Best LLC Formation Services in Maryland

Maryland files LLCs through the Department of Assessments and Taxation. There is no Secretary of State here. Every filing runs through Maryland Business Express, and the portal adds a 3 percent service fee to each payment. So a service quoting you $155 in Maryland state fees is quoting arithmetic that sits on no fee schedule anywhere.

The SDAT fee schedule prices Articles of Organization at $100. The expedite is $50. How fast it works depends on which SDAT page you read. The fee schedule promises review within 7 to 10 business days. The Articles of Organization form, revised May 2026, says 7 to 14. The form is newer. Plan for 14 and treat 10 as the good day. Skip the expedite and an online filing waits 6 to 8 weeks. Nearly every guide on this search prints the $50 as a surcharge the state forces on online filers. It is a choice. If you are not waiting on a bank account or a lease, it is a choice worth making.

Paper may still be faster. The two documents no longer agree on that either. The fee schedule puts a paper filing at 4 to 6 weeks and the same filing online at 6 to 8. The 2026 form quotes 6 to 8 weeks for standard filing and never splits paper from online. That schedule was last revised in May 2024. The paper advantage is the older claim.

Maryland allows anonymous LLCs. One line on the form is worth reading twice. The Articles of Organization never ask who the members are. Line 3 does ask for a principal office address in Maryland. SDAT sells copies of charter documents to anyone. File from the kitchen table and a stranger can order your home address for a dollar a page. Your registered agent and the person who signs are the only names the form collects.

There is no publication notice here. That saves real money against a state like New York. No franchise tax on an LLC either.

You will need a county business license. It comes from the Clerk of the Circuit Court where you operate. Maryland has no statewide license, so the rule and the price both depend on your county and on what you sell. Our Maryland LLC guide covers the trade name registration many counties also want.

Your registered agent must be a Maryland resident over 18, or a business entity registered in Maryland. The agent needs a street address in the state. P.O. Boxes are not accepted.

1. Get your EIN from the IRS. It is free and same day. You need it before you open a business bank account or hire anyone. Apply directly at IRS.gov.
2. Appoint or confirm your Maryland registered agent. The agent needs a street address in the state. P.O. Boxes are refused. If your formation service included agent service, check that SDAT has the appointment on file.
3. Obtain a county business license. Call the Clerk of the Circuit Court in your county. Fees and rules vary by county and by business type, and many counties also want a trade name registration.
4. File your Annual Report by April 15 each year. Maryland puts the Annual Report and the Business Personal Property Return on one form. You fill in the property schedules only when your Maryland personal property cost $20,000 or more. The $300 is due either way. File late and SDAT charges one tenth of one percent of the county assessment, plus 2 percent interest on that penalty every 30 days.
5. Register for Maryland sales tax if you sell taxable goods. The rate is 6 percent. Alcoholic beverages are taxed at 9 percent. Register with the Comptroller of Maryland before your first taxable sale.
6. Skip the BOI report. FinCEN exempted every company formed in the United States in March 2025. A final rule made that permanent on 14 August 2026. A domestic Maryland LLC files nothing. Only companies formed abroad still report. A letter asking for a fee to file one is a scam, and FinCEN says so.

• 3% Business Express service fee - Every payment through the portal carries it. So $100 becomes $103.00, and an expedited $150 becomes $154.50. It shows up at checkout, not on the fee schedule most sites quote. Paying by check avoids it.
• $300 annual report - It is due April 15 every year. The $300 is the filing fee for the report itself. There is no small LLC discount. The personal property schedules are separate, and you only fill those in when your Maryland personal property cost $20,000 or more.
• $50 expedite fee - It is optional, not a surcharge. You can skip it. It buys review in 7 to 14 business days instead of the 6 to 8 week online queue.
• County business license fees - Most counties require a license from the Clerk of the Circuit Court. Call before you open. The price depends on the county and on what the business sells.
• $100 reinstatement - Miss enough annual reports and SDAT forfeits the LLC. Reinstatement is not automatic. Articles of Reinstatement then cost $100, plus every delinquent annual report fee, plus $50 if you need it reviewed quickly.