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Business Basics LabLLC paperwork, measured state by state.

Lab sheet 2 · Maryland

The Maryland Registered Agent (2026): 6 Procedures and the 3 Best Agents

Ranked by measured reading, the services for appointing a registered agent in Maryland in 2026 are Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), Maryland Registered Agent.co ($99 a year) and MD Registered Agent.org ($99 a year). Procedure 1 records what Maryland law says about a resident agent; by procedure 6 the appointment is on file.

Recorded by the Business Basics Lab staff ·

Key facts for this sheet

Resident agent required?
YesReference mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026
Prices of ranked services
$99 to $149 a yearFrom each company's pricing
Business Entity Annual Report
$300 a yearReference dat.maryland.gov, August 2026
Procedures on this sheet
6One at a time

On this sheet

  • The legal requirement
  • Who may serve and from where
  • How to name or change the agent
  • The ranked agents

Best reading

Services that measured best in Maryland

Measured on the method page: three-year cost (36%), procedures performed (28%), renewal, fit with Maryland's protocol and price legibility.
Begin here

1. Mainstay Filing: best for one agent across states

$149 yearly, identical at renewal

Top of the Maryland readings is Mainstay Filing: an agent at $149 a year that remains usable when the company adds states.

The three-year total is $150 above Maryland Registered Agent.co's, offset by the larger number of procedures it performs.

What the price performs

  • An office address inside the state
  • Papers served on the company are scanned free on the same business day
  • Three government letters a year are scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

Measured strengths

  • A flat $149 per year
  • Covers all fifty states

Measured limits

  • More expensive by $50 a year
  • The owner still files the reports
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service

2. Maryland Registered Agent.co: best for owners based in the state

$99 yearly, identical at renewal

Maryland Registered Agent.co follows in second place: $99 a year, with scans of served papers posted to an online account.

What the price performs

  • A Maryland address for the registered office
  • Served documents made available online

Measured strengths

  • A flat $99 per year
  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
  • No assistance with the Business Entity Annual Report
Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
In-state service

3. MD Registered Agent.org: best for a second local choice

$99 yearly, identical at renewal

MD Registered Agent.org follows in third place: $99 a year, with scans of served papers posted to an online account.

Maryland Registered Agent.co and this service charge alike.

What the price performs

  • A Maryland address for the registered office
  • Served documents made available online

Measured strengths

  • Costs less per year than Mainstay Filing
  • A flat $99 per year

Measured limits

  • No help in other states
  • No assistance with the Business Entity Annual Report
Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Prices in one table

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Maryland Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Maryland Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3MD Registered Agent.org$99$99/yr$297Visit MD Registered Agent.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as posted on November 13, 2026. Maryland bills the same in either case.

Appointing a Maryland resident agent, procedure by procedure

  1. Procedure 1: Record the requirement

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Specimen: Reference mgaleg.maryland.gov, October 2026

  2. Procedure 2: Who qualifies as agent

    A Maryland resident, or a Maryland corporation, LLC or limited partnership. Statutory basis: Md. Code, Corps. & Ass'ns § 1-101(x).

  3. Procedure 3: Choose a compliant address

    The address has to be a Maryland address on file with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation; P.O. boxes are not accepted. The LLC also keeps a principal office in Maryland.

    TipA service supplies a Maryland street address, which keeps the owner's address off the filing.

  4. Procedure 4: Settle who will be the agent

    A qualified owner can act as agent. Otherwise the ranked agents charge $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Procedure 5: Place the agent on the public record

    On a new Maryland LLC the agent appears in the Articles of Organization. A later change reaches the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) as a separate filing.

    Specimen: Reference egov.maryland.gov, October 2026

  6. Procedure 6: Review the record annually

    State correspondence about the Business Entity Annual Report arrives with the resident agent. Its price is $300 every year, with the due date given as April 15.

    Specimen: Reference dat.maryland.gov, August 2026

Maryland agent costs

ItemPaid toTotal
The agentThe engaged service$99 to $149 a year
RenewalThe engaged service$99 to $149 a year
Business Entity Annual ReportThe state$300 every year
The state's fees were read from official pages, which are listed below. Over three years they come to the filing, two reports and, in some states, a minimum tax.

Why this order

The deciding criterion was procedures the price performs, worth 28% of the reading.

Maryland Registered Agent.co costs less, but coverage across states earned the higher reading.

Maryland questions

What does Maryland say about keeping a resident agent?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own resident agent?

Often. Apply the two tests in procedures 2 and 3.

Can I change my resident agent later?

Yes, at any time. Procedure 5 explains how to file the change with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT).

What does a registered agent cost in Maryland?

$99 to $149 per year for the agents listed.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Chiefly the Business Entity Annual Report, $300 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Mainstay Filing, Maryland Registered Agent.co and MD Registered Agent.org, in descending order of reading.

Further reading

Specimens and records

  1. To reproduce the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation result, consult dat.maryland.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  2. To reproduce the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation result, consult dat.maryland.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  3. To reproduce the Maryland report due date result, consult dat.maryland.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  4. To reproduce the Md result, consult mgaleg.maryland.gov. Our observation of it is dated August 2026.
  5. To reproduce the Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source result, consult mgaleg.maryland.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  6. To reproduce the Maryland formation fee: Filing fee, official source result, consult egov.maryland.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  7. To reproduce the Maryland registered agent statute result, consult mgaleg.maryland.gov. Our observation of it is dated October 2026.
  8. Maryland service page (Mainstay Filing), observed November 13, 2026
  9. pricing page (Maryland Registered Agent.co), observed November 13, 2026
  10. pricing page (MD Registered Agent.org), observed November 13, 2026