Maine Corporation

You can get an EIN directly from the IRS. The application is free, and most businesses can apply online. However, if you don’t have a social security number, you’ll need to submit a paper application form. Can’t bear to fill out yet another application? Hire Northwest to get your EIN for you. Just add on EIN service during checkout when you sign up for our incorporation service.

Corporate bylaws cover basic policies and procedures for issues such as company finances and management. Bylaws should cover a range of topics, answering key questions like those below:

• Directors and officers: How many directors must there be? Which officer positions are required? What powers do they have? How do you fill a vacancy or remove a director or officer?

• Meetings: When and where will meetings for shareholders and directors be held? How much notice is required before a meeting is conducted? How many attendees are required to transact business? What are the procedures for voting or proxy voting? How do you call a special meeting? What actions can be taken without a meeting?

• Stock: How are stock certificates issued and transferred? How is voting affected by issues such as corporate stock owners or fractional shares?

• Finances: What are the procedures for retaining profits, issuing dividends, and paying bills? Who can withdraw money from the corporate bank account or sign checks?

• Records: Where is the corporate book to be kept? What information will be maintained? How are requests for review or access honored? Can records or copies be kept or distributed digitally?

• Amendments and emergencies: Who can amend bylaws and how? Can emergency bylaws be adopted in the case of disaster?

Per 13-C ME Rev Stat § 206 (2019), bylaws can contain any provision, so long as it is consistent with law and the corporation’s Articles of Incorporation.

Creating bylaws can be overwhelming—where do you start? Northwest can help. We give you free corporate bylaws when you hire us to form your Maine corporation. We know what kinds of topics and questions corporations need to address, and we’ve spent years refining and improving our forms. We offer many other free corporate forms as well, including templates for resolutions and meeting minutes.

$85. Fail to file on time? The Secretary of State will charge most business entities a $50 late fee. If your report remains unfiled, your business may also be administratively dissolved or revoked of its right to conduct business within the state.

Your corporation’s annual report filing must be filed between January 1st and June 1st of the year following the calendar year in which your company was incorporated, formed or qualified. For example, if you filed your Articles of Incorporation between January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, your first annual report would be due by June 1, 2021.

These filings can be easy to forget—which is why we send our clients automatic reminders. Or better yet, let us file for you. With our business renewal service, we can complete and submit your annual report for you for $100 plus the state fee.

The state of Maine imposes an income tax on all corporations that have Maine-source income. For tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2018, corporate tax on adjusted federal taxable income is calculated using the following graduated rates:

3.50%: $0 to $350,000
7.93%: $350,001 to $1,050,000
8.33%: $1,050,001 to $3,500,000
8.93%: over $3,500,000

The state sales tax is a flat 5.5%. In Maine, cities and counties can’t add on local sales taxes, so you’ll pay the same 5.5% at the register from Kennebunk to Presque Isle. However, there are specialty rates for a few specific products and services. For example, prepared foods are taxed at 8% and hotels are taxed at 9%.

Yes, if you conduct business in Maine, you’re required to register with Maine Revenue Services. You can register via the Maine Revenue Services website or by filing a Maine Business Registration Application. You’ll need your EIN before you can register.

The base filing fee for Maine Articles of Incorporation is $145. Five day expediting is an additional $50, and immediate processing is $100.

Hire us for a one-time fee of $370, including the state filing fees, a year of registered agent service, a business address and more.

Standard processing is around 14 days. 5-day expediting is an extra $50 and immediate expediting is an extra $100. Filings can only be mailed or submitted in person (there’s no online filing), so this option works best in person—otherwise, you still have to wait for postage time.

Licensing is done on the city or town level in Maine. Most cities don’t require a general license but instead license specific activities.

For example, Portland requires a $45 license for a few dozen specific business activities, from circus events to valet parking. Taxis and similar businesses are also licensed but pay increased fees. In Bangor, many activities are licensed and the fees tend to be higher—for instance, you’ll shell out $341 to license a bowling alley or a roller rink. Bar Harbor, on the other hand, licenses only a handful of activities, like selling liquor or operating vehicles for hire.

A corporation formed outside of Maine—but which conducts business in the state—is considered a foreign Maine corporation. For example, if you incorporated in Vermont but decide to open a storefront in Maine, you would be a foreign Maine corporation. This also means you would need to register with the state by filing an Application for Authority with the Maine Secretary of State, Bureau of Corporations, Elections and Commissions. Foreign corporations are required to file the Maine Annual Report as well.

Absolutely! We’re happy to start a nonprofit corporation for you. Note that incorporating a Maine nonprofit requires a different form. The filing fee is lower as well ($40). Nonprofits are also required to submit an annual report every year before June 1st, the fee for which is $35.

It’s a conundrum: you need a local number to display on your website and give to customers, but you don’t want to make your personal number quite so…public. We get it. And we’ve got you covered with Northwest Phone Service. We can provide you with a virtual phone number in any state—plus unlimited call forwarding and tons of easy-to-use features. You can try Phone Service free for 60 days when you hire us to form your corporation, and maintaining service is just $9 monthly after that. No contract required.