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

Class 2 · Massachusetts

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

Pop quiz answer for Massachusetts in 2026: MA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) are the services to use for getting a registered agent, best grade first. 6 assignments cover the rule, who is eligible, the address test and the filing.

Taught by the Formation Class faculty

Class overview

The requirementYesLook at sec.state.ma.us for yourself; we read it in October 2026
Service prices$99 to $149 a yearRead from each company's price page
Limited Liability Company Annual Report$500 a yearLook at malegislature.gov for yourself; we read it in August 2026
Assignments in this class6One by one

Class objectives

  • What Massachusetts requires of a resident agent
  • Eligibility and address rules
  • How to name or swap the agent
  • Who we would hire as agent

The Massachusetts honor roll

The teacher's five criteria are on how we grade, and they decide the order.
Start with this one

1. MA Registered Agent.org: best for owners based in the state

$99 per year (renews at $99)

MA Registered Agent.org earns the top grade in Massachusetts: $99 a year, unchanged at renewal, for an LLC that stays in the state.

Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year tuition is 30% of the grade.

Covered by the tuition

  • A Massachusetts street address
  • Online copies of legal papers

Strengths

  • $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

Weak spots

  • Massachusetts only; each other state needs its own agent
  • No help with the Limited Liability Company Annual Report
All fifty states

2. Mainstay Filing: best for owners planning to grow

$149 per year (renews at $149)

Our second pick, Mainstay Filing: the agent is $149 a year and can come along when the company adds a state.

Over three years it sits $150 behind MA Registered Agent.org.

Covered by the tuition

  • A real street address in the state
  • 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

  • $149 each year, no increase
  • One price in all fifty states

Weak spots

  • $50 a year above MA Registered Agent.org
  • An agent-only plan, so no report filing
Local choice

3. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for a second Massachusetts choice

$99 per year (renews at $99)

Third place goes to Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, since $99 a year, unchanged at renewal, for an LLC that stays in the state.

It charges exactly what MA Registered Agent.org charges.

Covered by the tuition

  • A Massachusetts street address
  • Online copies of legal papers

Strengths

  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
  • $99 per year

Weak spots

  • Massachusetts only; each other state needs its own agent
  • No help with the Limited Liability Company Annual Report

The Massachusetts grades compared

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1MA Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Massachusetts Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. Massachusetts charges the same either way.

Naming a Massachusetts resident agent, assignment by assignment

  1. Assignment
    1

    What Massachusetts expects of an agent

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

    Textbook page: Look at sec.state.ma.us for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  2. Assignment
    2

    Check who is eligible

    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 rule comes from M.G.L. c. 156C, § 5.

  3. Assignment
    3

    Pass the address test

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

    Paying a service keeps your home address out of public records.

  4. Assignment
    4

    Serve yourself or use a professional

    Hiring from the graded agents costs $99 to $149 a year; serving yourself is the option for those who qualify.

  5. Assignment
    5

    Put the agent on the state's record

    For a newly formed Massachusetts LLC, the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization is where the agent is named. Any later switch is filed separately at the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

    Textbook page: Look at sec.state.ma.us for yourself; we read it in October 2026

  6. Assignment
    6

    Track the recurring filing

    Plan for the Limited Liability Company Annual Report: $500 every year, due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization. Any notice about it comes through the resident agent.

    Textbook page: Look at malegislature.gov for yourself; we read it in August 2026

Agent and state costs

EntryReceiverSum
Agent serviceThe service company$99 to $149 a year
From year twoThe service company$99 to $149 a year
Limited Liability Company Annual ReportState office$500 every year
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Added up over three years they are the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

On tuition across three years (30% of the grade) came out on top, with close behind.

Count three years and MA Registered Agent.org totals $297, $150 below Mainstay Filing.

Short answers

Will Massachusetts insist that an LLC keep a resident agent?

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

Can I be my own resident agent?

An owner can serve if eligible; the tests are in assignments 2 and 3.

Can I change my resident agent later?

Yes; the Massachusetts Secretary of State takes change filings, and assignment 5 says what to send.

What does a registered agent cost in Massachusetts?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Mainly the Limited Liability Company Annual Report, $500 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

MA Registered Agent.org gets the top grade and Mainstay Filing and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co follow; MA Registered Agent.org wins on tuition across three years.

Keep learning

Textbook pages and extra reading

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