test

    The address has to be a Maryland address on file with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; P.O. boxes are not accepted. The LLC also keeps a principal office in Maryland.

    Hire a service and its Maryland street address goes on the filing in place of yours.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Settle on the person or company

    Qualify and you can serve yourself. A professional from the grade list runs $99 to $149 per year.

  5. Assignment
    5

    Record the appointment

    Your filing with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) is where the agent gets identified, and any change means a fresh filing at that office.

    Textbook page: Check the textbook page: egov.maryland.gov (read October 2026)

  6. Assignment
    6

    Track the recurring filing

    Each year the Business Entity Annual Report confirms the agent's details for $300, by April 15.

    Textbook page: Check the textbook page: dat.maryland.gov (read August 2026)

The bill

AssignmentPayeeSum
Registered agent serviceThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Every year afterThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Business Entity Annual ReportState office$300 every year
Filing fee plus two later reports plus any minimum tax makes the state's three-year total. The pages listed below show where each figure came from.

How the grades came out

Homework the price does settled first place in Maryland. It is worth 34% of the grade, and the rest comes from tuition across three years, year-two tuition, fit with the state class and fees a student can read.

Covering all fifty states outweighed Maryland Registered Agent.co on our weights.

What students ask

Does Maryland require every LLC to have a resident agent?

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

Can I be my own resident agent?

Yes, if you pass the eligibility and address tests in assignments 2 and 3.

Can I change my resident agent later?

You can. An existing LLC files a change with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT); see assignment 5.

What does a registered agent cost in Maryland?

The graded agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Yearly it is the Business Entity Annual Report at $300.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing, because $149 a year from one provider, including for states you add later. Behind it come Maryland Registered Agent.co and MD Registered Agent.org.

Related classes

Textbook pages and extra reading

  1. Class notes on Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation come straight from dat.maryland.gov (reread August 2026).
  2. Class notes on Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation come straight from dat.maryland.gov (reread August 2026).
  3. Class notes on Maryland report due date come straight from dat.maryland.gov (reread August 2026).
  4. Class notes on Md come straight from mgaleg.maryland.gov (reread August 2026).
  5. Class notes on Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source come straight from mgaleg.maryland.gov (reread October 2026).
  6. Class notes on Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source come straight from egov.maryland.gov (reread October 2026).
  7. Class notes on Maryland registered agent statute come straight from mgaleg.maryland.gov (reread October 2026).
  8. Tuition figures from Mainstay Filing (Maryland service page), November 13, 2026
  9. Tuition figures from Maryland Registered Agent.co (pricing page), November 13, 2026
  10. Tuition figures from MD Registered Agent.org (pricing page), November 13, 2026