How to Start an LLC in Maine

A Maine LLC is one of the most simple, cost-effective, and quick business structures to form. Even so, navigating the formation process can seem daunting without clear guidance and an actionable plan.

In this How to Start an LLC in Maine guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know to form your LLC, from the steps you’ll need to take to get started to maintaining your structure.

Maine LLC

In order to form an LLC in Maine, you’ll need to complete the following steps:

1. Name Your Maine LLC
2. Pick a Maine Registered Agent
3. Submit the Certificate of Formation
4. Create a Maine LLC Operating Agreement
5. Get an EIN
6. File Your BOI Report

In the sections below, we’ve broken down each of these steps in more detail.

Step 1: Name Your Maine LLC

The first thing you’ll need to do before getting started is picking the right name for your LLC. This is important because your business’s name will need to represent your brand accurately, as well as be as memorable as possible.

In Maine, all LLC names need to abide by the following statutory guidelines in order to be accepted by the Secretary of State:

• All names are required to include the term “limited liability company”, “limited company”, or an abbreviation such as “L.L.C.”, “LLC”, “L.C.”, “LC”
• The names of all low-profit LLCs must include the term “low-profit limited liability company”, or one of its abbreviations: “L3C” or “13c”
• All proposed names are required to be distinguishable from the assumed, fictitious, reserved and registered name filings of all business entities within the Secretary of State’s records. When determining whether or not a proposed name is sufficiently “distinguishable”, the following are not considered:
• Differences in the business entity identifier included in the name (e.g., “ABC Media LLC” and “ABC Media Corp”)
• The addition or removal of “and”, “the”, or any symbols that represent these words (e.g., “Dragon Kite Marketing” and “Dragon and Kite Marketing”)
• Variations in how capitalization, punctuation and certain special characters are used (e.g., “Tip Top Bakery” and “Tip-Top Bakery”)
• The Maine Secretary of State will reject any proposed business name that
• Contains or includes language that is obscene
• Improperly encourages abusive or illegal behavior
• Falsely implies a connection with public institutions
• Breaches any other legal regulations regarding names

If you want to read about these naming guidelines for LLCs in Maine in greater depth, you can check out the Maine Revised Statutes tit. 13, § 1509.

Keep in mind that even though picking an LLC name in itself has no cost, there are certain fees that can be associated with the overall process.

Reserve an LLC Name

If you’re not yet ready to launch your business and still need a little more time, you can choose to reserve your desired LLC name for later by submitting an Application for Reservation of Name form with the Secretary of State ($20 fee). This will keep anyone from being able to take the name you plan to use for 120 days.

If you need any longer than this, you’ll wait until this period has ended before reapplying as name reservation renewals are not available in Maine.

Note: Since it’s a waste of your time and money to reserve a name that’s already in use, we recommend doing a Business Entity Search on the Secretary of State website to check if your desired name is available in advance.

Register an Assumed Name

Another potential cost associated with naming your LLC is a “doing business as” (or DBA) name. This is essentially a nickname that you can choose to register for your business to operate under — particularly if you’re not content with your LLC’s legal name.

Registering a DBA name can be done by filing a Statement of Intention To Do Business Under An Assumed Name with the Secretary of State’s Division of Corporations and paying a $125 fee.

Note: Non-profit entities are only required to pay a reduced filing fee of $25 instead.

Buy a Domain Name

Finally, you’ll want to focus on securing a good domain name (which is your website’s address) for your business. For this, try to focus on choosing one that’s easy for customers to remember, relevant to your business, and accurately reflects your brand.

After confirming the domain name you want to use is actually available, you can purchase it through a trusted registrar.

Step 2: Pick a Registered Agent

The next step you’ll need to take toward forming your LLC is to pick a registered agent.

This is an individual or business entity that accepts legal correspondence on behalf of your business, such as service of process, notice of lawsuits, and official government communications; you’re required to continuously maintain one as long as your LLC is active.

Your registered agent can be an individual or business entity, but will need to satisfy the following requirements under Maine Revised Statutes tit. 5, ch. 6-A:

• Have a physical street address in Maine (PO Boxes and virtual offices do not satisfy this)
• Be available at regular business hours (i.e., 9am to 5pm)
• Accept official correspondence for your LLC

You can even act as your own registered agent if you’re looking to save money — though we don’t typically recommend this as you’re much more likely to suffer fines and penalties due to non-compliance than if you just hire a professional service.

On top of this, you’ll lose any anonymity your LLC would have given you since your name, address, and contact information will be publicly available.

Note: To have a look at some of our other top recommendations, you can also check out our Best Registered Agent Service of 2024 guide.

Step 3: Submit Your Certificate of Formation

In Maine, the Certificate of Formation is the filing document that you’ll need to submit with the Secretary of State in order to officially register your LLC (this is also referred to as the Articles of Organization in other states).

If you’re filing your Certificate of Formation as a domestic LLC you’ll be expected to pay $175, while foreign LLCs must pay a $250 processing fee instead.

To complete your Certificate of Formation, you’ll need to have the following information available:

• The legal name your LLC is registering
• The filing date or delayed effective date (if it won’t become immediately active) of your LLC
• Whether or not you’ll be electing your business as a Low-Profit LLC
• Your Professional LLC status
• Your registered agent details
• Any special handling requests

To submit your LLC formation documents, you need to mail the relevant form for your entity type to the Secretary of State. If you’re forming a domestic LLC this will be the Certificate of Formation, while foreign LLCs will instead be expected to file an Application for Authority.

You’ll need to mail a copy of the correct formation document (plus a check/money order for the filing fee) to the following address:

Secretary of State
Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333

Note: If you have any doubts about the submission process, you can get in touch with the Division of Corporations with any queries you may have at CEC.Corporations@Maine.gov.

Step 4: Create a Maine LLC Operating Agreement

Once this is completed, the next step you’ll need to take is to create an operating agreement.

This is an internal document that’s legally required for all LLCs in Maine under Revised Statutes Section 1531.1.B, and is meant to clearly outline the ownership and management structure of your company in order to reduce potential future conflict.

A number of companies provide drafting services for operating agreements online, typically for a fee of around a few hundred dollars. However, it’s quite easy to sort out your limited liability company agreement by yourself if you want to save money, and you can even find a number of free templates online to help with this.

Step 5: Get an EIN

Even though it’s not a legal requirement (unless your LLC has employees or more than one member), all Maine LLCs should apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

This is a free, nine-digit number used by the IRS to identify your business and keep track of its tax reporting — much like a Social Security Number (SSN) for individuals.

You’ll need an EIN to be able to:

• Hire employees
• Open a business bank account
• Apply for some business licenses/permits
• Establish a line of credit

On top of this, using an EIN instead of a Social Security Number (SSN) helps to protect your personal information and safeguard your anonymity as the business owner of your LLC.

You can quickly apply for an EIN for your LLC online through the IRS website. You’re also able to submit a paper application using Form SS-4 either via fax to (855) 641-6935, or by mailing it to the following address:

Internal Revenue Service
Attn: EIN Operation
Cincinnati, OH 45999

Note: Don’t worry if you don’t already have an SSN, it’s not necessary to have one in order to apply for an EIN — instead, you can just leave Section 7b of the application blank and call the IRS on (267) 941-1099.

Step 6: File a BOI Report

Starting January 2024, the vast majority of LLC owners will be required to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report with the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

This is part of an initiative by the U.S. government to stop individuals and entities engaging in illegal or unethical activities from being able to conceal this using “opaque ownership structures”, like shell companies, to hide their true identities.

Existing LLCs will be able to file this report anytime between January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025, while new LLCs will have up to 90 days after the date they were initially formed to do so (30 days for LLCs formed after the start of 2025).

Keep in mind that failure to file your LLC’s BOI report on time can result in exorbitantly high fines (i.e., $591 per day) or even jail time (up to two years).

Note: Not every LLC owner is required to file a BOI report. For example, companies with more than 20 full-time employees, accounting firms, and banks are exempt. For a full list of filing exemptions, you can have a look at FinCEN’s website.

How to Maintain Your Maine LLC

In order to keep operating legally in the state of Maine, you’ll need to file an annual report with the Secretary of State every year.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to complete this step, as we’ve detailed all the information you’ll need to know in the sections below.

File an Annual Report

In order to keep your LLC operating legally, you’ll be required (under Maine law) to submit an annual report and pay an $85 filing fee to the Secretary of State by June 1 each year, which can be done either online or by mail.

For newly-created entities, their first annual report will be due between January 1 and June 1 of the year following your LLC’s incorporation. For instance, if your LLC was incorporated anytime in 2024, your first annual report would be due by June 1, 2025.

To submit this report online, all you’ll need to do is head over to the Maine Secretary of State website and choose the “Annual Reports Online” option, which provides more detailed instructions on the submission process.

However, if you prefer (or need to), you’ll also be able to file by mail by printing out and completing the Maine LLC Paper Annual Report Form and then mailing it to the address found at the top of the form.

Be aware that in order to generate this preprinted annual report form, you’ll be expected to input your Maine LLC’s Charter Number — this is an eight digit number ending in either D, B, RR, CP or I.

Missing the June 1 deadline will incur a late penalty, and ongoing non-compliance can lead to the administrative dissolution or revocation of your LLC’s legal status.

Note: Foreign entities will be expected to pay an increased filing fee of $150 in order to submit their annual report.

Maine vs Other States

When it comes to LLC formation, Maine stands out due to its rich history of entrepreneurship and commitment to innovation.

This is not just reflected in the state’s significant investments — including $8 million towards small business diversity and $21 million to expand broadband access — but also the range of financial and professional resources that it provides in order to cater to the needs of local entrepreneurs.

Despite modest economic growth, the state’s emphasis on local business and community collaboration makes it a unique and supportive environment for small businesses, particularly when compared to more populous states.

Regardless, keep in mind that the best state to form your LLC is almost always the state that you will be operating in; this is because otherwise you’ll likely be required to register as a foreign LLC in your home state, meaning that you’ll need to pay registration and maintenance fees twice.

Maine Secretary of State Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Division of Corporations, Elections, and Commissions
101 State House Station
Augusta, ME 04333-0101

Physical Address:
Burton Cross Building
111 Sewall St., 4th Floor
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Contact Information:

Email: CEC.Corporations@Maine.gov
Phone: (207) 624-7752