Best Registered Agent Services in Maryland

Maryland's Articles of Organization never name a member or a manager. The form asks for four things. The LLC name, a Maryland office, the resident agent, and one signature. That is the whole public record. So your agent's street address is usually the only address anyone can tie to your business through the SDAT entity search. Put your house there and you cannot quietly take it back.

The state usually charges more than the agent. The Annual Report falls on April 15 and costs $300. That is one of the highest in the country. Six of the eight services on this page charge less than that for a full year, so the difference between the cheapest and the dearest of those six is small change next to a bill you cannot avoid. Two flip it. Rocket Lawyer, because its agent price only exists inside a paid membership, and Swyft Filings, because the fee it advertises is a quarter, not a year. Skip those two and you are buying the reminder, not the discount.

Missing April 15 costs less than most sites claim. Maryland grants a free two month extension to June 15 if you ask online by April 15. Miss the report outright and the penalty under Tax Property section 14-704 starts at $30 to $50. It tops out at $500. It then grows by 2 percent of that penalty every 30 days, not 2 percent of some larger sum. The fee is not the real risk. SDAT lists late LLCs after September 30 of the next year and moves to forfeit them.

Over three years these eight land between $1,275 and $2,688 once you add the state's own $300 a year. Northwest is cheapest. Its flat rate never moves. Harbor Compliance beats it only if you prepay three years up front instead of paying the introductory rate and then two renewals.

If the LLC does not exist yet, Bizee covers the first year of agent service when it forms your LLC, then charges $149. ZenBusiness is often said to do the same. It does not. Its agent service is $99 the first year and $199 after, or $199 a year flat when you bundle it with formation. Already have the LLC? Northwest and Harbor Compliance are the two worth a look.

Buy the calendar, not the price. Maryland's report lands the same day as your federal return, which is exactly why people forget it. A free extension only helps if somebody tells you it exists. Northwest and Harbor Compliance both send deadline reminders.

Not formed yet? Our guide to the best LLC formation services in Maryland compares the bundled formation and agent packages.

• Portal service fee - Maryland Business Express adds a 3 percent fee to card payments. A $300 report costs about $309 when you file it online.
• Changing your agent - A Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent costs $25 at SDAT. Add $50 if you want it rushed. That fee is yours, not your agent's.
• The price may not be a year - Swyft Filings quotes a quarterly fee, so twelve months costs four times the headline. Rocket Lawyer's agent price only exists inside a paid membership, so the cheapest real path is the membership plus the agent. Both sit on the table above at their true annual cost.
• Renewal jumps - Harbor Compliance and ZenBusiness both open at an introductory rate and renew higher. Bizee goes from free with formation to its standard rate. Northwest and LegalZoom charge the same every year. Inc Authority bundles the first year with formation, then sells a further year at $249.
• Getting back in - Say SDAT forfeits the LLC. Articles of Reinstatement then cost $100 on top of every unpaid report and penalty you owe. The full schedule is in the SDAT fee list.

1. Check the SDAT entity search first. Confirm your agent's name and Maryland street address are on file. A designation is not effective until SDAT accepts it.
2. Apply for your federal EIN at the IRS site. It is free. Filing takes about 10 minutes online. You need it before a bank will open an account.
3. Open a business account. Keep the LLC's money apart from yours. Most Maryland banks want the Articles of Organization and the EIN letter.
4. Put April 15 in your calendar for the $300 Annual Report. Then set a second reminder. Early April is right, so you can ask for the free extension if the books are not ready.
5. Do this before your first sale. Register with the Comptroller of Maryland if you will collect the 6 percent sales tax or hire anyone. Data and IT services are taxed at 3 percent instead.
6. Turn on alerts in your agent's dashboard. A lawsuit or an SDAT notice should reach you the day it lands.