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EntityWire/States/Massachusetts

Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division

Massachusetts business entity search

Office facts, status meanings and filing rules for Massachusetts. The steps below show how to search Massachusetts's official registry.

Federal filings only here. Massachusetts registry records are on the official site.

Massachusetts registry at a glance

Registry agency
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Office
Secretary of the Commonwealth William Francis Galvin, since 1995
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Phone
617-727-9640
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Address
One Ashburton Place, 17th floor, Boston, MA 02108
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Hours
Public Room and Phone Room: Monday to Friday, 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Official search
Search for a Business Entity →
Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Registry number
Identification Number (ID Number). 9 digits. Many entities carry a state-assigned number with leading zeros, for example 000924901; others carry their federal EIN as the ID Number, with the earlier state number shown as Old ID Number
Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06

How to search the Massachusetts registry

The Search for a Business Entity searches by entity name (begins with, exact match, full text or soundex), individual name, identification number and filing number.

  1. Open Search for a Business Entity on the Corporations Division site.Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
  2. Choose to search by entity name, individual name, identification number or filing number.Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
  3. For a name search, pick a match type such as Begins with, then select Search Corporations.Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
  4. Read the ID Number and Old ID Number columns in the results, then select the entity name.Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
  5. The Business Entity Summary lists the entity type, organization date, fiscal year end, resident agent, officers and directors, and links to every filing.Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06

Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06

Open the official Massachusetts search →

Three numbers, three agencies

Asking for the wrong number is a common reason a search comes back empty.

Federal EIN
Internal Revenue Service
Identifies the business for federal tax. It is the same number in every state.
Source: irs.gov
Identification Number (ID Number)
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Identifies the entity's record in the Massachusetts registry. 9 digits. Many entities carry a state-assigned number with leading zeros, for example 000924901; others carry their federal EIN as the ID Number, with the earlier state number shown as Old ID Number
Source: corp.sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Massachusetts DOR business tax account (MassTaxConnect)
Massachusetts Department of Revenue
The Corporations Division asks for the federal EIN on formation filings and, for many entities, uses it as the public ID Number. Entities without one carry a state-assigned 9-digit number starting 000. DOR tax accounts are separate and managed in MassTaxConnect.
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06

The Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division publishes the federal EIN on its records, so a Massachusetts registration can be matched to its EIN.

Fees and annual filings

LLC formation
$500 (Certificate of Organization)
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Corporation formation
$275 minimum for up to 275,000 shares (Articles of Organization), plus $100 for each additional 100,000 shares
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Annual filing
Annual Report
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Annual fee, LLC
$500 ($450 if filed electronically, per the fee table)
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Annual fee, corporation
$125 ($100 if filed electronically); $150 if not filed on time
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
When it is due
LLCs file on or before the anniversary date of the original certificate of organization.
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Late filing
Corporations pay $150 instead of $125 when the report is not filed on time. An LLC that is administratively dissolved must file all missed reports and pay $100 to reinstate.
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Filed with
Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Corporate excise
Massachusetts Department of Revenue. C and S corporations and LLCs or LLPs taxed as corporations may need to register with DOR and file a yearly return; a taxable corporation owes at least the $456 minimum excise. The requirement ends only when the Secretary dissolves the entity.
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06
Note
A certificate of good standing from the Corporations Division costs $12 and is not a tax good standing.
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06

As published by the Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division, checked 2026-10-06. Fees change, and the official schedule decides.

Forming or running a business in Massachusetts

Registered agent
Each LLC certificate of organization must name an agent for service of process with a business address, and corporations list a resident agent on the public summary.
Source: sec.state.ma.us · checked 2026-10-06

Massachusetts businesses on file

Sources

A fact that could not be confirmed on an official page is left out.

Other states