Change LLC Name in Maine

Can I change the name of my LLC in Maine?

Absolutely! You can easily change your Maine LLC name.

The first step is to file a form called the Certificate of Amendment with the Secretary of State and wait for it to be approved. This is how you officially change your LLC name in Maine.

The filing fee for a Certificate of Amendment in Maine is $50.

After the state approves your LLC name change, you should then notify the following 3 places:

• the IRS
• state tax department
• your business bank account

And finally, you can update your LLC name in other places like your website and marketing materials.

This page will guide you through the process and include helpful tips along the way.

Note: We’ve changed the names of our own LLCs over the years. So we have first-hand experience with filing the paperwork as well as dealing with the IRS and financial institutions.

What are the steps for changing an LLC name in Maine?

1. Check if your new LLC name is available
2. File the Amendment form (and wait for approval)
3. Update the IRS
4. Update Maine Revenue Services
5. Update financial institutions (credit card companies, banks)
6. Update business licenses
7. Update other places (branding materials, business accounts, etc.)

How much does it cost to change an LLC name in Maine?

It costs $50 to change your LLC name in Maine. This is the filing fee for the Certificate of Amendment form.

How do I change my Maine LLC name?

In order to change your LLC name, you must file a Certificate of Amendment with the Maine Secretary of State. This officially updates your legal entity (your Limited Liability Company) on the state records.

Note: The Maine Secretary of State is responsible for LLC formation and administration, including name changes.

We provide step-by-step instructions on how to file the Certificate of Amendment by mail. (Maine doesn’t have an online filing system.)

Can I change my LLC name myself?

You can file the Certificate of Amendment yourself or you can hire a company to do this for you.

Because filing Maine LLC Amendments can be confusing and time consuming, many people choose to hire a company for help.

Step 1: Make sure your new Maine LLC name is available

Before filing your Maine LLC amendment form (the Certificate of Amendment), you should check that your new LLC name is available in Maine.

This is important because two businesses in the state can’t have the same name, or be too similar. This is called LLC name distinguishability.

If you file an amendment for a name that’s already taken, the state will reject your filing. And if that happens, you’ll need to re-file with a different name.

To avoid that, look up your desired Maine LLC name ahead of time using the state’s business entity search.

Step 2: File the Maine LLC name change form

The Maine LLC name change form is called the Certificate of Amendment.

(It’s called this because you’re amending your Maine Certificate of Formation.)

How to file a Certificate of Amendment in Maine

First: Download the Certificate of Amendment for a Maine LLC (Form No. MLLC-9).

You can complete the form on your computer and then print it out to sign. Or, you can print it out and complete it by hand using black ink.

Name of Limited Liability Company

On the first line, enter your LLC’s current name. (Not the name you want to change it to.)

First: Name Change

Enter the new LLC name you want to use. Make sure to include an appropriate designator (“LLC” or “L.L.C.”).

Second: Date of Filing of the Initial Certificate of Formation

Enter the date your Maine LLC Certificate of Formation was filed.

Third: Low Profit LLC Designation

Most people skip this section, and don’t check the box. That’s because most LLCs are operated for-profit, and don’t qualify as “low-profit” in Maine.

Fourth: Professional LLC Designation

Most people skip this section, and don’t check the box or enter any information here.

However, if you are a licensed professional in Maine, you would have formed a PLLC (Professional LLC) instead of a regular LLC. In that case, you must complete this section.

Fifth: Registered Agent

If you’re only changing the name of your LLC, you can skip this section. You should leave this blank if you don’t want to change your Registered Agent.

If you want to change your Maine Registered Agent, complete this section. A Commercial Registered Agent is a company that you hire to be your Registered Agent. A Noncommercial Registered Agent is anyone else (you, a business partner, friend or family member). Make sure to fill out the address section for the new Registered Agent.

Sixth: Registered Agent Consent

There’s nothing to do here.

Seventh: Exhibits

If you’re only changing your LLC name, you don’t need to attach any exhibits. You can leave this section blank.

Page 3: Signatures

Enter the Date at the top of the page.

Type your Name and your Capacity (aka Title).

• If you own all or part of the LLC, and your LLC is Member-managed, enter Member.
• If your LLC is Manager-managed and you’re a Manager, enter Manager.
• If you don’t own or manage the LLC, but have been authorized to file this, enter Authorized Agent.

If you’re not sure, or these terms are confusing, check out Member-managed vs Manager-managed LLC and LLC Officer Titles.

After you print the Certificate of Amendment form, sign it.

Note: Only one signature is required.

Customer Contact Cover Letter (Page 4)

Tip: Make sure you complete this extra page. If you skip it, the Secretary of State may reject your filing.

Name of entity:
Enter your LLC’s current name on state records (not the new name).

Optional: Special Handling Requests
You can choose to expedite your filing. This costs extra, but many people do expedite their filings in Maine.

That’s because Maine has pretty slow processing times. Currently, the average approval time for an LLC name change in Maine is 10-15 business days (plus mail time).

If you need your LLC name change to be approved faster than that, it may be worth paying the $50 fee for 24-hour processing.

To expedite your filing:

• Check the box for 24-hour expedited filing
• Write $100 on the line for Total Fee Enclosed
• And make your check out for $100 instead of $50.

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Pro Tip: If you want to get your LLC name change approved as fast as possible, here’s how:
1. Send your filing to the state via overnight mail (like FedEx or UPS) instead of regular mail. Use this address:

Department of the Secretary of State
Corporations, UCC and Commissions
111 Sewall Street, 4th Floor
Augusta, ME 04330

2. Pay for expedited processing (we recommend paying $50 for 24-hour turnaround).

3. Include a prepaid, self-addressed overnight envelope from FedEx or UPS. That way, the Secretary of State will overnight your approved copy back to you.

Contact Person
Don’t worry, none of this information will be on public record.

Enter the name and daytime telephone number for the contact person. This is who the Secretary of State will contact with questions about the Certificate of Amendment filing.

There are two email address fields in this section:
1. Contact email address for this filing
This is the email address of the contact person if the Secretary of State has questions about the Certificate of Amendment.

2. Email address to use for annual report reminders
This is the email address for whoever in the LLC is responsible for filing the Maine Annual Report. The state will send them a notification when the Annual Report is due.

Where to return attested copy
Enter a name and mailing address.

This tells the Secretary of State where to send your approved Certificate of Amendment. You’ll get a copy back via mail with the Secretary of State’s “attestation” (aka stamp of approval).

File the Certificate of Amendment for a Maine LLC by mail

1. Prepare a check for $50 payable to “Maine Secretary of State”.
2. Mail the Certificate of Amendment, Customer Contact Cover Letter and your payment to:

Secretary of State
Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Wait for approval from the Secretary of State

After submitting your Certificate of Amendment to the state, please wait for approval.

Approval times vary, but on average, it takes 10-15 business days (plus mail time) for your Maine business name change to be approved.

When you file online, you’ll receive your name change approval by email.

Step 3: Change your Maine LLC name with the IRS

After your new LLC name is approved, the next step is to update your Maine LLC name with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This updates the name connected to your LLC’s EIN number.

We have step-by-step instructions here:
How to change LLC name with IRS

Step 4: Update your LLC’s Account with Maine Revenue Services

After your new LLC name is approved, you need to update your business’s account with the state’s tax department (Maine Revenue Services).

Note: In most states, it’s called the Department of Revenue or Department of Taxation. However, in Maine it’s called the Department of Administrative and Financial Services. You’ll update your new LLC name with Maine Revenue Services, a division of the Department of Administrative and Financial Services.

Typically, you can update your LLC name in one of three ways:

• online
• by mail
• by phone

But it differs from state to state, so we recommend you call Maine Revenue Services. You can ask about the process to update your business name.

Step 5: Update financial institutions with your new LLC name

Besides updating your Maine LLC name with the IRS and Maine Revenue Services’ business tax department, you’ll also want to contact the following places and let them know about the name change.

Financial institutions:

• LLC business bank account
• business checks
• business debit card
• business credit cards
• Paypal or other online banking solutions
• business loans or lines of credit
• brokerage accounts
• bookkeeping software, like Quickbooks

Pro Tip: You don’t have to rush to update these the same day or even the same week. Your existing checks and credit cards will still work, but it’s important to eventually get everything updated to your new LLC name.

Step 6: Update or Get a New Business License

If you have a state business license or a local business permit, you’ll need to change the name on that license.

Sometimes that means applying for a new license and canceling the old one. Or sometimes you can just change the name on your existing license.

Maine doesn’t have a general state business license requirement. But your LLC might have an industry- or occupation-specific license.

If that’s the case, contact your state licensing agency or licensing board for information on how to update the state business license: Maine Business Licenses by Profession.

And contact your local government (like a city clerk or county clerk) for the process to update any local business permits. You can find your municipality using this Local Government tool.

Step 7: Update marketing materials and other places with your new LLC name

Below are some examples of places to update with your new LLC name.

Branding and online presence:

• online stores (like eBay, Shopify, Amazon)
• website, domain registrar, hosting company
• letterhead, logos, invoices, contracts, and important documents
• social media accounts

Professional services:

• Registered Agent Service (if you hired one)
• accountant
• attorney

Other government agencies:

• local tax office (ex: city, county, township)
• business licenses and permits
• sales tax permit
• utility companies
• Department of Labor (if you have employees)

You may want to contact any places you conduct business (vendors and suppliers, or customers) to give them your new name as well.

Stay calm: Don’t stress out thinking you have to change your LLC name everywhere right away. That’s not the case. Take your time and do the important ones first. Give yourself a few days or a few weeks to get them all done. Technically, your old business name will still work for quite some time.

Update your Maine LLC Operating Agreement

It’s a good idea to update the name on your LLC’s Operating Agreement. Don’t worry, this is a simple process. You can either:

• You can make a new version of the Operating Agreement you already have. Update the document with your new LLC name, and have the LLC Member(s) sign.
• Or, you can use our free template on Maine LLC Operating Agreement to create a new Operating Agreement with the new LLC name.

Tip: This is a good opportunity to review the other sections in your Operating Agreement and make any needed updates there, too. Have the LLC Member(s) sign, and distribute copies like you did with your initial LLC Operating Agreement.

Change LLC Name in Maine FAQs

Matt Horwitz

Founder & Educator, LLC University®

Matt Horwitz has been the leading expert on LLC education for the past decade. He founded LLC University in 2010 after realizing people needed simple and actionable instructions to start an LLC that other companies weren't offering. He's cited by Entrepreneur Magazine, Yahoo Finance, and the US Chamber of Commerce, and was featured by CNBC and InventRight.
 
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.