Entrepreneurs who want to launch a company in Massachusetts are required to submit legal papers to the state and choose a registered agent for their company. If you are not familiar with the process of legally establishing a business in the state, it might be a little bit perplexing. But, the process of legally establishing a business in the state is not difficult.

Before initiating the establishment of a limited liability company (LLC), business owners are required to finish a few tasks, such as deciding on a name for the firm and appointing a registered agent. A person or firm that is authorized to accept legal paperwork on behalf of your business is known as a “registered agent.”

It is imperative that the individual or organization in this role possesses high levels of trustworthiness and dependability. Because it is possible that this individual may get confidential documents that may relate to the financial or legal condition of your company, it is necessary to exercise caution when choosing who to share this information with.

This guide provides answers to frequently asked questions on the subject, with the goal of assisting new business owners in the formation of a Massachusetts limited liability company (LLC) and the selection of a competent registered agent.

I’ve researched and tested 20 Massachusetts registered agent services and selected the top 11 services to feature and review.

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These are my top picks for the best Massachusetts registered agent service

  1. Northwest Registered Agent
  2. Incfile
  3. ZenBusiness
  4. LegalZoom
  5. Harbor Compliance
  6. InCorp

This article will help you choose the right registered agent to represent your business. This article will explain the basics of registered agents and answer common questions regarding Massachusetts registered agents.

Get 1/yr free registered agent service when an LLC is formed with Northwest Registered Agent ($39 + state fees).  https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com

Best Massachusetts Registered Agent Service

When choosing a registered agent, you want someone who is familiar with the legal process and can help ensure compliance. Northwest Registered agent is the best registered agent service available for Massachusetts businesses.

They provide everything you need to create an LLC or register as a Registered Agent. For over 20 years, this company has helped small businesses to grow and get started.

1. Northwest Registered Agent (Best Premium Agent)


Price: $125/year

First, Northwest Register Agent. This company provides a premium registered agent service. Northwest provides free mail forwarding as part of its registered agent service. This is an integral part of the company’s service.

Visit Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest Pros and Cons

Pros

  • Industry-best customer support
  • Reasonable pricing
  • Northwest has 50 offices across 50 states
  • Customer service from the USA
  • Volume discounts available
  • Register Agent for the first year with no charge
  • Google reviews have a very positive rating of 4.7/5

Cons

  • There are none that I find worth noting.

Our recommendation is Northwest Registered Agent. They provide everything you need to create an LLC or register as an agent. For over 20 years, this company has helped small businesses to grow and get started.

Northwest offers a 100% error-free guarantee. You will receive exceptional customer service and extraordinary services at competitive prices. If data privacy and customer service are important to your business, Northwest Registered Agent can be a great choice.

Northwest Registered Agent is known for its outstanding customer service. Northwest doesn’t outsource its support to call centers. You get a Northwest representative known as a ‘Corporate Guide’ to assist you.

Northwest offers 1/year registration agent service with its $39 business formation plan.

Northwest offers volume discounts for registered agent services. If you require service in more than five states, they’ll lower your rate by $125-$100 per year. You will also receive an annual report and strong customer reviews.


2. Incfile (Best Budget Registered Agent)

Price: $119/year

Incfile’s most famous claim to fame is its free business formation service. This includes one year of registered agent services. Incfile is just one of their services. Let’s take a look at what else they have to offer.

Visit Incfile

Incfile Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Register as an agent to receive a free business formation
  • Their prices are very reasonable and their 20-year experience is great.
  • Excellent customer feedback

Cons

  • They are well-known for upselling. This is a great way to make money, but it can quickly get expensive.

Incfile has more than 30,000 online reviews. They are a top choice in Massachusetts for registered agent services. Incfile is the only company to receive this many reviews.

Incfile can seem a little pushy when it comes to upselling. Incfile has many add-on options that will remind you of this as you move through the order process.

Incfile is a company that has been around for nearly 20 years. They have helped to form over 500,000 businesses.


3. ZenBusiness (Best New Registered agent)


Price: $119/year  $99/1st year

ZenBusiness is of the newer LLC services on my list. They have been in business for just five years and their terms of service says that they might outsource the registered agent services but it is not clear who that is.

ZenBusiness has a package deal for those who have not yet formed their Massachusetts LLC/corporation. For $199, they will set up your business entity and offer a year of registered agent services. This is an incredible combination of features!

Visit ZenBusiness

ZenBusiness charges $99 per year for Massachusetts registered agent services. Let’s take a look at ZenBusiness and discuss how it can affect your decision.

ZenBusiness Pros & Cons

Pros

  • I like the $99 price point
  • I like the “worry-free” guarantee compliance feature
  • Great customer feedback
  • Strong customer service

Cons

  • ZenBusiness may outsource registration agent services
  • Register agent service can be added to LLC formations for $99
  • Some competitors are more experienced than others.

Massachusetts registered agent service costs $99/yr. ZenBusiness offers a $199 package that includes an annual report. This is not bad.

ZenBusiness has over 6,200 reviews online. Nearly all of them were positive. They have one of the highest customer satisfaction scores in the industry. ZenBusiness has a helpful and knowledgeable customer service team that can help with any difficult questions.

ZenBusiness is a relatively new service. Their experience is less than that of many other competitors like LegalZoom or Northwest. ZenBusiness is Massachusetts’s top registered agent service.


4. LegalZoom (Best Brand Name Registered Agent)

Price: $299/year

Rocket Lawyer has many similarities with LegalZoom. It is however a large company with millions of customers. Massachusetts registered agent services are expensive. LegalZoom’s rates are almost double that of Rocket Lawyer, and three times those of ZenBusiness.

Visit LegalZoom

LegalZoom Pros & Cons

Pros

  • Millions of customers served
  • The industry’s longest-running support
  • 100% satisfaction guaranteed

Cons

  • Although customer reviews are sometimes negative, they do improve.
  • LegalZoom’s high prices are not something I like.

LegalZoom’s guarantee of 100% customer satisfaction was a great feature. It’s much stronger than other companies’ refund policies. They have the longest customer support hours in the industry with 9 hours available on weekends and 14 on weekdays.

LegalZoom’s high fees for registered agent services are a problem. LegalZoom does offer registered agent services but they do not offer them as part of their business formation packages. LegalZoom’s value propositions are not comparable to those of the other options in this guide.


5. Harbor Compliance


Price $99/first year

Harbor Compliance is a premium service for business formations. This service is only available to large businesses.

They provide outstanding value for registered agent service and have one the lowest national prices that we’ve ever seen. Is it worth the effort?

Harbor Compliance charges $89 to $99 per year for registered agent services, depending on the state. This is an excellent price point. You can get volume discounts or prepay for multiple year’s service in multiple states.

Harbor Compliance was established in 2012 and is one of the newest companies within this sector. Harbor Compliance, a brand-new company, has been in existence since 2012. Harbor Compliance has served more than 10,000 clients and is a rising star within the industry.

Visit Harbor Compliance


Harbor Compliance Pros & Cons

Pros

Harbor Compliance is a great company that offers an affordable price and reminds you about annual reports well in advance of the due date. This is a great bonus for registered agents. Harbor Compliance is highly rated by clients. They even offer volume discounts.

Cons

There were only 100 reviews available online. They are high-quality reviews, but not as many.


6. InCorp

Price: $129/year

InCorp might be the best choice for you if your goal is to get the lowest price for nationwide registered agent services. Although the base rate is high, you can reduce your annual cost to $87 by using volume discounts.

InCorp will charge only $129.95 per year for registered agent services. If you’re willing to prepay for additional years of registered agent services, InCorp will offer deep discounts.

With over 125,000 customers, InCorp is America’s fourth most-respected registered agent service provider.

InCorp was founded in 1998 and started offering registered agent services in 2001. Since then, they have served thousands of clients across the country.

Visit InCorp

InCorp Pros & Cons

Pros

You can access our lowest rates for registered agent services through their prepaid discount program.

They are highly sought-after because they have a large client base.

Customers receive a compliance calendar as well as their EntityWatch program which monitors your business for signs of identity theft.

Cons

InCorp has only a few reviews online. Their average rating isn’t very high. Their LLC formation cost $99.


Additional registered agents

Massachusetts has many registered agent services. These six services are the most sought-after. However, I would like to highlight some other services that are available in Massachusetts.

7. Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer offers a more affordable option than LegalZoom. Their product offering includes a limited number of registered agents. Online legal services are also offered, including talking with an attorney, document review, and ongoing legal services.

Massachusetts offers $149 for a physical address. This will ensure that state mail forwarding is possible. Rocket Lawyer accepts service of process for your behalf but offers fewer services than Northwest Registered Agent.

8. SunDoc Filings

SunDoc Filings provides basic Massachusetts registered agent services starting at $159. This includes service and forwarding of legal documents from the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Northwest Registered Agent does not offer a dedicated customer support system like the ‘Corporate guides’.

9. Swyft Filings

Swyft Filings offers registered agent services to your Massachusetts LLC/business for $149 It is not nearly as good as Northwest’s top-rated customer service.

10. CSC

CSC is a premium Massachusetts registered agent service that costs $299 per annum. You must pay state fees to change your Massachusetts registered agents. They do not have any premium features.

Switching to Northwest Register Agent could be an easy way to save money. CSC has a long and distinguished history. They are an option when searching for Massachusetts registered agents.

11. Registered Agents Inc.

Registered Agents Inc. Costs $200 and includes the same features of Northwest Registered Agent at $125, including online account access and compliance alerts to keep you in good standing before the Massachusetts Secretary-of-State.


What is a Massachusetts registered agent?

A Massachusetts Registered Agent is an individual/business entity that has been designated by a Massachusetts LLC/corporation in order to receive tax and legal documents such as service of process or compliance documents.

Although they can perform a number of tasks, registered agents have a larger role that is much more significant. They are the link between your business and the state where you do business.

First, the registered agent must be named as the recipient of any Massachusetts tax documents or legal documents.

To receive legal documents, the registered agent must be present.

The registered agent must report the delivery to your company and then forward the documents.

They should agree upon a set of processes for receiving and delivering the documents. They will decide whether the documents will be sent to the business by the registered agent via email, mail, or fax.

Massachusetts Business Compliance

A registered agent can help you ensure that your business meets all state-required continuing support filings.

Each state has its own rules regarding maintenance filings. These include annual reports and franchise tax payments.

These rules may change at any time, so your registered agent should keep current in order to maintain good standing with the state for your business and avoid dissolution or fines.

How to select a Massachusetts registered agent

Two options exist for selecting a Massachusetts Registered Agent. You have two options when it comes to choosing a Massachusetts Registered Agent.

You could also become your own registered agent. This job is best done by a professional. It is not expensive and they will finish the job in a year.

Choosing an Internal Registered Agent

Any member of the LLC can serve as the registered agent, which could include you or your employees. The Registered Agent will be your home or office address. Each LLC must provide its mailing address and principal office address to the state’s online public system.

It will be much easier to hire a registered agent because you can use their address as a post office address.

Registered Agent Services

For a reasonable price of $100-$299 per year, professional registered agent services can be arranged. This will ensure your business is represented by the best service provider.

We’ve compiled a list of the best registered agent services in Massachusetts. They can handle the job for your benefit.

Choosing a Massachusetts Registered Agent

These are some of the things you should keep in mind when choosing a registered agent.

  • Service Fee: Many states require that formal businesses register agents. It is therefore important to select the best-registered agent. An annual cost for a registered agent is $99-$300 It is a small price to pay considering the time savings.
  • Experience and tenure of a registered agent: Registered agents should have tested and established procedures for handling documents. Register agent services should have been in existence for some time. They are able to handle all your documentation.
  • State Jurisdiction Limit: It is better to have one registered agent for each state than it is to deal with multiple registered agents. This will reduce administrative burdens. Each state has one of our recommended registered agents.
  • Monitoring and Follow-up Services: To ensure you’re fully informed about all laws, rules and regulations that impact your company, it is important to quickly obtain the most current information from your registered agent.

How can I appoint a registered agent in Massachusetts?

An LLC can appoint a registered agent to act as the Massachusetts Certificate of Organization. It can be done online or by post. No cost is required to appoint a registered agent. Only the state filing fee needs to be paid.

My research to find the best Massachusetts registered agent

Here’s how I found the top Massachusetts registered agents to help you form an LLC.

I was able to compare the packages and research information about Massachusetts registered agents. I was looking for the best service when I tried to find the right registered agent for my website.

To allow my website to receive mail or process service, I needed a street address that was open during business hours. To keep my businesses in good standing with the Secretary of State, I needed compliance alerts.

As I spoke with entrepreneurs, small business owners, and friends who have online businesses, it became clear that not everyone has time or patience to look from site to site to find the best Massachusetts registered agent service provider.

My knowledge enabled me and my colleagues to make informed decisions about Massachusetts registered agent services. My advice was trusted by many who have read my website, which surprised me.

How did I choose the best Massachusetts registered agents?

I started with more than 10 service providers. After my screening, I narrowed the list down to 4. Based on my four main evaluation steps, I chose my top four services.

My First Step: Reviews

I started by reading reviews and collecting, the honest voices of thousands of people just like me. Trustpilot, Facebook, and Better Business Bureau reviews overwhelmed me. They allowed me to categorize them according to various criteria (ease of use, affordability, customer support, privacy protection, taxes, etc. ).

I was able to identify obvious frauds as well as misleading offers.

Second Step: Website Analysis

After I had removed the illegitimate providers I began to look at the websites of the remaining corporations to get a better understanding of what they stand for and how authentic their advertising is.

I was especially interested in optimizing their products and services, customer support, and company experience, as well as any recognition they received.

Third Step: Speaking with real customers

Websites and sales representatives can tell you a lot about the company. But customers will tell them how they deliver it. Are they efficient? Are they efficient? Are they polite? Are they polite?

Although online reviews can fill in some of the gaps, most reviews are written by people who have had overwhelmingly positive experiences. This can cloud your view. You can get a better understanding of your customers by talking to them.

I reached out to people who I helped find a registered agent, and new visitors to my site looking for one. It was wonderful to hear their stories.

I was able to see the entire service from every angle.

My fourth step: Talking with the Marketing and Sales Teams

To complete my research, I spoke with the sales representatives of each company. After gathering all customer complaints, reviews, and files, I began to ask tough questions about the company’s failure to meet their expectations.

Negative reviews are often ignored by many companies. Others will tell you that they have taken feedback into consideration and have improved their operations.

This was the final step that separated the ordinary from the extraordinary.

My Rating Criteria

These are the four key factors that influenced my choice for the best registered agent to represent Massachusetts LLC.

#1: I checked the services and features

First, I looked at the company’s services and features. Other factors such as ease of use and cost don’t really matter if the company doesn’t provide the services Massachusetts registered agents require. I viewed the companies in the same way a consumer and shopper would.

I was able to identify my own requirements for finding a good registered agent. I was curious if this registered agent service would be a good fit for me. Are they able to provide the features I require for my business?

These are the things I thought of:

  • Do you have access to online documents through the registered agent? Or do they mail them directly to your Massachusetts street address?
  • Are you able to get alerts from the registered agent about compliance deadlines and filing deadlines for annual reporting? Is the registered agent able to give you a calendar for your LLC/business?
  • Does the registered agent provide privacy guarantees?
  • Is it possible for the registered agent to offer affordable Massachusetts LLC formation services?
  • Is the state fee filing and payment responsibility of the registration agent?
  • You can choose to file the change online or mail it in.
  • Is the agent available to accept the service of process?

The top-ranked registered agents in Massachusetts were those offering the most services, while those who offered fewer options were at the bottom or middle.

#2: I checked the pricing

Although most people focus on the price, it is important that you consider the product’s worth. This can differ greatly from one Massachusetts registered agent. A good registered agent will cost you between $125 and $299 annually. LegalZoom is a brand name that charges $299 per annum. However, most registered agents know that Northwest offers the best service and privacy at a reasonable $125 per.

#3: I checked the ease of use

When you set up a business or LLC in Massachusetts, your time is valuable.

My next consideration was the ease of signing up. My top choice was the easiest, most efficient and least intrusive system. I would give one of my lowest ranks to a company if they asked me to move one document from another in a slow system.

#4: I checked their customer service and support

No matter how user-friendly, intuitive, or simple a system is, all customers need support. Although not all business owners can be tech-savvy, Massachusetts businesses should have a registered agent they trust.

When choosing an agent to represent a company or LLC in Massachusetts, I took customer service into consideration.

Massachusetts registered agent services were evaluated based on their ability to efficiently and quickly solve customer problems using highly-trained, experienced agents. Massachusetts registered agents do not need to be required for limited liability businesses and small businesses in Massachusetts. They should be available to answer calls quickly and give generic answers.

Conclusion

Massachusetts registered agents are crucial to your company’s legal compliance. These tasks may seem easy, but if they are not done correctly, they could lead to substantial fines or even the dissolution of your company.

While you can always replace your registered agents later, it’s important to choose the right agent for your company at the beginning. You should also keep an eye on your compliance status to ensure nothing goes wrong.

Massachusetts Registered Agent FAQs

Where can I look for a Massachusetts registered agent?

Registering as a registered agent can help you manage your time and privacy. There are many registered agent services. We recommend using a trusted national registered agent service.

What is the cost of a registered agent in Massachusetts?

A registered agent service usually costs between $99-$299

Is a Massachusetts registered agent required?

Massachusetts law requires that all LLCs, corporations, or nonprofits elect and maintain a registered agent.

Hire a service or be my own registered agent?

Registering as a registered agent can make a significant investment in your privacy and peace of mind.

How much does it cost to change my registered agent?

It can cost anywhere from $0 to $50 to change the registered agent depending on how many states your LLC has to do business in.

Best Registered Agent
Northwest Registered Agent
https://www.northwestregisteredagent.com

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