How to Form an LLC in Massachusetts (2026 Guide)

Step 1Pick a name the state will accept

Your LLC’s name has to include “limited liability company” or “limited company,” or one of the abbreviations L.L.C., L.C., LLC or LC. It can include the name of a member or manager. It cannot be the same as, or deceptively similar to, the name of an existing entity in Massachusetts unless that entity gives written consent.

Check availability with the Secretary’s business entity search. If you are not ready to file, you can hold a name by filing an Application of Reservation of Name for $30. The reservation lasts 60 days, and you can extend it once for another 60 days by paying the fee again.

Step 2Line up a resident agent

Every Massachusetts LLC must continuously keep a resident agent and an office in the Commonwealth. The agent receives legal papers on the company’s behalf. The agent’s office must be a street address; a post office box is not enough. The agent also has to consent to the appointment in writing, and that consent goes in the certificate or is attached to it. You can serve as your own agent if you have a qualifying Massachusetts address, or you can name a person or company that offers the service.

If you change agents later, the filing costs $25 by paper or fax and nothing if you file electronically.

Step 3File the Certificate of Organization

Under state law, the certificate must include:

• the LLC’s name;
• the address of its office in Massachusetts;
• the resident agent’s name and address, with the agent’s written consent;
• the name and address of each manager, if the LLC has managers when it forms;
• anyone else authorized to sign documents filed with the Secretary (at least one person must be named if there are no managers);
• the general character of the business;
• a latest dissolution date, if the LLC is meant to end on a set date;
• optionally, people authorized to sign recordable real estate documents.

The fee is $500. You can file online, by fax with the bar-coded Fax Voucher Coversheet, or by mail or walk-in. Online and fax filings are paid by card, debit account or e-check, and the system adds a separately billed expedited fee that covers processing and online data costs. Your filing takes effect on the date the Division approves it unless you choose a later date in the certificate.

Step 4File the annual report every year

Each year, on or before the anniversary of your original filing, you file a Limited Liability Company Annual Report with the Secretary. The fee is $500. The report repeats the information from your certificate and can be used to update it, as long as each change is specifically identified.

Skipping it has real consequences. If an LLC fails to file annual reports for two consecutive years, the Corporations Division can start dissolution proceedings. It mails a notice, and if the problem is not fixed within 90 days, the LLC is administratively dissolved. Reinstatement after an administrative dissolution costs $100, on top of catching up the missed reports.