State Guide · MA

Massachusetts LLC Guide (2026)

Everything you need to form and maintain an LLC in Massachusetts, state-specific fees, deadlines, and step-by-step instructions.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 22, 2026

This hub indexes all Massachusetts LLC guides in one place, formation, compliance, registered agents, and business structure comparisons. Quick reference: state filing fee $520, standard processing not published by the state, annual report due Anniversary date. For the complete step-by-step formation walkthrough, see the Full Formation Guide below.

Key LLC facts for Massachusetts: $1040 minimum first-year cost, $520 each year after, an annual state report, and a personal income tax.
First-year cost is the unavoidable minimum to form and stay compliant; the second figure is what recurs annually. Source: Massachusetts's published filing fee schedule, verified July 2026, with anonymity and income-tax status from MyStateLLC's 50-state datasets.
Filing fee$520#23 cheapest of 50 states
ProcessingNot publishedMassachusetts publishes no standard turnaround
Annual reportAnniversary date
Key Finding

53,965 new business applications were filed in Massachusetts in the 2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months) window, up 11.9% year over year

Massachusetts ranks #21 of 51 jurisdictions by application volume and #46 per capita. For scale, the state counted 183,767 active business establishments as of 2023 (Census County Business Patterns). This monthly BFS series is a leading indicator of formation activity, ahead of the Census's annual establishment counts.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (BFS), Jul 2026

Massachusetts Small Business Landscape

Small businesses in Massachusetts756,096 (99.5% of all Massachusetts businesses)
Small business employment1,516,837 workers (44.7% of private-sector employment)

Source: SBA Office of Advocacy, 2025 Small Business Profile

Massachusetts Business Survival

5-year survival rate52.7% of new Massachusetts businesses survive five years, #18 of 51 nationally

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics

See how Massachusetts’s 5-year survival rate compares nationally in our full state-by-state ranking.

Enterprise LLCs Formed in Massachusetts

Entity NameWhy They Chose Massachusetts
Fidelity Management & Research LLCMassachusetts's investment adviser registration system and Boston's deep financial talent pool make it the natural home state for Fidelity's fund management subsidiaries, consolidating SEC filings and state securities registrations under a single Massachusetts regulator.
Raytheon Intelligence & Space LLCMassachusetts home-state formation gives Waltham-headquartered Raytheon's defense electronics subsidiaries access to MIT and university research partnerships governed by Massachusetts trade secret and IP assignment law.

Why Massachusetts attracts enterprise LLCs: Massachusetts's Innovation Economy Act and its well-developed venture capital ecosystem make it the Northeast's premier state for deep technology, biotech, and defense LLC formation, its established LLC case law and academic research infrastructure support complex IP-holding structures.

Entity examples are illustrative and based on publicly available corporate registrations. Reasons reflect general state-level legal and tax advantages, not verified statements of each company's formation rationale. For educational purposes only; consult a licensed attorney before making formation decisions.

Check your business name

See if your domain and social handles are available before you file.

How Do You Start an LLC in Massachusetts?

Filing in Massachusetts costs $520 in state fees. Massachusetts publishes no standard processing time, so plan around the filing itself rather than a promised turnaround. You'll file Articles of Organization, appoint a registered agent, and complete any state-specific requirements before opening for business.

That is the filing fee alone. For the first-year and five-year totals, see Massachusetts LLC cost.

Full Formation Guide for MassachusettsExact forms, fees & filing instructions

What Are the Ongoing Requirements for a Massachusetts LLC?

Massachusetts LLCs must file an annual report due Anniversary date and keep a registered agent on file year-round. Missing deadlines triggers late fees and risks administrative dissolution.

Full Compliance OverviewAnnual report, fees & deadlinesAnnual Report GuideDue dates, forms & filing steps

How Do You Register a Foreign LLC in Massachusetts?

If your LLC was formed in another state (Delaware, Wyoming, etc.) but conducts business in Massachusetts, you must register as a foreign LLC. This requires a separate filing fee and a registered agent in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Foreign LLC Registration GuideForms, fees & registered agent requirements

Does a Massachusetts LLC Need a Registered Agent?

Other Massachusetts LLC Compliance & Tax Guides

How Does a Massachusetts LLC Compare to Other Structures?

Massachusetts LLC Operating Agreement Templates

Massachusetts LLC Guides by Industry

How Do You Dissolve an LLC in Massachusetts?

Does Massachusetts Waive LLC Fees for Veterans?

What Does Moving a Rental Into an LLC Cost in Massachusetts?

Do You Need an LLC to Sell on eBay in Massachusetts?

How Does Massachusetts Compare to Other States for LLC Formation?

Side-by-side breakdowns of filing fees, annual costs, taxes and privacy rules, each written for a business owner already operating in Massachusetts.

Compare from a different home state →

More Massachusetts LLC Resources

Best Bank AccountsBest business bank accounts for a Massachusetts LLC →Grants & IncentivesSmall business grants & incentives in Massachusetts →Anonymous LLCHow to form an anonymous LLC in Massachusetts →
Edmond Hui

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.

Compare Massachusetts with Other States

Tennessee LLC guideFiling fee $300 · See costs and requirements →Texas LLC guideFiling fee $300 · See costs and requirements →Alaska LLC guideFiling fee $250 · See costs and requirements →How to form an LLCGeneral step-by-step formation guide →Annual report complianceDeadlines and fees for all 50 states →
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