Maine LLC Cost: $175 Filing Fee & $85 Annual Report (2026)
A Maine LLC costs $175 to form - the fee to file the Certificate of Formation with the Secretary of State's Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions under 31 MRSA §1680 - plus an $85 annual report every year for a domestic LLC. Foreign LLCs registered in Maine pay $150 a year. A federal EIN is free.
Quick Answer
- Formation fee
- $175 - Certificate of Formation (31 MRSA §1680)
- Annual report
- $85 for a domestic LLC; $150 for a foreign LLC
- Annual report due
- June 1 each year (31 MRSA §1665)
- Filing office
- Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions
- EIN
- $0 - free from the IRS
- Registered agent
- Required; commercial agents set their own fees
Upfront Cost to Form a Maine LLC
The one mandatory upfront charge to create a Maine LLC is the $175 fee to file the Certificate of Formation with the Secretary of State's Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. Title 31, section 1680 of the Maine Revised Statutes sets the filing and copying fees for limited liability companies, and $175 is the amount specified for filing a certificate of formation. That single payment is what brings the LLC into legal existence.
Maine's fee is on the higher side compared with neighbouring states, and it is a flat charge - it does not scale with the number of members, the amount of capital, or the type of business. There is no separate organization tax and no publication requirement of the sort a few states impose. For the step-by-step filing process, see how to form an LLC in Maine, and compare states with the national how much an LLC costs guide.
Two costs are commonly presented as part of formation but are not state charges. A commercial Maine registered agent sets its own annual price, which the state does not regulate; you can serve as your own agent if you have a Maine street address. And a federal EIN is free from the IRS - never pay for one.
The $85 Annual Report
Maine's recurring state cost is the annual report. Title 31, section 1665 requires each LLC to deliver an annual report to the Secretary of State, and the Bureau's fee schedule sets the charge at $85 for domestic business entities and $150 for foreign business entities. (Domestic and foreign nonprofit corporations pay $35, a figure that is often quoted by mistake for LLCs.)
The report itself is short - it confirms the LLC's name, principal office, registered agent, and the people authorized to act for the company. It is not a tax return and it does not report income. Maine accepts the report online, and the Bureau also offers a preprinted form for filers who prefer paper. Details and deadlines are covered in Maine LLC annual report requirements.
Budget it as a fixed line item: $85 a year for a Maine-formed LLC, every year, whether or not the business earned anything. Missing the deadline exposes the LLC to a late penalty and, if the lapse continues, to administrative dissolution - which is far more expensive to unwind than the report fee would have been.
Deadline and Late Consequences
The annual report is due by June 1 each year. Maine's filing requirement reminders from the Bureau of Corporations set out the annual report duty and the consequences of missing it. A late report carries an additional penalty on top of the $85, and an LLC that stays delinquent can be administratively dissolved by the Secretary of State.
Administrative dissolution is the expensive outcome. A dissolved LLC loses the right to carry on business other than winding up, and reinstating it means filing the missed reports, paying the accumulated fees and penalties, and confirming the entity name is still available. If you cannot confirm the current late-filing penalty, the Bureau's fee schedule and section 1680 are the authoritative sources - do not rely on third-party summaries.
Maine LLC Cost Table (2026)
| Item | Authority | Cost | When |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificate of Formation (create the LLC) | 31 MRSA §1680 | $175 | One-time, at formation |
| Annual report - domestic LLC | 31 MRSA §1665, §1680 | $85 | Every year, by June 1 |
| Annual report - foreign LLC | 31 MRSA §1680 | $150 | Every year, by June 1 |
| Late annual report penalty | 31 MRSA §1680 | Penalty applies - confirm current amount with the Bureau | After June 1 |
| Certificate of existence | 31 MRSA §1664 | Fee set by statute - confirm with the Bureau | Optional |
| Registered agent (commercial) | Not set by the state | Market rate | Annual, if you hire one |
| Federal EIN | IRS Form SS-4 | $0 (free) | One-time |
Every amount above that carries a dollar figure comes from the Maine Secretary of State's published fee schedule or Title 31. Where a number is not stated here, it is because we could not confirm it against a primary source - check the Bureau's current schedule rather than assuming.
First-Year vs. Ongoing Cost
In year one, the required state cost of a Maine LLC is the $175 formation fee. The first annual report is due the following June 1, so a company formed in the second half of a year typically pays $175 now and $85 a few months later. In every year after that, the recurring required state cost is the $85 annual report.
Layered on top are costs the state does not set: a commercial registered agent if you do not have a Maine address, any local licensing your municipality requires, and professional fees if you use an attorney or accountant. See Maine business licensing for what is and is not required at the state level, and Maine LLC tax filing for the recurring tax side.
Other Filings That Carry Fees
Beyond formation and the annual report, a Maine LLC may pay for optional or situational filings. A certificate of existence under section 1664 is the document a bank or an out-of-state regulator asks for to prove the LLC is in good standing. Amendments to the Certificate of Formation, changes of registered agent, and statements of dissolution each carry their own statutory fee. If you trade under a name other than the LLC's legal name, add a Maine DBA registration.
If your LLC was formed in another state and you want to operate in Maine, the relevant filing is a foreign registration, and the recurring annual report for a foreign entity is $150 rather than $85 - a meaningful difference over a decade. That gap is one reason single-state businesses usually form where they actually operate rather than shopping for a "better" state.
How Maine Compares and What to Prioritize
Maine's $175 formation fee sits above the national middle, while its $85 annual report is moderate and, importantly, flat - it does not rise with revenue the way a franchise tax would. Over five years, the required state cost of a Maine domestic LLC is roughly the $175 formation fee plus four to five $85 reports, before any agent fee. That predictability makes budgeting simple.
If cash is tight, prioritise the two items that keep the entity alive: the registered agent and the annual report. Optional certificates can wait; a lapsed agent or a missed June 1 filing is what leads to loss of good standing. When you are ready to weigh structure and tax treatment alongside cost, read what an LLC is, S-corp vs LLC, and the S-corp election in Maine. For closing costs, see how to dissolve an LLC in Maine. Unfamiliar terms are defined in the glossary, and owners paying themselves should read Maine self-employment tax.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Maine?
It costs $175 to file the Certificate of Formation with the Maine Secretary of State's Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions, the fee set by 31 MRSA section 1680. After that, a domestic Maine LLC files an $85 annual report every year by June 1. A federal EIN is free from the IRS.
What is the Maine LLC annual report fee?
The annual report fee is $85 for domestic business entities and $150 for foreign business entities registered in Maine. Domestic and foreign nonprofit corporations pay $35, which is a different figure often misquoted for LLCs. The report is required by 31 MRSA section 1665.
When is the Maine LLC annual report due?
The annual report is due by June 1 each year. Maine accepts it online through the Secretary of State's annual report system, and a preprinted paper form is also available. Filing late adds a penalty, and continued delinquency can lead to administrative dissolution of the LLC.
Does Maine charge an LLC franchise tax?
Maine does not impose a separate LLC franchise tax in place of the annual report. The recurring state charge for a domestic Maine LLC is the $85 annual report. Income earned by the business is taxed to the members on their Maine individual returns unless the LLC elects corporate treatment.
Do I have to pay for a Maine registered agent?
Only if you hire one. Maine requires every LLC to maintain a registered agent, but you may serve as your own agent if you have a Maine street address. Commercial registered agents set their own annual prices, which the state does not regulate and which are not part of the $175 filing fee.
Is a Maine EIN free?
Yes. An Employer Identification Number is issued by the IRS at no charge using Form SS-4, and the online application returns the number immediately during posted hours. No state or federal agency charges for an EIN, so any fee you are quoted is a third-party service charge, not a government cost.
Related
- How much does an LLC cost? (cluster hub)
- How to form an LLC in Maine
- Maine LLC annual report
- Maine registered agent requirements
- Maine LLC tax filing
- Maine LLC operating agreement
- Maine business entity search
- How to dissolve an LLC in Maine
Sources
- Maine Revised Statutes - 31 MRSA §1680, Filing and copying fees; penalties ($175 certificate of formation; $85 domestic and $150 foreign annual report).
- Maine Revised Statutes - 31 MRSA §1665, Annual report for Secretary of State.
- Maine Revised Statutes - 31 MRSA §1664, Certificate of existence.
- Maine Revised Statutes - 31 MRSA §1460, Fees; penalties.
- Maine Secretary of State - Limited Liability Company Forms (Certificate of Formation, Form MLLC-6).
- Maine Secretary of State - Filing Requirement Reminders (annual report duty and consequences).
- Maine Secretary of State - Corporations and Business Services.
- IRS - Get an Employer Identification Number (free EIN).
- IRS - Limited Liability Company (LLC) (federal tax treatment).
LegalGlass provides general information for educational purposes and is not legal advice, is not a law firm, and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or tax professional. Laws, fees, and thresholds change; verify current amounts with the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions and Maine Revenue Services before acting.