The minimum Maine LLC cost is $175, which covers the processing fee for filing your Certificate of Formation. 

Having said that, the total cost of forming a Maine LLC will depend on several factors, including your personal preferences and business needs. 

In our How Much Does an LLC Cost in Maine article, we’ve broken down everything you need to know about the different costs associated with launching and maintaining an LLC.

Maine LLC Cost

In the table below, you can find a summary of the main requirements of forming a Maine limited liability company (LLC) and their associated fees.

                                                         

Requirement	Fee
Certificate of Organization	$175
Registered Agent	$0-$150+
LLC Name	$0-$145
Operating Agreement	$0+

Maine LLC Filing Fee ($175+)

To establish your LLC, you’ll need to submit the required incorporation documents with the Maine Secretary of State.

Depending on if you’re setting up a domestic LLC (that will be operating in Maine) or a foreign LLC (that will be operating outside of Maine), the specific forms you’ll need to file will vary:

• Domestic LLCs: You will be required to file a Certificate of Formation, which comes with a filing fee of $175
• Foreign LLCs: You will be required to file an Application for Authority, for which the filing fee is $250

Having said that, if you choose to use an LLC formation service, the cost will be a little higher as it will include a small service fee in addition to Maine’s state filing fee.

The fees for an LLC formation service can range significantly, but can start from as low as $29, increasing if you decide to purchase any additional offerings.

Note: For more details on the formation process, you can check out our Maine LLC Formation guide.

Maine Registered Agent ($0-$150+)

As part of filing your LLCs Certificate of Formation, you will be required to nominate a registered agent.

This is a person or business entity that you must assign to receive tax, legal, and governmental correspondence on behalf of your Maine LLC.

While you can act as your own registered agent at no extra cost, it’s often recommended to hire a professional service so you avoid any potential penalties or legal issues caused by non-compliance with state regulations.

Hiring a third-party service can also be a great way of ensuring that your personal information remains private.

The cost of a registered agent service ranges from $49 to $150 per year, including options for add-on services such as LLC formation assistance, annual report filings, and business bank account registrations.

Alternatively, you can find some of the top recommendations for professional RA services in our Best Registered Agent Services of 2024 article.

Naming Your Maine LLC ($0-$145)

When forming your Maine LLC, you’ll be required to pick a suitable name that’s available to use.

There are two potential costs to be aware of when naming your LLC.

Reserving Name

You can apply to reserve your preferred LLC name by submitting the Application For Reservation of Name form to the Secretary of State and paying the applicable $20 filing fee.

If the Secretary of State determines that the name you’ve chosen for your limited liability company is available, they will reserve that name exclusively for you for a period of 120 days.

Remember that, while you can’t renew a name reservation, you can always reapply for the same name once the initial reservation period has expired.

Note: To make sure that your desired name is not already taken by another business owner in Maine, you can perform a Business Entity Search on the Secretary of State’s website.

When choosing a name for your LLC, it’s important to select one that corresponds to an available domain. This is because a matching domain ensures consistency between your LLC’s name and its online presence, which helps to strengthen its brand recognition and credibility.

Doing Business As (DBA) Name

If you plan to operate your business under a name that differs from your LLCs official one, you’ll need to obtain a Doing Business As (DBA) name — which is also known as an Assumed Name in this state.

To do this, you will need to fill out a Statement Of Intention To Do Business Under An Assumed Name form and mail it to the Secretary of State’s Division of Corporations.

Keep in mind that a $125 fee will need to be paid.

Maine LLC Operating Agreement ($0+)

While not mandatory, it’s good practice for LLCs to have an operating agreement.

This document defines the roles and responsibilities of the members or managers in your LLC and will help prevent and solve any business disputes that may arise later on.

While you can opt to hire an online service or business attorney to draft this document for you (which typically costs at least a few hundred dollars), it’s actually quite straightforward to do it yourself at no extra cost.

It’s also important to note that this doesn’t actually need to be filed with the Maine Secretary of State — it’s purely an internal document.

Additional Maine LLC Formation Costs

On top of the more common fees outlined above, there are a number of additional formation costs that LLCs in Maine may encounter depending on their circumstances.

We’ve summarized some of these additional costs below:

Expedited Maine LLC Filing

For those looking to fast-track their LLC filing process in Maine, the Secretary of State offers two expedited service options:

• 24-hour expedited filing ensures your documents are processed by the next business day for an additional fee of $50
• Immediate expedited filing guarantees processing on the same business day, with an extra charge of $100

Keep in mind that, if you are filing several documents concurrently for a single entity or under the same charter number, you will only be required to pay a single expedite fee.

Local Business Licenses

In order to comply with the local-level regulations of your city and county, your business may be required to obtain some local business licenses.

While very few municipalities impose a general licensing requirement for businesses operating within their limits, your LLC might need a municipal license if it’s involved in certain activities.

For example, if your LLC operates as a flea market vendor in Portland, you’ll need to secure a Flea Market Seller License from the city, which requires an application fee of $45.

Certificate of Existence

A Maine Certificate of Existence is a document often required to open a business bank account; it can also be required by lenders in order to check that your LLC is properly registered and legally authorized to conduct business in the state.

You can obtain a Certificate of Existence by searching for your business on the Maine Corporate Services page and selecting the issue a certificate service.

This process comes with a $30 processing fee.

Additionally, you can request certified copies of your business documents at a cost of $2 per copy, with a $5 certification fee applied to each document (regardless of its length).

Cost to Maintain an LLC in Maine

In addition to the cost of forming an LLC in Maine, there are also several ongoing costs you’ll be responsible for paying each year.

We’ve outlined these recurring costs associated with maintaining a Maine LLC below.

Annual Report

In Maine, all businesses are required to file an annual report by June 1 each year in order to maintain their good standing with the Secretary of State.

For new entities, the first annual report must be submitted between January 1st and June 1st of the year following the one in which their entity was incorporated.

For example, if your Articles of Organization were filed any time between January 1 2023 and December 31 2023, your first annual report would be due by June 1, 2024.

You can complete this process using Maine’s online filing system. Specifically, you will need to navigate to SOSonline.org and select the “Annual Reports Online” option.

The fee for the annual report is $85 for domestic entities or $150 for foreign entities.

Should you need or prefer to file using a paper form, you can download this Paper Annual Report Form instead.

Note: Remember that failing to file your annual report by the June 1 deadline will result in a late filing penalty; continuous non-compliance can also lead to the administrative dissolution or revocation of your entity’s legal status.

Registered Agent Maintenance

If you decide to take advantage of a professional registered agent in order to handle your legal documents, you’ll be required to pay an annual fee in return for their services. This fee commonly ranges between $45 and $300 depending on the provider and features you select.

While you’re not required to use a professional registered agent service, it’s highly recommended.

Taxes

In addition to the federal taxes your LLC is required to pay regardless of the state it’s based in, there are a variety of state-specific taxes in Maine you need to be aware of, including:

• Sales tax
• Employment taxes
• Business privilege taxes
• Property taxes

Additionally, there are various local taxes your LLC may need to pay depending on the municipality or county it’s based in, such as:

• Sales and use taxes
• Property tax

Maine vs Other States

In the context of LLC formation and maintenance costs, Maine aligns with the national average, offering a middle ground for businesses in terms of startup and yearly operational expenses.

For services like assumed name registrations and the issuance of certificates, Maine’s fees are notably high, even when compared to some of the most expensive states.

On the other hand, the state’s supportive business environment and comprehensive infrastructure largely offset these additional costs.

Ultimately, it’s important to understand that the best state to form your LLC will generally be the one in which you plan to primarily operate your business from.

This is because this makes it far easier to stay legally compliant on a number of levels, including taxation, licensing, and filing requirements, as you’ll only need to deal with one state’s set of rules.