The numbers behind Massachusetts
49th
out of 50, yearly state charges
Massachusetts: the ranked providers
The
method page lists all five criteria. The two heaviest are three-year charges and what the price covers.
Top of the chart
1. Mainstay Filing: best for businesses planning to spread out
$149/yr now, $149/yr later
Highest on the list, Mainstay Filing: $149 yearly, flat, from a provider that operates across the whole country.
Across three years it runs $150 above MA Registered Agent.org; with coverage weighted 24%, the extra filings it takes on more than cover the difference.
Price covers
- The registered office address is supplied
- Court papers or notices served on the company are scanned the same business day, with no fee
- Mail from government offices is scanned free, up to three pieces each year
- Not just for LLCs: corporations, LPs, LLPs and nonprofits can use it
Upside
- Any state, one price
- Flat $149/yr
Downside
- $50 per year above MA Registered Agent.org
- Report filing belongs to the formation package, not this plan
Home-state option
2. MA Registered Agent.org: best for Massachusetts-only companies
$99/yr now, $99/yr later
Placed second, MA Registered Agent.org offers a flat $99 each year, with served papers scanned and sent to you.
Price covers
- A real office in Massachusetts
- Served documents arrive as scans in your login
Upside
- Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
- Price $99; renewal price $99
Downside
- Covers Massachusetts only; other states need a separate agent
- Limited Liability Company Annual Report sits outside the price
Home-state option
3. Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: best for a nearby agent
$99/yr now, $99/yr later
Placed third, Massachusetts Registered Agent.co offers a flat $99 each year, with served papers scanned and sent to you.
Prices match MA Registered Agent.org's exactly, so the two sit next to each other on the chart.
Price covers
- A real office in Massachusetts
- Served documents arrive as scans in your login
Upside
- Price $99; renewal price $99
- Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
Downside
- Covers Massachusetts only; other states need a separate agent
- Limited Liability Company Annual Report sits outside the price
The 3 providers compared
Prices were taken from each company's own pages on November 12, 2026. The state bills the same no matter who serves as agent.
Yearly budget calculator
Each agent's price is added to the state charges that repeat (the Limited Liability Company Annual Report from year two). The formation fee is not part of the total.
Massachusetts and the states beside it on the chart
Massachusetts resident agent requirements (official, Secretary of State)
Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. The address has to be a street address in Massachusetts. A post office address is not sufficient.
Who may be named: 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. Authority: M.G.L. c. 156C, § 5.
What Massachusetts bills each year
The state writes to your resident agent about the Limited Liability Company Annual Report, which costs $500 every year and is due on or before the anniversary date of filing of the certificate of organization.
Reasoning for the ranking
Requirements handled settled first place in Massachusetts; it carries 24% of the score, and the other criteria are service cost across three years, renewal behavior, state-specific fit, pass-through of state fees.
Reach moved it ahead of MA Registered Agent.org.
Massachusetts registered agent questions
Is a resident agent required for every Massachusetts LLC?
Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.
Who qualifies as the resident agent for a Massachusetts LLC?
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.
How much does Massachusetts registered agent service run each year?
Agents on this chart bill $99 to $149 annually.
What does the state bill an LLC every year?
$500 per year by our yearly measure, which is the Limited Liability Company Annual Report ($500 every year).
Which registered agents does this chart rank?
Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), MA Registered Agent.org ($99 a year) and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), with the leading pick named first.
Which registered agent should I use?
Rank Mainstay Filing first and MA Registered Agent.org and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co after it; the deciding factor is requirements handled.
Where each number comes from
- On August 2026 we compared Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth with sec.state.ma.us.
- On August 2026 we compared Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth with malegislature.gov.
- On August 2026 we compared M.G.L. c. 156C, sec. 12 with sec.state.ma.us.
- On October 2026 we compared Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source with sec.state.ma.us.
- On October 2026 we compared Massachusetts formation fee: Filing fee, official source with sec.state.ma.us.
- On October 2026 we compared Massachusetts registered agent statute with sec.state.ma.us.
- On October 2026 we compared Nevada yearly filing: Annual list + license: fees with nvsos.gov.
- On October 2026 we compared Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source with corp.delaware.gov.
- On October 2026 we compared Delaware yearly filing: Recurring obligation, official source with corp.delaware.gov.
- On October 2026 we compared Delaware yearly filing: HB 400, official source with legis.delaware.gov.
- On August 2026 we compared Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division with docs.sos.ri.gov.
- On August 2026 we compared Rhode Island Department of State, Business Services Division with sos.ri.gov.
- On October 2026 we compared Rhode Island other cost with tax.ri.gov.
- On August 2026 we compared California Secretary of State with sos.ca.gov.
- On August 2026 we compared California Secretary of State with bpd.cdn.sos.ca.gov.
- On October 2026 we compared California yearly filing: Statement of Information, official source with sos.ca.gov.
- On October 2026 we compared California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and with ftb.ca.gov.
- On October 2026 we compared California other cost: Annual LLC tax: amount and with ftb.ca.gov.
- Mainstay Filing's Massachusetts service page, seen November 12, 2026
- MA Registered Agent.org's pricing page, seen November 12, 2026
- Massachusetts Registered Agent.co's pricing page, seen November 12, 2026