Massachusetts requires every LLC to maintain a resident agent with a physical address in the state. Our service includes one year of Massachusetts resident agent in the $299 flat formation fee.
A resident agent is the person or company designated to receive official mail on behalf of your Massachusetts LLC. That includes two kinds of mail: service of process (lawsuits — the court papers that start a case against the LLC), and official Massachusetts state correspondence (annual report reminders, tax notices, dissolution warnings).
Every state requires LLCs to have one. The logic is simple: if someone wants to sue the LLC, there has to be a reliable address in Massachusetts where the papers can be served. If the state needs to contact the LLC, same thing.
Massachusetts requires a physical street address in the state — no P.O. boxes, no out-of-state addresses, no virtual offices with a mail-forwarding arrangement. The agent has to actually be there to accept service.
The agent must be present at the listed address during normal business hours to accept service of process in person.
Massachusetts allows the agent to be an individual over 18 who's a Massachusetts resident, or a business entity authorized to transact business in Massachusetts.
The agent's name and address must be listed in the Articles of Organization and kept current. Change the agent by filing a change-of-agent form with the state.
Massachusetts has the highest annual report fee in the country at $500, due on the anniversary of formation. Miss it and the state charges a $25 late fee plus eventual administrative dissolution. The initial filing fee is also $500, making Massachusetts one of the costliest states to form and maintain an LLC.
Yes — as long as you're a Massachusetts resident with a physical Massachusetts address and you're available during business hours to accept service. There's no statute preventing it. But there are three practical reasons most founders don't:
The resident agent's address is part of the public record. Using our Boston office as your resident agent means your Massachusetts LLC's public-facing address is a commercial one, not your home — which is the single most common reason founders use a commercial agent.
Here's what's included in the first year with every formation:
Resident agent renewal is $119/year, opt-in. We don't store your payment method between years and we don't auto-charge. You can also change to a different commercial agent at any time, or designate yourself — we'll send you the Massachusetts change-of-agent form and instructions on how to file it.
Reservation takes three minutes. A formation specialist in Boston handles the rest.