Step 1 · Form the entity
How to form an LLC in Maryland (2026)
File a Maryland LLC on Maryland Business Express for $100 ($150 expedited). Keep a MD resident agent; Form 1 Annual Report $300 due April 15.
File a domestic Maryland LLC on Maryland Business Express when you live in Maryland and will do the work from Maryland. Articles of Organization cost $100 standard or $150 expedited on the SDAT Articles instructions. Five steps: confirm Maryland facts, gather the Articles with a Maryland resident agent, file on Business Express, pay $100, then get a free EIN. Compare structures on LLC vs sole proprietorship.
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Maryland?
SDAT’s Articles of Organization instructions list a $100 standard filing fee (6 to 8 weeks) and $150 for expedited review (7 to 14 business days), re-checked 14 October 2026. Same-day service is $425 online. Maryland Business Express adds a $3 eCheck fee or a 3% card technology fee. Budget $300 a year for the Annual Report.
How do I file Articles of Organization on Maryland Business Express?
Open Maryland Business Express, create an account, and choose Articles of Organization for a Maryland limited liability company. Enter a distinguishable name, a Maryland resident agent with a Maryland address, and the principal office, choose standard or expedited review, then pay. The accepted Articles are your formation proof; keep the receipt.
Does a Maryland LLC need a resident agent?
Yes. Maryland calls the registered agent a resident agent, and the Articles of Organization must name one who can accept service of process for the LLC in Maryland. The agent and address go on the public SDAT record. DIY versus commercial tradeoffs: Registered agent basics for a new LLC.
When is the Maryland LLC Annual Report due, and what does it cost?
By April 15 each year on SDAT Form 1, the combined Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return. The LLC filing fee is $300; Business Express notes there is no separate fee for the personal property return. Complete the property schedules if Maryland personal property totals $20,000 or more in original cost (2026 Form 1).
Do I get an EIN before or after the Maryland LLC?
After. The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, and the EIN application on IRS.gov is free. Apply the same day SDAT accepts your Articles of Organization if you need a business bank account right away. Walkthrough: Get an EIN; then open a first business checking account.
Does a Maryland LLC need newspaper publication?
No. The SDAT Articles of Organization instructions and the Maryland Business Express fee table include no newspaper publication step for a standard domestic Maryland LLC. Skip any “Maryland LLC publication” add-on a vendor tries to sell you. New York is different and does require publication; see How to form an LLC in New York.
Maryland LLC fee table (re-checked 14 October 2026)
| Item | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization (standard) | $100 | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Articles of Organization (expedited) | $150 | 7 to 14 business days |
| Same-day filing (online) | $425 | $525 paper drop-off |
| Annual Report (Form 1) | $300 | Due April 15; no separate personal property return fee |
| Business Express technology fee | $3 / 3% | eCheck / card |
| Foreign (Non-Maryland) LLC registration | $100 | Business Express fee table |
| EIN | $0 | Free on IRS.gov |
Fees re-checked on the SDAT Articles of Organization instructions, Maryland Business Express fee table and 2026 Form 1 on 14 October 2026. If the portal shows a different checkout total, pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt.
DIY or a formation shop. The walkthrough on this page is for Maryland Business Express / Articles of Organization. If you would rather pay a shop to handle the filing paperwork, compare these:
| Service | Best for |
|---|---|
| Swyft Filings | Fast online filing with compliance reminders |
| Bizee | Budget-minded formation packages |
| Zenind | Formation bundled with registered agent |
| MyCompanyWorks | Simple, no-frills formation filing |
| MyCorporation | LLC formation plus DBA, EIN and registered agent add-ons |
| CorpNet | Formation packages with a year of registered agent and EIN bundled |
| BizFilings | Established filing service (Wolters Kluwer) |
| doola | Non-US founders forming a US LLC |
| Harbor Compliance | Registered agent and multi-state compliance |
| Business Anywhere | Registered agent + virtual business mailbox |
| ZenBusiness | All-in-one formation packages |
Prices, registered agent renewals, and checkout traps side by side: LLC formation services compared by fit.
Optional branches (not always required to file)
File in Maryland if the work is in Maryland
A domestic Maryland LLC is organized by filing Articles of Organization with the State Department of Assessments and Taxation (SDAT) Charter Division. Online filing runs through Maryland Business Express. A company already formed somewhere else that wants to transact business in Maryland files as a Non-Maryland Limited Liability Company — a different instrument, also listed at a $100 base fee on Business Express.
Filing in Wyoming, Delaware, or Georgia does not move Maryland work out of Maryland. A foreign entity that transacts business here still needs a Maryland resident agent and Maryland foreign qualification, plus the formation state’s agent and annual report. Home-state filing is the cheaper default for a one-state operator. Multi-state registration overview: Foreign LLC and certificate of authority.
Do not try to hide from SDAT. An LLC is a public filing. The resident agent’s name and address go on the record so the state and private parties can reach the company. Privacy products that promise invisibility are selling something the statute does not offer.
What to have on the desk before opening Business Express
SDAT Articles of Organization instructions and Maryland Business Express set the baseline. Checked against those materials on 14 October 2026:
- A distinguishable LLC name. Search SDAT / Business Express before ordering letterhead.
- Articles of Organization details, including the resident agent and Maryland address for that agent, plus the other fields the current form requires.
- Resident agent who can accept service of process in Maryland. See Registered agent basics for a new LLC.
- Organizer signature and title as the current form requires. Payment follows whatever Business Express shows at checkout.
No newspaper or other advertising is required on the standard domestic Articles of Organization path. Professional entities and conversions are out of scope for a default 1099 single-member LLC on this page.
File online through Maryland Business Express (or on paper)
The primary path on this page is Maryland Business Express at businessexpress.maryland.gov. File Articles of Organization for a Limited Liability Company and pay. SDAT Articles instructions and Business Express list the base filing fee at $100. That is the fee this page cites for a standard filing.
Expedited review (+$50 → $150 total on current Articles instructions) and same-day service (much larger add-ons on those instructions) are optional. Card / PayPal technology fees and eCheck fees, if any, belong on the current Business Express checkout screen — this page does not invent processor totals. Pay what the portal shows and keep the receipt. Paper / mail filing to SDAT Charter Division remains available if you are not filing online.
After the Articles of Organization are filed
Formation with SDAT is not a Comptroller tax account, a sales-tax license, a county license, or a professional license. Those have their own filings.
The IRS tells applicants to form the state entity first, then obtain an Employer Identification Number. That application on IRS.gov is free.
Next: the money path. After the Articles of Organization is accepted:
- Get an EIN — free on IRS.gov after the state entity exists
- Open business checking — park operating cash in the LLC’s name
- First brokerage — only if the work needs one
Full first-30-days desk list: After you form an LLC. Setup overview on the setup checklist. Formation shops, if you want one instead of DIY, stay in the callout above.
Maryland does not require an operating agreement to be filed with Articles of Organization. A written agreement still matters between members. Banks often ask for one anyway. See LLC operating agreement basics.
Form 1 — Annual Report ($300) and personal property (separate schedules)
Do not conflate Maryland’s instruments with a typical SOS-only annual report. Every domestic and foreign Maryland LLC files Form 1 — Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return with SDAT. For 2026, SDAT puts the due date at April 15 (extensions may be requested online when SDAT offers them). The Annual Report filing fee for a domestic or foreign LLC is $300 on 2026 Form 1 and on the Business Express Annual Report fee table.
The personal property piece sits on the same Form 1 but answers a different question. Form 1 Section IV asks whether the business owns, leases, or uses personal property (including inventory) located in Maryland with total original cost of $20,000 or more. If yes, complete the personal-property schedules. If no, you still file the Annual Report portion and pay the $300 Annual Report fee when it applies — you do not skip Form 1 entirely. Business Express states there is no separate fee for the Personal Property Tax Return portion. Put April 15 on a calendar the day articles are accepted.
Cross-state renewals and “is an annual report a tax?”: LLC annual report and annual registration. This page does not compute anyone’s personal-property assessment or tax. Failure to file can lead to forfeiture of the right to do business in Maryland. Overview of restore paths: Reinstate an administratively dissolved or revoked LLC.
What this page does not cover
- Professional entities, conversions, or foreign qualification of an out-of-state company beyond the fee citation above.
- Comptroller tax accounts, sales-tax, employer withholding, unemployment, Workers’ Compensation, or local business licenses.
- Computing personal-property assessments or county tax bills from Form 1 schedules.
- Whether an S corporation election is worth the payroll. That is a CPA conversation after there is real net income.
- Any promise that an LLC prevents a personal guarantee on a bank account or a business card. It usually does not.
- Telling a Georgia operator to file Maryland as a sophistication upgrade.
- Voluntary dissolution / articles of cancellation — see SDAT forms and Dissolve or cancel an LLC.
- Processor fees or portal line items that are not printed on the sources above.
Sources
- Maryland SDAT — Articles of Organization for a Limited Liability Company (base fee $100; expedited $150; same-day add-ons on current instructions; Annual Report/Personal Property Return by April 15) — as of Re-checked 14 October 2026
- Maryland Business Express — fee tables (LLC Articles of Organization $100 base; Domestic Limited Liability Company Annual Report $300; note: no separate fee for Personal Property Tax Return portion) — as of Re-checked 14 October 2026
- Maryland SDAT — 2026 Form 1 Annual Report and Business Personal Property Return (due April 15; LLC filing fee $300; personal-property schedules if original cost $20,000 or more) — as of 2026 Form 1; re-checked 14 October 2026
- Maryland SDAT — Businesses in Maryland (2026 Annual Reports / Business Personal Property; April 15 due; file via Maryland Business Express) — as of Re-checked 14 October 2026
- Maryland Business Express — registrations and filings portal — as of 22 September 2026
- IRS — Get an employer identification number (EIN is free; form the state entity first) — as of Re-checked 14 October 2026