Every state · MA
Forming an LLC in Massachusetts from outside the United States.
Here's what Massachusetts charges to form and keep a company, what it asks for every year, and what its public record shows about you. You'll also get a straight answer on whether a founder abroad should form here at all.
See why founders abroad choose Wyoming The Massachusetts figures
01The figures
What does a Massachusetts LLC cost to form and keep?
State fees for a domestic LLC filed online, checked against the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth in September 2026.
- Filing fee
- $500
- Recurring charge
- $520 a year
- Processing
- Filings are usually approved within one or two business days
- Five-year state cost
- $2,580
By the anniversary of the LLC's formation each year, starting the year after
As the state publishes it
The filing fee and every state charge due in the first five years
State income tax
Massachusetts taxes an owner's share of profit earned in Massachusetts. A non-resident owner with no Massachusetts activity generally owes none, and an LLC taxed as a partnership pays no entity-level tax.
The public record
The certificate lists every manager, and anyone else authorized to sign documents for the LLC, with a business address. It's public, and the annual report repeats it.
On the recurring charge
The report is $500 by mail. Filing it online adds $20.
Checked September 2026 against the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. If a figure here has changed, email us and we'll correct it.
02The straight answer
Should a founder abroad form in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts charges more than any other state to form an LLC, at $500, and $520 every year after for the annual report filed online. Over five years only California costs more to keep. The certificate also lists the managers and anyone else who can sign for the company. A business based in Boston has to register there regardless. For a founder abroad, Massachusetts costs more than seven times what Wyoming does over five years and offers nothing for it.
Massachusetts is right anyway when
- You'll have staff, an office, a warehouse or property in the state
- A bank, a marketplace or a licensing body has told you the company must be formed in this state
| Massachusetts | WyomingWe file here | DelawareWe file here | |
|---|---|---|---|
| To file | $500 | $102.40 | $110 |
| Every year | $520 a year | $60 a year | $400 a year |
| Five years | $2,580 | $342.40 | $1,710 |
| Owners public | Yes | No | No |
| State income tax | Massachusetts taxes an owner's share of profit earned in Massachusetts | No personal or corporate income tax | No Delaware income tax on a company that doesn't do business in Delaware |
03What we would file instead
The same company, in Wyoming.
A Wyoming LLC costs $102.40 to file, keeps owners off the public record, and is the state banks and payment processors are used to seeing from founders abroad. Here's the whole first year, from the same price list checkout uses.
| WYOMING | Starter | StandardMost chosen | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Our feeCharged once, when you confirm | $289 | $499 | $1,299 |
| Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost | $102.40 | $102.40 | Included |
| Due on the dayBefore any extras you choose | $391.40 | $601.40 | $1,299 |
| Then, every yearOur registered agent renewal and Wyoming's yearly charge | $179 | $309 | $1,059 |
Extras are optional and asked one at a time, each with its price. Filing yours ahead of our next batch costs $75. We email you before anything renews.
04Questions
Questions about a Massachusetts LLC.
If yours is not here, email us at [email protected] before you order.
Massachusetts charges $500 to file the certificate of organization and $500 for every annual report, or $520 if you file the report online. There's no lower rate for a small or inactive company, and the report is due by the anniversary of formation every year.
Yes. Massachusetts, like every state, doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents. It does require a resident agent, Massachusetts's name for a registered agent, with a street address in Massachusetts. Its recurring filing is due by the anniversary of the LLC's formation each year, starting the year after.
It costs $500 to file, and then $520 a year. Over five years that comes to $2,580 in state charges. A Wyoming LLC costs $342.40 over the same five years.
No. We file in Wyoming and Delaware only. For a founder outside the US, they're the two states worth being in, and we'd rather know two states well than fifty a little. If your business will have staff, an office, stock or property in Massachusetts, it'll need to register there whichever state formed it, and we'll tell you so before you order.
05Every state
Every other state, with its figures.
Each state's filing fee and recurring charge, as published in September 2026. Massachusetts is highlighted.
Ready when you are
Form it in the state that suits you.
Most founders abroad choose Wyoming for an LLC, or Delaware for a corporation that will raise money. The order form explains the trade-off where you choose.