Massachusetts Resident Agent Service

Why Massachusetts requires a resident agent

A Massachusetts corporation's resident agent may be an individual, and the statute expressly includes the corporation's own secretary or another officer, or it may be a nonprofit or corporation that is domestic, or a qualified foreign nonprofit or corporation, provided the agent's business office is the registered office. Under c. 156C § 5(2) an LLC's resident agent must be a domestic corporation, a foreign corporation with authority to do business in Massachusetts, or an individual who resides in the commonwealth, and an owner who lives in Massachusetts can serve. M.G.L. c. 156D, § 5.01; see also c. 156C, § 5(2)

What happens if you lapse

• In Massachusetts, administrative dissolution follows failure to file reports or tax returns or pay taxes for 2 or more consecutive years, or inactivity, and unlike the Model Act a lapse in the resident agent is not among the listed grounds; after notice, the corporation gets 90 days to cure. M.G.L. c. 156D, § 14.20; procedure § 14.21
• A foreign corporation doing business without filing its § 15.03 certificate, the filing in which it appoints a resident agent who consents in writing, cannot bring or keep a proceeding in a Massachusetts court until that certificate is delivered and filed. M.G.L. c. 156D, § 15.02(a)
• A foreign LLC that does business without registering, where §§ 48 and 51 make appointing a resident agent part of registration, faces a fine of up to $500 for every year the failure lasts, and it cannot maintain actions in Massachusetts courts until the failure ends. M.G.L. c. 156C, § 54(a)
• To reinstate after administrative dissolution you file an application along with a DOR certificate showing that all corporate excise taxes and penalties have been paid, and the secretary of state may require reasonable fees as a condition, though no dollar amount is set by statute. M.G.L. c. 156D, § 14.22(c)

Switching to us

We prepare and file the change of resident agent for you. Massachusetts charges $25 for an LLC Corporations Division Filing Fees - Limited Liability Companies:... and $25 for a corporation Corporations Division Filing Fees - Domestic Profit and Professional....

Official Massachusetts links

• Massachusetts Secretary of State - (617) 727-9640
• Statutes

Frequently asked

Do I need a resident agent in Massachusetts?

Almost every state does, and the Massachusetts rule is set out above with its citation. Where the law leaves a choice, a resident agent is still the practical way to make sure service of process reaches you.

How much does Massachusetts resident agent service cost?

$129 a year, with no setup fee, the same price in all 50 states plus DC, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Service of process is received and scanned the same business day.

Can I switch my Massachusetts resident agent to ResidentAgents.com?

Yes. Order online and we prepare the change of agent filing for you; the state's filing fee is shown on this page.