2025 fees Maine Secretary of State Rank #36 of 51

LLC Costs in Maine (ME)

$385 all-in for your first year - $175 to file, $85 annual report, plus a registered agent. Maine is $2 (1%) more expensive than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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Annual report is due by June 1 each year. Maine has higher formation fees but a strong quality of life making it attractive for remote workers and lifestyle businesses.

Updated 2025 · Source: Maine Secretary of State

Higher Articles filing fee

Higher Articles filing fee. $175 one-time SOS filing sits in the top third of Articles/formation fees nationwide. The $175 one-time Articles filing fee in Maine is the standout line item, putting the $385 first-year total at #36 of 51. Fees are those published by the Maine Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

According to the Maine Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →

$175
One-time filing fee
$85 /yr
Annual report
$385
First-year total
#36 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

Published SOS fee schedule

Fee strip ME · Maine SOS FY 2026 · rank #36

Maine · FY 2026 · 5-10 business days · no pub

  • PHOTO Online filing
  • SOS www.maine.gov/sos
  • EXPEDITE 5-10 business days
  • PRIVILEGE +$50 expedite
  • FILE near Washington
  • Y1 1% above avg

Dear-third stack: stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule, not a recommendation of where to form. Read with tax planning against a dear SOS stack → · All 51 SOS fee rows →

1. Illinois$3502. Maine$3853. Washington$3854. Florida$3895. Nebraska$4016. Alabama$425
1. Illinois$3502. Maine$3853. Washington$3854. Florida$3895. Nebraska$4016. Alabama$425
First-year SOS-fee total for Maine and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

Cost vs. speed: where Maine sits among all 51 filing offices

Maine is both slower and pricier than the median state -- a 8-business-day wait on top of an above-average formation cost. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by First-year cost ($) (X) and Processing time (business days) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Slow & expensiveCheap but slowFast but priceyFast & cheap $0$500$1,000$1,500 0d10d20d30d First-year cost ($) Processing time (business days) Cost vs. speed: where Maine sits among all 51 filing offices
Maine is both slower and pricier than the median state -- a 8-business-day wait on top of an above-average formation cost.
Maine is both slower and pricier than the median state -- a 8-business-day wait on top of an above-average formation cost. National median processing time: 6 business days; national average first-year cost: $383. Source: each state's Secretary of State published processing-time guidance + the 51-row SOS fee aggregate.

How the dear-third $385 stack breaks down

How your $385 first-year total breaks down State filing fee drives 45% of a top-third first-year total.
  • State filing fee $175
  • Annual Report (yr 1) $85
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $175
Annual Report $85
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $50
Total, First Year $385

Ongoing tax burden after formation

Maine's 8.93% corporate tax rate ranks among the highest corporate tax burdens nationally, an ongoing cost that can outweigh the one-time $385 formation fee within a few profitable years.

Corporate income tax
8.93%
8.93% corporate tax rate, #46 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
1.02%
Of assessed property value, per year

Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.

Fee check: Dear-third first-year stack, verify current Maine SOS fees before filing at https://www.maine.gov/sos/. Not legal or tax advice.

Maine SOS fee strip (high filing)

Filing Fee $175
Annual Report $85 /yr
Processing Time 5-10 business days
Expedited $50 → 1-2 business days
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $385
File with Maine SOS

Similar Cost States

North Dakota $310 Arkansas $320 Connecticut $325 New Hampshire $325

Lower-cost escapes

ME's SOS stack sits in the dearest third; these states charge less for the same first year:

South Dakota $325 Kansas $340 Illinois $350

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.

Sources used on this page
  • Maine Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. www.maine.gov/sos/
  • Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org
LLC fees and requirements sourced from the Maine Secretary of State. See our methodology for details.

Verify with the Maine Secretary of State →