Massachusetts 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:

• Meetings: When and where will meetings for shareholders and directors be held? 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?

• 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?

• 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?

Massachusetts bylaws can make other provisions as well, assuming additions are in accordance with state law. For example, MA Gen L ch 156d § 16.02 (2019) states that Massachusetts bylaws can not abolish or limit a shareholder’s right of inspection regarding corporate records.

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 Massachusetts 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.

A minimum of $110. The annual report has a flat fee of $100 to file online, but you’ll also need to pay a $10 expedite fee. The fee to file by mail is $125. If you file after the due date, a late fee of $25 will be added.

The filing is due within two and a half months after the end of your corporation’s fiscal year. If your fiscal year ends on December 31, the Massachusetts Annual Report will be due on March 15.

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 most important tax for Massachusetts corporations is the state’s corporate excise tax. This excise tax combines two taxes together: an 8% tax on state income, plus a tax on the greater of either personal property or taxable net worth (at a rate of $2.60 per $1,000). The minimum amount that can be owed for corporate excise tax is $456.

S corporations don’t owe the 8% of income, but they are subject to the other half of the corporate excise tax—$2.60 per $1,000 of either personal property or taxable net worth (again, with a minimum tax of $456). S corps with over $6 million in gross receipts are also subject to gross receipts taxes of 2% to 4%.

The Massachusetts sales tax is 6.25%. The commonwealth doesn’t have city or county sales taxes, with the exception of a 0.75% tax on certain meals and lodging, which towns and cities have the option of implementing.

Yes, if you conduct business in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, you’re required to register with the Massachusetts Department of Revenue. You can register via MassTaxConnect. You’ll need your EIN before you can register.

At least $265. The base filing fee is $250 when filing online or by fax, but Massachusetts applies a $15 expedite fee for such filings. When filing by mail or in person, the fee is $275. If your business will incorporate with more than 275,000 shares, a $100 fee will be charged for units of up to 100,000 additional shares – so, for example, a corporation filing with 325,000 shares would be charged the $100 fee on top of regular filing fees, while one with 550,000 shares would have a $300 fee plus the ordinary filing fees.

Hire us for a one-time fee of $490, including the state filing fees, a year of registered agent service, a business address and more.

It takes less than a day to form a corporation in Massachusetts when filing online. Processing by mail can take 2 to 4 days.

There’s no general, statewide business license required in Massachusetts, but some cities and counties have local rules for licenses, frequently called “business certificates.” Prices and specifics may vary: for example, Boston charges $65 for a four-year business certificate, while in Worcester, the fee is only $50.

For some license applications you may need an EIN or a certified copy of your Articles of Organization. At Northwest, we can streamline the process and get these for you—simply add on these items during checkout.

A corporation formed outside of Massachusetts—but which conducts business in the state—is considered a foreign Massachusetts corporation. For example, if you incorporated in Rhode Island but decide to open a storefront in Massachusetts, you would be a foreign Massachusetts corporation. This also means you would need to register with the state by filing a Foreign Corporation Certificate of Registration with the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth. Foreign corporations are required to file the Massachusetts Annual Report each year as well.

Absolutely! We’re happy to start a nonprofit corporation for you. Note that incorporating a Massachusetts nonprofit requires a different form, and has a significantly lower $35 filing fee as well. Massachusetts nonprofits must also file an annual report each year ($15).

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.