Massachusetts Registered Agent

A registered agent, known as a resident agent in Massachusetts, primarily acts as your business’s main point of contact with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Your registered agent will be responsible for receiving important tax notifications and compliance information.

A registered agent’s most important role is to accept service of process. Service of process is the action of informing an individual or entity that there's a pending lawsuit against him or her, or in this case, against one's company.

Business owners must appoint a registered agent when they form an LLC or corporation.

Before you decide to hire a Massachusetts registered agent service — also called a commercial registered agent — it’s important to consider the advantages and disadvantages.

• Privacy: Your registered agent’s address will be listed on the public record — not your personal or office address. This is especially important if your business operates out of your home.

• Focus on Growth: A professional registered agent service will send you regular compliance reminders and notify you of any requirements needed to keep your organization in good standing. You, on the other hand, will be focusing on growing your business.

• Discretion: When a business owner acts as their own registered agent, service of process could be delivered to your home or in front of employees or customers at your office.

• Convenience: Hiring a registered agent service allows you to keep a flexible schedule. A registered agent is required to be available at their given address during normal business hours.

• National Support: If you think you may want to grow your organization nationally, a national registered agent service will be able to continue service there.

We aren’t sure there are any real disadvantages to hiring a registered agent service. The only downside is that hiring a commercial registered agent service costs money, but the time you will save can outweigh that cost. And after all, time is money.

Northwest Registered Agent’s competitive prices and great customer service are also a solid choice for Massachusetts businesses. 

Northwest’s online form system only requires customers to provide information once, which then auto-populates in every form that asks for that info. They also scan every document locally — not just certain documents — to make sure that you never miss a filing. Their discount on multiple-state service is also a nice perk.

On top of all that, Northwest’s customer service is praised for being personable, knowledgeable, and timely in their responses.

You can be your own registered agent. Your friend can be your registered agent, too. Really, anyone can be a registered agent as long as they meet these three requirements: 

• They’re at least 18 years old.
• They have a physical address in Massachusetts.
• They’re always available during regular business hours at the address you provide.

Being your own registered agent will work for a handful of business owners. A registered agent needs to be organized, available, and aware. Most importantly, they need to have the time to be all of these things too.

If you miss a filing deadline or lose a document, you could put your compliance status at risk and the state could revoke your LLC or corporate status. 

Many business owners choose to hire a professional registered agent service so they can focus on growing their business without the fear of missing a notice or deadline.

A registered agent is ONLY liable for any losses incurred by failing to notify the business of service of process documents in a timely manner. The registered agent may have to pay damages to the court in this situation.

In Massachusetts, LLCs, corporations, and nonprofit organizations elect their registered agents on the formation document for each type of business entity.

Consent to Appointment

Registered agents for corporations and nonprofits in Massachusetts must consent to their appointment in written or electronic form. The statement of consent will include:

• The name of your organization
• The designated registered agent’s name
• A statement indicating that the designated registered agent consents to serve your organization
• The registered agent’s signature
• The date of execution

Massachusetts provides a Statement of Appointment of Resident Agent for corporations and a Certificate of Appointment of Resident Agent for nonprofits. Both forms can also be filed online.

The nonprofit Certificate of Appointment costs $10, while the Statement of Appointment for corporations has no online filing fee and costs $25 by mail or fax.

Complete the LLC Certificate of Organization. Your registered agent information will go into Article 5. 

The cost to file the LLC Certificate of Organization is $500.

File by Mail or In Person

Submit your completed LLC Certificate of Organization to the address below:

Secretary of the Commonwealth
One Ashburton Place, Room 1717
Boston, MA 02108-1512

File by Fax

Submit your completed LLC Certificate of Organization to (617) 624-3891 along with a Fax Voucher Coversheet.

File Online

Form your LLC on the Massachusetts Corporations Online Filing System website.

You will need to set up an account with the Massachusetts Corporations Online Filing System website to file online.

Complete the For-Profit Articles of Organization. Your registered agent information will go into Article VIII. 

The cost to file the For-Profit Articles of Organization is $275 for up to 275,000 shares plus $100 for each additional 100,000 shares or any fraction thereof.

File by Mail or In Person

Submit your completed For-Profit Articles of Organization to the address below:

Secretary of the Commonwealth
One Ashburton Place
Boston, MA 02108-1512

File by Fax

Submit your completed For-Profit Articles of Organization to (617) 624-3891 along with a Fax Voucher Coversheet.

File Online

Form your corporation on the Massachusetts Corporations Online Filing System website.

You will need to set up an account with the Massachusetts Corporations Online Filing System website to file online.

Complete the Nonprofit Articles of Organization. Your registered agent information will go into Article VII. 

The cost to file the Nonprofit Articles of Organization is $35.

File by Mail or In Person

Submit your completed Nonprofit Articles of Organization to the address below:

Secretary of the Commonwealth
One Ashburton Place, Room 1717
Boston, MA 02108-1512

File by Fax

Submit your completed Nonprofit Articles of Organization to (617) 624-3891 along with a Fax Voucher Coversheet.

File Online

Form your nonprofit on the Massachusetts Corporations Online Filing System website.

You will need to set up an account with the Massachusetts Corporations Online Filing System website to file online.

To legally change your Massachusetts registered agent, simply fill out the appropriate form and submit it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth along with the filing fee. 

• Statement of Change of Resident Agent/Resident Office (LLC)
• Statement of Change of Registered Agent/Registered Office (Corporation)
• Certificate of Appointment of Resident Agent (Nonprofit)

You can file online or by submitting the applicable form using one of the methods below:

Mail or In Person

Secretary of the Commonwealth
One Ashburton Place, Room 1717
Boston, MA 02108-1512

Fax

(617) 624-3891 with a Fax Voucher Coversheet

There is no cost for online filings, but mail, in-person, and fax filings cost $25.