How Much Does an LLC Cost in Maryland?
By Edmond Hui · Fees verified July 29, 2026 against the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation fee schedule
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.
What you actually pay in Maryland
Maryland LLC filings go to the State Department of Assessments and Taxation, not the Secretary of State. Articles of Organization are $100, but standard non-expedited review takes 6 to 8 weeks — you pay $50 more for expedited review within 7-10 business days, $325 for same-day online review, or $425 for same-day paper review. The recurring cost is the real story: every domestic and foreign LLC owes a $300 Annual Report (Form 1) by April 15, three times the formation fee, with a 60-day extension to June 15 available on request. Filing online through Maryland Business Express adds a 3% service/convenience fee, and a business approved by MarylandSaves can have its Annual Report filing fee waived.
Maryland LLC fee breakdown
| Cost | Amount | How often | Charged by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $100 | One time | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation |
| Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1) | $300 | Every year | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation |
| Required state cost, first year | $400 | — | — |
| Registered agent service (optional) | $50–$300 | Every year | Commercial provider |
| Expedited processing (optional) — Expedited review (7-10 business days) $50, Same-day review, filed online by 2:30 PM $325, Same-day review, paper delivered via dropbox by 10 AM $425 | $50+ | One time | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation |
| Name reservation (optional) | $25 | One time | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation |
| Certificate of good standing (optional) | $20 | Per copy | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation |
$100 either way, but "This electronic government service includes a 3% service/convenience fee for payments processed through the Maryland Business Express portal," so an online filing costs $103.
: Maryland imposes no franchise tax or minimum entity tax on LLCs; the recurring state charge is the $300 Annual Report filing fee, and business personal property is assessed and taxed at the county level.
SDAT's Articles of Organization form and instructions impose no newspaper-publication requirement for an LLC. (Articles of Dissolution, by contrast, are filed at $0 "including cost of publication.")
Registered agent is listed separately because it is a commercial service, not a state charge. Commercial registered-agent services, not a state charge. Range and $125 midpoint match the assumption used by /tools/llc-true-cost. Most states let you serve as your own registered agent at no cost if you have a physical in-state address. Run your own numbers in the true-cost calculator.
Maryland LLC cost over five years
State charges only in the first column; the second adds a registered-agent service at the $125/yr market midpoint.
| Period | State cost only | With registered agent |
|---|---|---|
| Year 1 (formation + first filing) | $400 | $525 |
| Each year after | $300 | $425 |
| Five-year total | $1,600 | $2,225 |
First filing timing: SDAT's 2026 Form 1 states that "All domestic and foreign business entities should file their 2026 reports, or request a 60 day extension to file, on or before April 15, 2026"; an approved extension moves the due date to June 15. SDAT does not state a separate first-year rule on the form.
Is Maryland expensive compared with other states?
Maryland ranks 43rd cheapest of 50 states on first-year cost — $165.47 above the $234.53 national average. On ongoing annual cost it ranks 44th.
A cheaper filing fee elsewhere rarely saves money if you live and operate in Maryland. Doing business here with an out-of-state LLC generally means registering it as a foreign LLC in Maryland anyway — paying both states. See foreign qualification in Maryland before forming elsewhere to save on fees.
Maryland filing deadline and late penalties
Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1)
| Frequency | every year |
| Due | April 15th |
| Fee | $300 |
There is no flat late fee. "An entity which files an annual return postmarked after the due date of April 15th, will receive an initial penalty of 1/10 of one percent of the county assessment, plus interest at the rate of two percent of the initial penalty amount for each 30 days or part thereof that the return is late." SDAT instructs filers not to prepay any anticipated penalty — it bills for it.
"Entities which fail to file this report will receive estimated assessments which will be twice the estimated value of the personal property owned. In addition, failure to file this report will result in forfeiture of the Maryland charter or the right to do business in Maryland." Articles of Reinstatement cost $100 (plus $50 to expedite).
Full Maryland annual report filing guide · Deadline calculator
Cost traps specific to Maryland
The $300 annual report is triple the formation fee
Maryland charges $100 to form an LLC but $300 every year on Form 1, one of the highest annual charges in the country. Only an SDAT Certified Family Farm pays less ($100), and non-stock corporations pay $0 — ordinary LLCs get no discount.
Six to eight weeks unless you pay to jump the queue
SDAT states standard non-expedited review is 6 to 8 weeks. Expedited review costs $50 and takes 7-10 business days; same-day service costs $325 online or $425 for hand-delivered paper. Budget the expedite fee if you need an EIN or bank account soon.
Late penalty is percentage-based, and non-filing doubles your assessment
A late Form 1 draws an initial penalty of 1/10 of one percent of the county assessment plus 2% interest on that penalty per 30 days. Fail to file at all and SDAT issues an estimated assessment at twice the estimated value of your personal property, then forfeits your Maryland charter.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where these numbers come from
Every fee above was checked against Maryland's own published sources on July 29, 2026 — the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation fee schedule, the governing statute, and where a state-level tax applies, the state tax authority. Commercial formation-service pages were not used.
The first-year total is the Articles of Organization fee plus the first year of any recurring state charge. Where a state's first report is not due until the following year, that is noted above. The five-year total is the filing fee plus five years of recurring charges, which avoids the timing question entirely. Registered-agent service is excluded from all state figures.