Register your Massachusetts LLC Online
Complete the form below in 2–3 minutes. Your LLC and EIN come at no extra cost — you only pay Massachusetts’s own $520 state fee.
- Enter your desired LLC name
- Choose your state
- Receive your LLC and free EIN by email
Trusted by Thousands Nationwide
What is an LLC in Massachusetts?
An LLC (Limited Liability Company) is a simple structure for running your business under a professional name. It separates your business from your personal name, and it's the most common way to add a partner, sell the business, or look like a real company instead of a side project.
That separation goes further than the name. If the business owes money or gets sued, your house, car, and personal bank accounts are generally off-limits — as long as you run the LLC properly. It doesn't protect you from something you personally did wrong.
A sole proprietorship skips all of that. You're doing business under your own name or a DBA, and everything stays tied to you personally.
A corporation does the same separation as an LLC, but it's built for a different job: issuing stock and bringing in outside investors. An LLC is simpler to run and cheaper to keep up if that's not you right now.
Benefits of an LLC in Massachusetts
- Add partners or co-owners whenever you're ready
- Transfer ownership if you sell the business
- “Massachusetts Company, LLC” shows you’re a real business
- Shows you’re registered (Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth)
- Get a matching domain like MassachusettsCompanyLLC.com
- Simpler upkeep than forming a corporation
What's different about a Massachusetts LLC
Your $520 filing fee already includes Massachusetts's $20 surcharge for filing online or by fax; filing by mail costs $500 flat, with no surcharge. That $500 base fee — and the $500 annual report below — are both set directly in the Massachusetts LLC Act itself, not just an agency fee schedule. Massachusetts doesn't publish a guaranteed processing time, but most online filings are reviewed within a business day or two.
A standard Massachusetts LLC owes no separate state business tax on top of that annual report — the $456 minimum corporate excise tax only applies once an LLC elects to be taxed as a corporation. Massachusetts also doesn't require you to publish a notice in a newspaper, unlike a handful of other states, and the person or company who receives your legal mail is called a “resident agent” here instead of a “registered agent,” though the job is the same.
Cost to start an LLC in Massachusetts
$520 to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth — that's it. We don't charge a filing fee on top of it. A Massachusetts corporation runs $265 through the same process.
| What you get |  | Others |
|---|---|---|
| EIN (Tax ID) | Free | up to $99 |
| Registered agent | Freefirst year | up to $249per year |
| Name check | Free | usually free |
| Massachusetts state filing feespaid to the state — same for everyone | $520 | $520 |
Free EIN with your Massachusetts LLC
Your EIN (Employer Identification Number) is what opens a business bank account and identifies your company to the IRS — it's like a Social Security Number for your LLC. It's included at no extra cost, right alongside your LLC.
LLC vs Corporation in Massachusetts
An LLC is simpler and more flexible, and keeps “LLC” in your business name. A corporation is a more formal structure built for issuing stock and outside investment, and keeps “Inc” or “Corp” in the name instead. 97% of our clients choose an LLC.
What is a Sole Proprietor in Massachusetts?
A sole proprietorship means you're doing business as an individual. You can file a DBA with your city or town to use a name other than your own. As an individual, you can't add a partner to the business, because everything is tied to your personal name and Social Security Number. If you later want to add partners or sell the business, you'll need to start an LLC or corporation.
File a DBA Under Your LLC
A DBA (Doing Business As), also called a Business Certificate, lets one LLC operate under more than one business name. In Massachusetts, that's a filing with the city or town clerk where your business is located — a different office than the one that formed your LLC — and it expires after 4 years unless you renew it.
A DBA isn't required if you're fine using your LLC's own name.
Example: Massachusetts Company, LLC dba Massachusetts Auto Brokers.
DBA vs LLC in Massachusetts
A DBA only gives you another name to use. The LLC is the actual business entity that owns the DBA name and holds all legal rights.
Common Questions
Why start an LLC in Massachusetts?
It separates the business from your own name, lets you add or remove owners as the business grows, and reads as a real, established company.
How long does it take to get a Massachusetts LLC?
Filing takes a few minutes on this page. Massachusetts doesn't publish a guaranteed number of business days, but most online filings are reviewed within a business day or two — mailed filings take longer.
What does the Massachusetts LLC annual report cost?
$500, due every year on the anniversary of when your LLC was formed. It's a state filing requirement, not a tax, and it's the one cost every Massachusetts LLC owes going forward. Miss it 2 years in a row and Massachusetts can dissolve the LLC after a 90-day written notice to fix it.
Do I need an EIN for my Massachusetts LLC?
Yes, for a business bank account and for the IRS to recognize your company. It's included free when you file here.
What's a registered agent, and do I need one?
Massachusetts calls this a resident agent — the address the state sends legal mail to. Every LLC needs one, and it's included free for your first year when you file here.
Do I need an operating agreement?
Massachusetts doesn't require one to file, but a bank often asks for one to open your business account. You can add it when you file, or write your own later.
Still deciding on a name?
Try the free name generator — type a word you like, get real available options back, then come straight here to file.
Page updates (1)
- March 26, 2025 — The federal beneficial-ownership reporting rule (Corporate Transparency Act) narrowed to foreign-formed companies only. A Massachusetts LLC is formed under Massachusetts law, so it's exempt — there's nothing to file with FinCEN. FinCEN →
Sources (6)
Every fact on this page was checked directly against Massachusetts’s own filing agency and statutes — verified September 20, 2026.
- Massachusetts Corporation Division — Fee Schedule — the $500 Certificate of Organization and $500 Annual Report fees, plus the $20 electronic-filing surcharge
- M.G.L. c. 156C, §12 — the $500 formation and annual report fees, set directly in the LLC Act
- M.G.L. c. 156C, §70 — the 2-year, 90-day administrative dissolution process
- M.G.L. c. 110, §5 — the Business Certificate (DBA) requirement, filed with your city or town clerk, valid 4 years
- Mass.gov — Starting an LLC in Massachusetts — confirms the $500 filing fee and annual report mechanism
- Mass.gov — Business certificates (DBA) in Massachusetts — confirms the city/town-level filing requirement