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<v Dan>To start an LLC in Massachusetts, you file a Certificate of Organization with the

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<v Dan>Secretary of the Commonwealth's Corporations Division, and pay $520 online, or

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<v Dan>$500 by mail.

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<v Maya>Why the twenty-dollar difference?

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<v Dan>Electronic filings carry a $20 expedite fee on top of the $500 filing fee.

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<v Maya>This is The Business Formation Podcast.

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<v Maya>Today, Massachusetts for 2026, in six steps, with what it all costs and the three

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<v Maya>best ways to have it filed for you.

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<v Maya>What comes first?

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<v Dan>Include limited liability company, limited company, LLC, or LC.

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<v Dan>The name also can't be the same as, or deceptively similar to, one already on

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<v Dan>record.

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<v Maya>How do I check?

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<v Dan>The Corporations Division has a free business entity search.

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<v Dan>Run your name through it before anything else.

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<v Maya>And if I'm not ready to file?

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<v Dan>You can reserve a name for 60 days.

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<v Dan>The fee is $30.

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<v Maya>I keep hearing "resident agent."

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<v Maya>Is that the same as a registered agent?

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<v Dan>Yes. Resident agent is what Massachusetts calls it.

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<v Maya>Who can do it?

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<v Dan>A Massachusetts resident, or an authorized business, at a Massachusetts street

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<v Dan>address.

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<v Maya>A P.O. box?

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<v Dan>A post office address isn't sufficient.

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<v Dan>The agent also signs a consent on the Certificate.

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<v Maya>Is the agent's information private?

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<v Dan>No, the details are public. That's why many owners use a commercial agent.

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<v Dan>And changing agents later is free if you file online.

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<v Maya>Walk me through the filing.

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<v Dan>You submit the Certificate of Organization to the Corporations Division.

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<v Dan>Online is $520. By mail or in person it's $500.

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<v Maya>What goes on it?

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<v Dan>The name, a Massachusetts office address where records are kept, the business

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<v Dan>purpose, the resident agent, any managers, and who can sign filings.

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<v Maya>I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan.

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<v Dan>Good to have you, Maya. Here's a tip: the agent consent is part of the same

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<v Dan>Certificate, so line up your agent before you file.

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<v Maya>Is there a faster option?

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<v Dan>The $20 online fee is exactly that, an expedite fee on electronic and fax filings.

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<v Maya>Does the state collect my operating agreement?

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<v Dan>No. You keep it with your records, and there's no state fee.

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<v Maya>Do I even need it on paper?

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<v Dan>Massachusetts allows a written or even an oral agreement.

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<v Dan>I'd still put it in writing.

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<v Maya>What goes in it?

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<v Dan>Who owns what, how profits are split, who makes decisions, and what happens if a

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<v Dan>member leaves.

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<v Maya>Now the federal part.

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<v Dan>Apply for your EIN free with the IRS at IRS.gov, after the Corporations Division

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<v Dan>files your Certificate.

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<v Maya>How long does it take?

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<v Dan>If the online application is approved, the number comes right away.

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<v Dan>Keep the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge handy.

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<v Maya>And the beneficial ownership report?

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<v Dan>You can skip it. FinCEN no longer requires it from U.S.

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<v Dan>companies.

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<v Maya>What do I owe every year?

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<v Dan>An annual report, on or before the anniversary of your Certificate.

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<v Dan>It's $500 by mail, or $520 online.

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<v Maya>The anniversary, not a set calendar date?

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<v Dan>Right. It follows the date your Certificate was filed, year after year.

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<v Maya>What if I forget?

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<v Dan>Miss two years in a row and the Corporations Division can start dissolving the LLC.

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<v Maya>Right away?

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<v Dan>No. There's a 90-day notice. If it isn't fixed in that window, the LLC is

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<v Dan>administratively dissolved.

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<v Maya>Give me the do-it-yourself number.

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<v Dan>$520 to form online. Then $520 a year for the annual report,

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<v Dan>also online.

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<v Maya>And the EIN?

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<v Dan>Free.

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<v Maya>What's the total for the first year?

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<v Dan>$520, plus a $30 reservation if you want to hold the name first.

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<v Dan>That's $550.

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<v Maya>And the mail route?

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<v Dan>$500 to file, $500 for each annual report.

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<v Maya>Let me check the online premium.

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<v Maya>Is it just that one $20 charge?

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<v Dan>It's $20 on the Certificate, and $20 on each annual report you file online.

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<v Maya>So over three years of reports?

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<v Dan>$60 in expedite fees, on top of the $500 each time.

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<v Maya>And the Certificate itself?

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<v Dan>$20 more at the start. So $80 across the Certificate and three reports.

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<v Maya>Is that worth it to skip the mail?

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<v Dan>That's your call. The state fee schedule is what it is.

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<v Maya>Could I be my own agent?

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<v Dan>If you're a Massachusetts resident with a Massachusetts street address, yes.

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<v Maya>What about someone out of state?

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<v Dan>It has to be a resident or an authorized business at a Massachusetts street address.

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<v Maya>What if I move?

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<v Dan>You can change agents online, and there's no fee for it.

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<v Maya>Let me press on this. What does a missed report really cost?

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<v Dan>One missed year isn't what triggers dissolution.

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<v Dan>Two in a row can.

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<v Maya>Then what?

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<v Dan>A 90-day notice. If it isn't resolved by then, the LLC is administratively

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<v Dan>dissolved.

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<v Maya>So there's real runway.

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<v Dan>There is, but the reports still cost $500 or $520 each, so don't let it

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<v Dan>slide.

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<v Maya>Let me think about mail versus online.

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<v Maya>Which should I pick?

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<v Dan>Both work. By mail or in person it's $500.

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<v Dan>Online or by fax it's $520.

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<v Maya>So the extra $20 buys what?

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<v Dan>It's an expedite fee on electronic and fax filings.

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<v Dan>That's the state's own description.

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<v Maya>And it applies to the annual report too?

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<v Dan>Yes. The same $500 and $520 amounts apply to the annual report.

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<v Maya>So whichever route I choose for the Certificate, I can choose again each year.

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<v Dan>Right. Each filing is its own decision.

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<v Maya>Give me the order of operations.

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<v Dan>Search the name. Choose your resident agent.

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<v Dan>File the Certificate of Organization online for $520.

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<v Dan>Then get your EIN and write your operating agreement.

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<v Maya>And the calendar?

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<v Dan>Your annual report, on or before your anniversary date.

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<v Maya>What if I'd rather have someone else do the filing?

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<v Dan>Here are the three best ways to file in Massachusetts.

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<v Dan>Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state

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<v Dan>fee. With the $520 state fee, checkout comes to $719.

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<v Maya>What does that include?

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<v Dan>Your Certificate of Organization filed, your EIN application, and your resident

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<v Dan>agent every year. It renews at the same $199.

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<v Maya>And the annual report?

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<v Dan>In Massachusetts, Mainstay prepares and files it by your anniversary date every

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<v Dan>year. You pay only the state's fee.

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<v Maya>Number two?

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<v Dan>MA Registered Agent.org. It prepares and files your Certificate for $199

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<v Dan>plus the state fee, which is also $719 at checkout.

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<v Dan>The first year of agent service is free, then it's $99 a year.

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<v Maya>And number three?

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<v Dan>Massachusetts Registered Agent.co.

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<v Dan>Same offer. $199 plus the state fee, first year of agent service free, then

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<v Dan>$99 a year.

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<v Maya>How do I decide?

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<v Dan>If you'll file your own annual report, numbers two and three cost less from year

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<v Dan>two, at $99 a year for the agent alone.

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<v Dan>The state's report fee is the same either way.

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<v Dan>If you want it all handled at one steady price, that's Mainstay.

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<v Maya>Give me a three-year comparison.

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<v Dan>Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597.

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<v Dan>Number two or three is $199 in year one, then $99 in

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<v Dan>each of the next two years, for $397.

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<v Maya>A $200 gap.

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<v Dan>Yes, and in Massachusetts, that gap pays for having your annual report filed on

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<v Dan>time.

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<v Maya>Can I hear the short version?

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<v Dan>Choose a name with LLC in it, name a resident agent at a Massachusetts street

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<v Dan>address, file the Certificate of Organization online for $520, write an operating

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<v Dan>agreement, get your free EIN, and file your annual report by your anniversary every

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<v Dan>year.

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<v Maya>The links to all three services and every official source are in the show notes.

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<v Maya>Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new

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<v Maya>Massachusetts LLC.