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How to start an LLC in Massachusetts: checklist (2026)
To start an LLC in Massachusetts, file the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization with the Massachusetts Secretary of State for $500, name a registered agent, get a free EIN and check your local licenses. Mainstay Filing, our best overall pick, does the filing, the agent, the EIN application and the report for $199 a year.
- Official sources, checked October 20, 2026
Massachusetts checklist
- File the formation document. Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization, Massachusetts Secretary of State, $500.
- Name a registered agent. Required. 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.
- Get an EIN. Free from the IRS online.
- Check licenses. We could not confirm a general-license statement from Massachusetts’s own pages, so check with your city or county. The state’s starting-a-business page is a good place to begin.
- Keep it current. Limited Liability Company Annual Report, yearly: $500, due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.
Mainstay Filing
$199 / year, same at renewal
- LLC formation, prepared and filed
- Registered agent, all year
- EIN application (with an SSN or ITIN)
- Annual report filed every year it is due where the state requires one
- Compliance reminders and stored documents
Price from the Mainstay Filing pricing and FAQ pages, checked October 21, 2026. State fees are passed through at cost and shown before you pay.
Questions
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Massachusetts?
The state filing fee is $500 for the Limited Liability Company Certificate of Organization. The first Limited Liability Company Annual Report later costs $500.
Do I need a registered agent in Massachusetts?
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Do I need a business license in Massachusetts?
We could not confirm a general-license statement from Massachusetts’s own pages, so check with your city or county. The state’s starting-a-business page is a good place to begin.
Sources
- M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 (certificate of organization) (multira state research spine): www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/download/c156c512dllccert.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source read 2026-10-01: www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/download/Fee_Schedule.pdf, checked October 1, 2026
- Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source read 2026-10-01: www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/general-information/corporations-filing-fees.htm, checked October 1, 2026
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (multira state research spine): www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/download/c156c512cdllcannual.pdf, checked August 12, 2026
- Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth (multira state research spine): malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartI/TitleXXII/Chapter156c/Section12, checked August 12, 2026
- Massachusetts registered agent statute (M.G.L. c. 156C, § 5): www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/pdf-html/950_cmr_112_limited_liability_companies.htm, checked October 20, 2026
- Massachusetts Secretary of State: www.sec.state.ma.us/divisions/corporations/, checked October 20, 2026
- IRS: Get an employer identification number: www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number, checked October 21, 2026
- Massachusetts (mass.gov) (starting a business): www.mass.gov/info-details/licensing-requirements-general-requirements-for-all-business-entity-types, checked October 21, 2026