[0:00] The short answer Dan: The 5 best registered agents in Massachusetts in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, MA Registered Agent.org, Bizee, and Massachusetts Registered Agent.co. Maya: Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. Massachusetts, which I assume has its own word for the agent? Dan: It does: resident agent. The state charges nothing to change yours online, but the annual report that follows is five hundred dollars, so the agent fee is a small part of the yearly bill. [0:34] The resident agent and the office Maya: What does the law actually require? Dan: Under chapter 156C, every LLC keeps two things in Massachusetts. An office, where its records are kept, and a resident agent for service of process. The office doesn't have to be a place of business. Maya: Who can be the agent? Dan: An individual resident of Massachusetts, a domestic corporation, or a foreign corporation authorized to do business here. The Division's regulation widens that to other business entities that are qualified. There's no age rule that we found. Maya: What about the address? Dan: A street address. The regulation says a post office address is not sufficient. We didn't find an office-hours rule. Maya: Does the agent sign? Dan: The agent's written consent has to be on the certificate or attached to it. The form has the agent say, in effect, I consent to my appointment as resident agent. Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. Dan: Thanks, Maya. The five. [1:37] Mainstay Filing Maya: Number one? Dan: Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, and $149 at renewal. Maya: What do I get? Dan: A Massachusetts address on the public record in place of your own. Papers served on the company are scanned and uploaded the same business day at no fee, and your first three government mailings each year are scanned free. Maya: Is the change complicated? Dan: Mainstay files it for you, and there's no state fee for an online filing. Maya: And the catch? Dan: Cost. Two of the agents below it are $99, so Mainstay doesn't win a pure price contest. [2:16] Northwest Registered Agent Maya: Second. Dan: Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. Its page says that price has held for twenty years, and it scans up to ten pieces of routine business mail a year at no cost. Maya: What's the catch? Dan: Automatic enrollment in its annual report filing service, which is $100 plus state fees per filing. You can cancel any time, it says. Maya: And the state fee here is large. Dan: The report is $500, or $520 online. So with the service switched on, it would be $100 on top of that. Know that before you let it run. [2:55] MA Registered Agent.org Maya: Number three? Dan: MA Registered Agent.org: $99 a year, the same at renewal. The office address, scanning of legal correspondence, and reminders for state filings. Maya: And switching? Dan: Costs no state fee, and none from them. Annual report filing is separate. Maya: Versus Mainstay? Dan: $99 against $149 is $50 a year. Across three years, $150. [3:25] Bizee Maya: Four. Dan: Bizee, once called Incfile. The agent is free the first year with a formation package, then $149 a year. Maya: Renewal on its own? Dan: Automatic. Free, then $149, then $149 is $298 for three years, and it requires forming through them. Maya: And if I formed elsewhere? Dan: You skip the free year and start at $149. [3:52] Massachusetts Registered Agent.co Maya: And the fifth? Dan: Massachusetts Registered Agent.co, another flat $99. The address used on filings, same-day scanning of legal mail, and reminders for state deadlines. Maya: Is that any different from number three? Dan: Not that the listings show. Same price, same catch, report filing costs extra. [4:14] The annual report Maya: That $500 report. When is it due? Dan: On or before the anniversary of the date the original certificate was filed. It's $500 by mail, $520 online. Miss two years in a row and you can be dissolved. Maya: Can I change my agent on the annual report? Dan: No. The regulation says the report may amend anything in the certificate except the registered agent or office. Those changes have to go through a statement of change. Maya: So what does a normal year cost? Dan: $520 online plus $149 is $669 with Mainstay. With one of the $99 agents, $520 plus $99 is $619. Maya: What about formation? Dan: The Certificate of Organization is $500 by mail or hand delivery, $520 online. The agent's name and street address are item 5, and the records office is item 2. [5:16] The records office Maya: You said the office is a separate thing. What's it for? Dan: The statute says it's where the records required by section nine are kept. It may be your place of business, but it doesn't have to be. Maya: Why should an owner care? Dan: Because the Division mails its dissolution notices there. If the office address is stale, you miss the notice that starts the clock. Maya: So two addresses to keep current. Dan: The agent's street address and the records office. They can be the same place, and for many small companies they are. [5:46] Doing it yourself Maya: Can I just be my own resident agent? Dan: If you're an individual resident of Massachusetts, yes. The law doesn't set an age or a licence rule. Maya: What's the downside? Dan: Your street address goes on the public record, and a lawsuit lands on your doorstep. You also have to keep the address current, and the annual report can't fix it for you. Maya: And if I travel a lot? Dan: Then the agent being reachable matters more. A service that scans papers the same business day gives you a head start on any deadline. [6:18] Changing the agent Maya: Walk me through the change. Dan: It's the Statement of Change of Resident Agent and Resident Office. Online it's free. On paper or by fax it's $25. Maya: Anything else I should know? Dan: The new agent's written consent has to be set out in the statement. And a fax adds a six-dollar expedite fee. Maya: So online is simply better here. Dan: For the fee, yes. The Division has a File Online link for it. [6:45] If the agent resigns Maya: What if my agent quits? Dan: They file a Statement of Resignation of Resident Agent. Like the change, it's no fee online and $25 on paper. A copy has to go to the LLC. Maya: When does it take effect? Dan: On the 31st day after it's filed. The statement also says whether the resident agent office is being discontinued. Maya: And if I never replace them? Dan: The Division can treat the LLC as inactive and consider dissolving it in the public interest if it fails to appoint a resident agent within 60 days after notice. Maya: Where does that notice go? Dan: By mail to the office the law requires you to maintain, so keep that address current. If the problem isn't corrected within 90 days after the notice, the Division administratively dissolves the company. [7:30] Picking one Maya: How should someone in Boston or Worcester decide? Dan: Three things. Does the price hold next year, is the address a real Massachusetts street address, and who files the statement of change. Maya: And your answer? Dan: Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Massachusetts, at $149 a year. [7:49] The five in a row Maya: Once more, all five? Dan: One, Mainstay Filing: $149 a year, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report enrollment to cancel. Three, MA Registered Agent.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Massachusetts Registered Agent.co: $99 flat. Maya: The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.