Maine LLC Cost

The cost to start a business in Maine varies depending on what you need to file. Here are the most common Maine LLC fees you may have to pay when starting your business.

Filing Fee – $178

It costs $178 to file the Certificate of Formation. This certificate officially begins your company’s existence.

Registered Agent Fee

You can appoint someone to be your Registered Agent, which requires a $35 fee to register. The person or entity you choose must meet all the legal requirements. With our Maine Registered Agent Service, we can provide an agent for you.

Alternatively, you can serve as the Registered Agent for your LLC.

Annual Report Filings- $85

The Annual Report filing fee is $85. This yearly reporting is required for all Maine LLCs.

Now that your LLC is established, let’s look at some other fees that you might have to pay.

LLC Name Reservation

For $20 you can reserve your business name while you get the rest of your paperwork together. By reserving a name, you have the exclusive right to the business name you want for 120 days. Then, once you file your initial documents, the name is yours for as long as you want it.

Doing Business Under an Assumed or Fictitious Name

For marketing purposes, some businesses use a name different from their legal name. This is referred to as a “Doing Business As,” fictitious, or assumed name. There’s a $125 fee to request to use an alternative name.

Certificate of Existence

When it’s time to open a business bank account or get financing, you may need to provide your LLC’s Certificate of Existence. This document shows that your LLC is in good standing—which means it’s compliant with all requirements and is up to date on its filings and payments. The cost for a Certificate of Existence is $30.

Business Licenses and Permits

Most businesses need some combination of federal, state, and local permits and licenses to legally operate. What you’ll need and how much you’ll owe depends on the type of business you’re running and where it’s located within the state.

Statement of Authority

If you need to give authorization to other people to act on the LLC’s behalf, it’ll cost $50 to file a Statement of Authority.

For just $0 plus state fees, we can form your Maine LLC for you in just minutes. No LegalZoom promo code required: Pay just $0 plus filing fees for fast LLC formation. 

Yes. Late payments will incur a late penalty fee, and your LLC will lose good standing status. This can negatively impact your ability to do things like open a bank account or get financing. 

The Secretary of State will dissolve or revoke your LLC if you don’t pay the late penalty. If for some reason you aren’t doing business in Maine, but you’re still in good standing, you can file a Certificate of Excuse. By doing this, you won’t have to file the annual report or pay the $85 fee.

The Maine Secretary of State won’t accept or process your documents if they don’t include the appropriate filing fee. 

The Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions receives all filing fees. 

The largest Maine LLC cost is the $178 filing fee for the Certificate of Formation. However, foreign LLCs pay much larger fees to do business in Maine than domestic LLCs. For example, a foreign LLC must pay $200 to renew its business name registration.

Payments can be made by check, money order, or credit card. All payments made with a credit card must include a Credit Card Payment Voucher.