Massachusetts Registered Agent (2024 LLC Guide)

Home » Massachusetts LLC » Massachusetts Registered Agent (2024 LLC Guide)

Deal alert! Northwest will form your LLC for $39 (60% discount). See details.

Choosing a Registered Agent in Massachusetts

Before filing your Certificate of Organization to form your Massachusetts LLC, you need to select a Registered Agent for your Limited Liability Company.

What is a Massachusetts Registered Agent?

Registered AgentA Registered Agent is a person or company who agrees to receive Service of Process (legal documents) on behalf of your LLC in case your business entity gets involved in a lawsuit.

Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.

(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)

Massachusetts Registered Agents also serve as a general point of contact for receiving business and tax notices, payment reminders, and other documents.

What are the requirements to be a Registered Agent in Massachusetts?

Your Registered Agent must be at least 18 years old and have a physical street address in Massachusetts. PO Boxes are not allowed.

Your Registered Agent must also be available during normal business hours (9am – 5pm) in case Service of Process arrives. Service of Process for an LLC includes delivery of legal documents such as complaints, summons, and/or subpoenas.

Note: Most states use the term “Registered Agent”, but Massachusetts uses the term “Resident Agent”. They mean the same thing and we will use both of these terms interchangeably.

Who can be your Registered Agent in Massachusetts?

When forming an LLC in Massachusetts, you have 3 options:

  • You can be your own Registered Agent.
  • A friend or family member can be your LLC’s Registered Agent.
  • You can hire a professional Registered Agent Service (also called a Commercial Registered Agent).

Important: If your Massachusetts Registered Agent is going to be an individual (you, a friend, or a family member), that individual must be a resident of Massachusetts.

How do I know which Registered Agent to choose?

If you have a physical address located in Massachusetts (such as a home or office), and are available during regular business hours, you can be your own Registered Agent.

If you don’t have a physical address in Massachusetts, you can use a friend or family member’s address. They need to have a street address in Massachusetts and be available during business hours.

If you don’t have a street address in Massachusetts, and you don’t have a friend or family member’s address that you can use (or prefer not to), you can hire a Massachusetts Registered Agent Service.

Massachusetts Registered Agent Services offer more privacy and are usually a more reliable setup.

Massachusetts Registered Agent Service

If you need to hire a Registered Agent Service, we recommend Northwest Registered Agent ($125 per year).

Northwest Registered Agent review

Why we recommend Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Registered Agent is our personal recommendation (and the Registered Agent Service we use ourselves) because they’ve been in business for over 20 years, have great customer service, and they let you use their Registered Office street address in your entire LLC filing in order to keep your address off public record.

How to keep your address off public records:

Many filers in Massachusetts start businesses from their home. For this reason, it’s important to know that all addresses that are on your LLC’s Certificate of Organization get listed on public record and may appear in google searches.

If you were thinking of using your home address, but would rather keep it off public records, you can hire a Registered Agent that will allow you to use their business address throughout your Certificate of Organization.

Northwest Registered Agent provides this unique service at no additional cost. They offer Registered Agent services for $125 per year and they’ll let you use their address throughout your Certificate of Organization.

Any mail that is sent to your LLC will be scanned by them and uploaded into your online account.

Special discounted pricing for LLC University® readers

Northwest usually charges $100 + state fees to form an LLC. However, we’ve negotiated a discounted rate (60% off) for LLC University® readers.

Special offer: Hire Northwest to form your LLC ($39 + state fee), and you'll get a free year of Registered Agent service.

(Why is Northwest the best? Read our Northwest Registered Agent review)

If you need to hire a Registered Agent Service, please do so before going to file your LLC formation documents. You’ll need their information to complete your LLC paperwork.

Massachusetts Registered Agent FAQs

Is a Registered Agent required in Massachusetts?

Yes, Massachusetts requires all LLCs to keep a Massachusetts Registered Agent on file with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

You must appoint a Registered Agent on your LLC formation documents and maintain one as long as your LLC exists.

This allows Service of Process to be delivered and tracked, and keeps your LLC in good standing with the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Note: Some states refer to Registered Agents as a “Statutory Agent”. Massachusetts uses the term “Resident Agent”. These all mean the same thing and we’ll use them interchangeably.

How much does a Registered Agent cost in Massachusetts?

LLC CostIf you (or a friend or family member) will be your Registered Agent, there is no cost.

If you want to hire a Massachusetts Registered Agent Service, it will cost between $100 and $300 per year.

How do I find a Registered Agent in Massachusetts?

A few states offer a list of Registered Agent companies. However, these lists aren’t very helpful because they only have contact information.

Instead, it’s often better to google “Registered Agent in Massachusetts”, read reviews, and make phone calls to check if their services are a good match for your LLC.

However, we know that this can still be a headache, so we’ve reviewed the top Registered Agent Services in Massachusetts for you.

Check out the FAQ below to find the best Massachusetts Registered Agent Service for your LLC!

What is the best Registered Agent Service in Massachusetts?

We’ve reviewed the top Registered Agent Services in the industry and think the best Registered Agent Services in Massachusetts are:

To learn more about how these companies compare against each other, check out Best Registered Agent Services in Massachusetts.

Note: If you want to save money, you can be the Massachusetts Registered Agent for your LLC.

Is a Registered Agent a Member of an LLC?

While a Registered Agent can be a Member of a Massachusetts LLC, they don’t have to be.

And serving as a Massachusetts Registered Agent doesn’t automatically make someone a Member of an LLC.

How do I change my Registered Agent in MA?

You can change your Registered Agent’s address or name to a new Registered Agent at any time by filing a Statement of Change of Resident Agent/Resident Office. This form is filed with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

You can file this form online or by mail.

  • If you file this form online, there is no filing fee (it’s free).
  • If you file by mail, the filing fee is $25.
Can a family member be a Registered Agent in Massachusetts?

Yes, a family member can be your Registered Agent in Massachusetts, if they meet the legal requirements.

To be your Registered Agent, your family member must have a physical address in Massachusetts. (PO Boxes aren’t allowed). And they must be available at that address during normal business hours.

Can the sole Member of an LLC be the Registered Agent?

Yes, the sole Member of an LLC can be the LLC’s Registered Agent in Massachusetts, as long as they:

  • have a street address in the state
  • can be available at that address during normal business hours
  • are a resident of Illinois
  • are at least 18 years of age
  • are comfortable with their address being public record
Is Legalzoom a good Registered Agent?

While Legalzoom is a popular option, it doesn’t mean they’re the best Registered Agent. LegalZoom is $299 per year, they don’t offer address privacy, and many online reviews complain that it’s hard to cancel services.

While they’re a well-recognized brand name, there are better options for half the price.

For example, we recommend Northwest Registered Agent because they cost less and offer address privacy. Check out our review of Northwest Registered Agent vs LegalZoom for a detailed comparison.

If you’re already using LegalZoom as your Massachusetts Registered Agent Service and would like to switch to another company, you can file a Change of Registered Agent form with the state to update this information.

What do you think?

Can you take 10 seconds and rate this lesson?

Matt Horwitz
Matt Horwitz
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.

Want our free email course?

Get simple LLC lessons sent right to your inbox.

Thanks! You're subscribed √
Your email address is already subscribed.

11 comments on “Massachusetts Registered Agent”

Disclaimer: Nothing on this page shall be interpreted as legal or tax advice. Rules and regulations vary by location. They also change over time and are specific to your situation. Furthermore, this comment section is provided so people can share their thoughts and experience. Please consult a licensed professional if you have legal or tax questions.

  1. Hi,

    If I hire Northwest Registered Agents and they create my MA LLC with their address, how can I go and open a business bank account? When the bank sees the MA certificate of organization with Northwest’s address as the physical address of the LLC won’t they claim that isn’t the physical address, and request the LLC address be amended before they can open an account? How can I open a bank account without having issues and keeping my address private?

    Thank you

    • Hi Gerardo, great question. In terms of opening an LLC bank account, I recommend calling the bank ahead of time and asking if they need for your home address to be on the Certificate of Organization. Some banks care, and some banks don’t. I personally use, and recommend, Wells Fargo. One of the reasons being is they aren’t strict about addresses “matching up”. You just give them your residential address when you open the account (this is private; not on public record) and they don’t care that the address isn’t on the Certificate of Organization, or other LLC documents. Of course, to double check, I recommend calling the bank (or a few banks if you’re shopping around) and asking specifically which documentation they need to open the account. And if they have any address “requirements”. I ask to speak with the branch manager or a business account specialist. Hope that helps!

  2. Hi Matt,

    If I hire the same commercial registered agent for multiple LLCs, do I pay the annual fee once for all LLCs?

    For an example, I pay Northwest registered agent $125 once for all of my LLC’s since they use the same registered agent.

    Thanks!

    • Hi Joe, no, the price is per LLC. Some Registered Agents do offer discounted pricing if you have multiples LLCs, but you’ll need to contact them for that pricing.

  3. Can you change the resident agent at any time? My LLC has 2 managers, one of which is the resident agent. Can I change it to the other manager during the annual the annual report?

    • Hi Mary, yes, the Resident Agent can be changed at any time and as often as needed. And yes, you can change the Resident Agent via the Massachusetts LLC Annual Report or by filing a Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office. The Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office can be found on the Massachusetts Division of Corporations website. Hope that helps.

  4. If I were to hire a Commercial Resident Agent for a Holding Company, do I still need to put my own information into the states records? Basically, I’m looking for anonymity, just to be cautious.

    • Hi Bruce, to get anonymity for a Massachusetts LLC, you’d want to look into a Parent/Child LLC setup. For example, forming an LLC in Wyoming first. Then forming and LLC in Massachusetts and the Member will be your Wyoming LLC. You’ll want to hire a Commercial Resident Agent (aka Commercial Registered Agent) in both states and use a filing company so they can sign as LLC Organizer. We recommend using Northwest Registered Agent to form the LLC and act as Registered/Resident Agent. They’ll let you use their office address throughout your Articles of Organization, they’ll be the LLC’s Registered/Resident Agent, and they’ll sign as Organizer. Any mail that is sent to your LLC will be scanned by them and uploaded to your online dashboard. Hope that helps.

      • How can I make this strategy work if the Massachusetts LLC is a preexisting LLC and is going to be my Holding Company?? Wouldn’t my name have to be in the paperwork to set up the business bank accounts and other banking products??

Leave a comment or question

Comments are temporarily disabled.

×