Start a Free LLC in Maryland

Per the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), as of September 2026, Maryland charges $100 to file the Articles of Organization. After that, the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1) costs $300 every year. With LLC Register, formation is included in the $99-a-year Maryland registered agent service, so year one costs $199.

Standard review takes 6 to 8 weeks. Expedited filing is available for $50 extra within 7 to 10 business days, or same-day service for $325 online ($425 for documents delivered to SDAT). Your LLC exists once the state accepts your filing.

To start an LLC in Maryland, choose an available name, appoint a Maryland registered agent, and file the Articles of Organization with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) for $100. Then sign an operating agreement, get a free EIN from the IRS, open a business bank account and register for any state taxes. LLC Register files it for you as part of the $99-a-year registered agent service.

Yes. You can file online through Maryland Business Express, or by mail with the paper Articles of Organization. The Articles of Organization costs $100.

In Maryland you form an LLC by filing the Articles of Organization with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). Other states call this document the articles of organization or the certificate of formation. The filing fee is $100.

Yes. Expedited filing is available for $50 extra within 7 to 10 business days, or same-day service for $325 online ($425 for documents delivered to SDAT). Standard review takes 6 to 8 weeks.

Use the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT)'s free online business name search to check whether your LLC name is available. Your Maryland LLC name must include "limited liability company", "LLC", "L.L.C.", "LC" or "L.C." (a benefit LLC adds "benefit"), and must be distinguishable on SDAT's records from every other entity, reserved or registered name.

Your Maryland LLC name must include "limited liability company", "LLC", "L.L.C.", "LC" or "L.C." (a benefit LLC adds "benefit"), and must be distinguishable on SDAT's records from every other entity, reserved or registered name. The rules are set by the Maryland Limited Liability Company Act, Corporations and Associations Article, Title 4A, Annotated Code of Maryland.

Yes. You can reserve a name for $25; the reservation lasts 30 days (an expedited reservation costs $20 more). A reservation is optional; filing the formation document also secures the name.

Yes. Every Maryland LLC must have a registered agent. Maryland calls this role the resident agent. Yours must be an adult Maryland citizen, or a Maryland corporation, LLC, LP or LLLP, and must sign the Articles of Organization to consent to serve.

Yes. An individual member who is an adult Maryland citizen can serve as your LLC's resident agent and sign the Articles of Organization to consent, though the LLC itself cannot act as its own resident agent. Your address becomes public record, and someone must be there during business hours to accept legal papers.

Not as your registered agent's address. Maryland calls this role the resident agent. Yours must be an adult Maryland citizen, or a Maryland corporation, LLC, LP or LLLP, and must sign the Articles of Organization to consent to serve. A PO box can usually serve as a mailing address, but the registered agent needs a physical address in Maryland.

File the Resolution to Change Principal Office or Resident Agent with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). The fee is $25.

Serving as your own Maryland registered agent is free if you qualify. Commercial registered agents charge a yearly fee. LLC Register's Maryland registered agent service is $99 a year and includes LLC formation and annual report filing.

Yes. Maryland LLCs must file the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1) every year. The state fee is $300.

The Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1) is due by April 15 every year (a 60-day extension to June 15 can be requested online by April 15). Your first one is due by April 15 of the year after you form your LLC, even if it had no revenue that year. It is filed with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT).

Per the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), as of September 2026, the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1) state fee is $300. It is due by April 15 every year (a 60-day extension to June 15 can be requested online by April 15). LLC Register files it for you at no extra service fee while your registered agent service is active.

Late filing adds an initial penalty of up to 1/10 of 1% of your county assessment (at least $30), plus 2% of that penalty for every 30 days you remain late; failure to file can forfeit your LLC's right to do business in Maryland. File as soon as possible to keep your LLC in good standing.

Maryland has no separate franchise or privilege tax on LLCs. The recurring state charge is the $300 Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return filing fee paid to SDAT every year.

Maryland treats an LLC as a pass-through entity by default: members pay Maryland income tax on their shares, and the LLC withholds tax on nonresident members' shares, or may elect to pay the pass-through entity tax for everyone. Federally, a single-member LLC is taxed like a sole proprietorship and a multi-member LLC like a partnership, unless it elects to be taxed as a corporation.

If you sell taxable goods or services, register for a Sales and Use Tax License with the Comptroller of Maryland through the Combined Registration Application; the general rate is 6%.

Before you hire, register for employer withholding with the Comptroller of Maryland and for an unemployment insurance account with the Department of Labor's Division of Unemployment Insurance. You also need an EIN from the IRS before you run payroll.

It depends on your industry and location: Maryland regulates some professions and activities through state licenses, and many cities and counties require local business licenses. Start with the Maryland Business Express.

Maryland does not require an operating agreement to be adopted or filed, though the LLC Act is built to give maximum effect to whatever agreement you write. LLC Register includes an operating agreement with every Maryland LLC it forms.

You need an EIN if your LLC has employees or more than one member, and most banks ask for one to open a business account. A single-member LLC without employees can use the owner's Social Security number for federal taxes, but an EIN keeps it off business paperwork.

Apply for free on the IRS website once the state has approved your LLC; online applicants receive the EIN immediately. Owners without a Social Security number can apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail.

Yes. You do not have to live in Maryland or be a U.S. citizen to form a Maryland LLC. You do need a registered agent with a physical address in Maryland. Non-U.S. owners without a Social Security number apply for an EIN with IRS Form SS-4.

Yes. Maryland allows an LLC with a single owner. By default the IRS taxes a single-member LLC like a sole proprietorship, reported on the owner's personal return.

No. Maryland's LLC Act has no domestic series LLC provisions; it only recognizes a foreign series LLC formed under another state's series statute.

Yes. A regular Maryland LLC can render professional services, the Act lists architects, attorneys, CPAs, physicians, dentists, engineers, veterinarians and others, without a separate professional LLC entity.

No. Maryland does not require newspaper publication to form an LLC.

Order a Certificate of Status from the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) for $20. Banks, lenders and other states often ask for one as proof your LLC is current with the state.

An LLC formed in another state registers to do business in Maryland by filing the Foreign Limited Liability Company Registration with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT). The fee is $100, and the LLC needs a Maryland registered agent.

File the Articles of Amendment (Limited Liability Company) with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) for $100. Amend when you change your LLC's name or other information in the formation document.

File the Articles of Cancellation for a Maryland Limited Liability Company with the Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) for free. Before you file, wind up the business: pay debts, close tax accounts and distribute what is left to the members.

Register a Trade Name with SDAT through Maryland Business Express for $25; it stays effective for 5 years and can be renewed. A DBA lets your LLC trade under another name without forming a new company.

Yes. An eligible LLC can elect S corporation tax status by filing IRS Form 2553. The election can reduce self-employment tax once profits are high enough to pay yourself a reasonable salary. Maryland treats an LLC as a pass-through entity by default: members pay Maryland income tax on their shares, and the LLC withholds tax on nonresident members' shares, or may elect to pay the pass-through entity tax for everyone.

An LLC separates your personal assets from business debts and lawsuits, keeps pass-through taxation, and needs less paperwork than a corporation. In Maryland it costs $100 to form and the Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1) is $300 every year.

A sole proprietorship costs nothing to start, but you are personally liable for the business's debts. A Maryland LLC costs $100 to form and protects your personal assets, with the same pass-through taxes by default.

Usually not if your business operates in Maryland. An out-of-state LLC doing business here must also register as a foreign LLC in Maryland for $100 and keep a Maryland registered agent, so you pay two states' fees.

No. Formation is included in the $99-a-year Maryland registered agent service. The state still charges its $100 filing fee, which we pass through at cost.

For $99 a year plus the $100 state fee: Maryland LLC formation in year one, a Maryland registered agent, an operating agreement, and filing of your Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (Form 1) every year. Renewal is $99 a year. State fees are passed through at cost.

No. FinCEN has exempted companies created in the United States from beneficial ownership information (BOI) reporting. Only foreign companies registered to do business in a U.S. state still have to report.

The Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT), Charter Division, handles LLC formations, amendments and annual filings. Its office is at Department of Assessments and Taxation, Charter Legal Department, 700 East Pratt Street, 2nd Floor, Suite 2700, Baltimore, MD 21202.

Yes, you should. Mixing business and personal money can weaken the liability protection your LLC gives you. Banks usually ask for your filed Articles of Organization, your EIN and your operating agreement.