Class 1 · Massachusetts
Massachusetts LLC Formation Class (2026): 7 Assignments and the 3 Best LLC Services
Class overview
Class goals
- How starting an LLC works in Massachusetts
- Who can be the resident agent
- How to stay in good standing
- Which services we recommend and why
Massachusetts: the graded services
1. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for owners who plan to stay in Massachusetts
We start with Massachusetts Registered Agent.co; $199 above the state fee, with year one of the agent covered, then $99 a year.
Over three years it costs less than Mainstay Filing, and three-year tuition is 30% of the grade.
Handing in the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year stays on your homework list.
Covered by the tuition
- The filing is done for you
- A year of agent service is part of the price
Strengths
- $199 plus the state fee
- No agent fee in year one
- A small $99 renewal
Weak spots
- The Limited Liability Company Annual Report remains your responsibility
- An EIN add-on costs $99
2. MA Registered Agent.org: best for a local filer
Our second pick, MA Registered Agent.org: $199 above the state fee, with year one of the agent covered, then $99 a year.
Handing in the Limited Liability Company Annual Report every year stays on your homework list.
Its prices match Massachusetts Registered Agent.co's, so either works.
Covered by the tuition
- The filing is done for you
- A year of agent service is part of the price
Strengths
- No agent fee in year one
- A small $99 renewal
- $199 plus the state fee
Weak spots
- The Limited Liability Company Annual Report remains your responsibility
- An EIN add-on costs $99
3. Mainstay Filing: best for no annual report paperwork to do
Grade number 3 belongs to Mainstay Filing, where its $199 yearly tuition pays for the filing, the resident agent and the annual report, and next year costs the same $199.
Massachusetts Registered Agent.co undercuts it by $200 over three years, which keeps this one out of first.
The Limited Liability Company Annual Report is part of its homework, and Massachusetts's $500 fee is billed to you at cost.
Covered by the tuition
- Filing made with the state
- Resident agent for the whole year
- Annual report filed on time
- EIN application included
- No markup on the state fee
Strengths
- $199 a year covers filing, agent and report
- The EIN assignment is part of the package
- $199 every year
Weak spots
- After year one it costs $100 more each year
3 services, side by side
| # | Service | First year | From year two | Three-year total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Massachusetts Registered Agent.co | $199 | $99/yr | $397 | Visit Massachusetts Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 2 | MA Registered Agent.org | $199 | $99/yr | $397 | Visit MA Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
| 3 | Mainstay Filing | $199 | $199/yr | $597 | Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy. |
Formation in order
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Assignment
1Name the company
If a Massachusetts company already holds your name, the filing can be sent back, so look it up at the Massachusetts Secretary of State before going any further.
Check at the same time whether the web domain is free.
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Assignment
2Name the 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.
Every class favorite here can be your resident agent.
Textbook page: sec.state.ma.us, last read in October 2026
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Assignment
3Choose how the filing gets made
Filing on your own costs only the $500 state fee. A service adds $199 and does the forms; see the grades for the order.
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Assignment
4Put together and mail the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization
You need three things for this assignment: the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization, $500 and the Massachusetts Secretary of State as the place to send them. Statute: M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12.
Textbook page: sec.state.ma.us, last read in October 2026
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Assignment
5Get an EIN
Once the state says yes, you request an EIN, which lets the LLC open accounts under its own name. Mainstay Filing does this one for you at no added charge.
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Assignment
6Write an operating agreement
Think of the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. The company keeps it; the state never asks for a copy.
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Assignment
7Handle Massachusetts's recurring filing
Write the Limited Liability Company Annual Report on the class calendar: $500, every year, deadline on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.
Textbook page: malegislature.gov, last read in August 2026
The bill
| Line item | Paid to | Total |
|---|---|---|
| Forming the LLC | The state | $500 |
| Limited Liability Company Annual Report | The state | $500 every year |
| Paid help | The service | $199 for year one |
| State fees over years one to three | The state | $1,500 |
How we graded the Massachusetts picks
Tuition across three years makes up 30% of the grade, and that is where got ahead in Massachusetts.
Massachusetts Registered Agent.co wins the cost criterion with $397 over three years, against $200 more at Mainstay Filing.
Short answers
What will starting a Massachusetts LLC cost?
The official schedule says $500. $199 extra buys a service that does the filing.
Which form creates the LLC?
Once the Massachusetts Secretary of State has accepted the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization, your LLC is real.
Is a resident agent required?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
What does Massachusetts require each year?
The homework that repeats is the Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500, every year, due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization).
Can I form the LLC without a service?
Nothing stops you. Massachusetts wants $500, and the LLC has to name a resident agent, which you can do yourself or hire out.
Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?
Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, because the Massachusetts LLC is formed for $199 with the agent covered in year one, and the agent renews at $99. Behind it come MA Registered Agent.org and Mainstay Filing.
Textbook pages and extra reading
- If you want proof of the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth facts, sec.state.ma.us is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
- If you want proof of the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth facts, malegislature.gov is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
- If you want proof of the M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 facts, sec.state.ma.us is the page to read, and we last read it in August 2026.
- If you want proof of the Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts, sec.state.ma.us is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
- If you want proof of the Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts, sec.state.ma.us is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
- If you want proof of the Massachusetts registered agent statute facts, sec.state.ma.us is the page to read, and we last read it in October 2026.
- pricing page from Massachusetts Registered Agent.co as of November 13, 2026
- pricing page from MA Registered Agent.org as of November 13, 2026
- Massachusetts service page from Mainstay Filing as of November 13, 2026