Starting a business in Massachusetts can be an exciting yet daunting task, especially when it comes to navigating the legal landscape. One of the most critical steps in establishing your business is choosing the right business structure.
For many entrepreneurs, a Limited Liability Company (LLC) is an ideal choice due to its blend of flexibility, simplicity, and liability protection. Forming an LLC in Massachusetts is relatively straightforward, but it requires careful attention to detail to ensure all legal requirements are met.
Disclaimer: the rates and offerings below are subjected to changes made by the service providers.
An LLC, or limited liability company, is a type of legal entity that provides limited legal liability protection for its members. That is, once you form a Massachusetts LLC and start using it for your business operations, your personal assets are largely protected from a lawsuit. This aspect of the LLC enables you to get your business started without worrying about being sued.
The LLC is a step up from the sole proprietorship status that is automatically granted by the IRS when you’re running a small business. Forming one gives you more flexibility in terms of naming members, how business income is taxed, and enables you to open up business bank accounts, and buy goods and services. The LLC is considered a pass-through entity in that all profits are sent directly to the members, but the members can opt to have the profits taxed as an S or C corporation if desired.
Forming an LLC in Massachusetts is a straightforward process, but you do have to make sure your certificate of organization is filled out correctly in order for it to be accepted. If you’re unsure about how to get the work done, an LLC formation service in Massachusetts will help you through the process, file on your behalf, and provide supporting services.
Here’s a look at the five best formation services in Massachusetts to consider.
Tailor Brands is an LLC formation company that simplifies the filing process, and provides ongoing support for your business. The services offered by Tailor Brands range from basic business formation to taking care of business taxes and more. These services enable you to focus on running your business with the knowledge that there’s an expert taking care of the things you don’t have time for.
Tailor Brands provides all the supportive legal services that are needed to keep your LLC operating in compliance with laws and regulations. That includes a registered agent, obtaining and maintaining licenses and permits, design services such as websites, a logo, business cards, and more. You can opt to have Tailor Brands take care of some or all of your business services as you like.
Tailor Brands receives high marks from clients who have used our services to form an LLC. The customer service experts are well-versed in the formation process, and are ready to help you with any problems you run into while you’re filling out the forms. You can feel confident in the assistance provided by the support team at Tailor Brands and benefit from our calm guidance as we help you get your dream off the ground.
LegalZoom is best known for its service that provides users with legal document templates that are used to create legally binding documents. It also offers a step-by-step LLC formation process that makes it easy for you to form your LLC. You can get supportive business services that include filing annual reports on your behalf, obtaining the correct business licenses, and dissolving your LLC if necessary.
The LLC services offered by LegalZoom are comprehensive, and are designed to keep your LLC operating as it should. It offers registered agent services, helps you create the operating agreement, and helps you file your annual report. Other business services include creating an operating agreement, writing business plans, obtaining an EIN, and obtaining the correct business licenses.
The templates used for forming your LLC can be a little difficult to understand. However, the site makes up for this problem through its knowledgeable customer support staff who are able to help you through any problems you encounter.
Swyft Filings helps you get your LLC up and running quickly, and offers a 100% accuracy guarantee. It features filing templates for LLCs and other corporate entities for all 50 states, offers an online dashboard that keeps you up to date on your filing status and other administrative requirements, and provides other supportive business services.
You can form an LLC, S, C, or non-profit corporation and a DBA through Swyft Filings through their online templates. The company offers registered agent services, can help you create your operating agreement, file your annual report, and provides you with a Statement of the Incorporator to open up a business bank account. It also applies for business licenses on your behalf, name amendments, and a ComplianceGuard app to remind you to submit important filings to keep your business in compliance.
Swyft Filing features filing templates that are easy to understand and fill out. Its customer service is excellent and is staffed by knowledgeable people who are ready to help. Customer reviews report that staff regularly goes above and beyond to help clients with their problems, while making it a point to file the articles of incorporation in a timely manner.
RocketLawyer’s primary offerings are templates for legal documents that cover a variety of life situations that need formal and binding documentation. It offers formation services for LLCs and other corporate entities, but requires an ongoing subscription to access services. If you think that you’ll need more than support for forming an LLC, RocketLawyer’s subscription offers access to lawyers that have extensive experience in their particular areas of law.
Some of the services offered include registered agent services, attorney service, professional tax preparation and filing, and assistance with filling out forms.
RocketLawyer is an expensive option when it comes to using their services to create an LLC. However, the cost may be worth it as it gives you the opportunity to ask questions about business-related issues and get answers from lawyers and professionals in the field. You can also get legal advice at a discounted cost for just about any legal issue you need help with.
Northwest Registered Agent started out as a registered agent service, then expanded into other business services that include forming an LLC. Its team of Northwest Corporate Guides® consists of accountants and legal professionals who apply their experience and knowledge to getting your LLC formed quickly and efficiently.
Most of the services offered by Northwest Registered Agent are focused on the creation and filing of LLCs and other corporate entities. It offers its core service of naming a registered agent for your LLC to stay compliant, but also has services that include taking care of annual compliance needs, business email, mail forwarding, and virtual offices.
Northwest Registered Agent offers its formation tools for free, and charges $39 plus state fees if you decide you want to hire one of their registered agents to do the work on your behalf. All services are offered à la carte, which means you only pay for services you want to use.
The online portal can be confusing and difficult to navigate if you don’t have an idea of what you’re supposed to do. The site itself takes time to process pages and information, which requires patience as you wait for the information to go through. The Guides at Northwest Registered Agent are what make the service shine as they do everything they can to fix your issues and get your LLC filing submitted quickly so you can start doing business sooner.
Yes, you can form your own LLC in Massachusetts, provided you follow the directions, fill out the forms correctly, and pay the filing fee. You’ll have to perform a corporate name search, create an operating agreement, name the members, and list a registered agent among other tasks. It’s a lot of work, and the time needed to make sure you’ve done it correctly can take significant time away from running your business.
But, instead of trying to do it on your own, you can use a Massachusetts LLC formation service to get the work done on your behalf. The experts at the LLC formation service have filed thousands of certificates of organization, and are ready to provide personalized service to form your LLC. You’ll still have to do some work, such as providing the necessary information, but the formation service takes care of the majority of the filing needs and submits it to the Secretary of the Commonwealth on your behalf.
Forming an LLC is a great way to protect yourself while getting your business idea and dreams off the ground. It gives you legitimacy in the business world, and legal protection that prevents the worst-case scenario from happening.
However, there’s no getting around the fact that you need to familiarize yourself with filling out the paperwork and the various requirements needed for your formation request to be accepted by the state of Massachusetts.
Getting help from the best LLC services takes away the stress of filing, while ensuring that all LLC requirements are prepared correctly. The result is that you get more time to run your business and the knowledge that your administrative needs are being taken care of by professionals who get the job done right.
This portion of our website is for informational purposes only. Tailor Brands is not a law firm, and none of the information on this website constitutes or is intended to convey legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, Tailor Brands is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness.
Terry is a serial entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience building businesses across multiple industries – construction, real estate, e-commerce, hotelier, and now digital media. When not working, Terry likes to kick back and relax with family, explore Taoism’s mysteries, or savor the taste of fine Italian red wine.
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