Best Massachusetts LLC Services in 2024 – Forbes Advisor – Technologist

Features

Some new Massachusetts LLCs want their formation service to handle only the preparation and filing of their paperwork with the state. Others look for an LLC service that will provide supplemental business services such as a website, domain name and business email. ZenBusiness has both groups covered, offering bare-bones LLC prep and filing for only the Massachusetts filing fees, as well as two full-featured packages.

The downside of ZenBusiness’ fees-only service is having to wait two to three weeks for your application to be processed. You’ll also be charged $199 after your first year of service for the company’s Worry-Free Compliance protection. Upgrading to the company’s $199-a-year Pro or $299-a-year Premium plan cuts down the processing time to one business day, which doesn’t include the state’s processing time. However, the Pro package requires that you pay extra for a website, email and ZenBusiness’ document templates.

The Starter plan from ZenBusiness includes only the actual LLC filing with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Corporations Division, excluding the state’s charges for the certificate of organization ($500) and other documents such as the annual report ($500). New LLCs that are starting from scratch are better served by the company’s Pro offering that includes an operating agreement, an employer identification number (EIN) and Worry-Free Compliance (included for the first year with Starter and $199 per year thereafter).

The Pro plan charges extra for access to ZenBusiness’ document template library and site hosting, a domain name and business email, all of which are included with the Premium package. None of the LLC formation plans come with registered agent service, which costs $199 annually as an add-on. Other extras are fast filing for $79, a business license report for $99 and a certificate of good standing for $100.

Pricing

The value of ZenBusiness’ Starter service is diminished somewhat by the cost of the add-on services your company may require such as an operating agreement for $125 or an employer identification number (EIN) for $99. The Pro package ($199 a year plus state fees) includes both, along with faster processing and compliance protection ($199 a year after the first year with Starter).

However, it charges extra for document templates ($99), website ($15 a month), domain name ($35 a year) and business email ($25 a year).

All these features are bundled with ZenBusiness’ high-end Premium offering that costs $799 including state filing fees. However, Premium subscribers may still find themselves shelling out for added services from the company such as e-commerce for their site ($279 a year) and tax services (from $49 a month).

Customer Service

ZenBusiness customer support staff can be reached by telephone or live chat from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. CT Monday to Friday and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends. You can also contact support by email, which the company attempts to respond to within one business day. Self-support options include FAQs and a knowledge base.

Reputation

ZenBusiness claims to have helped more than a half-million businesses get started since its founding in 2017. The company has an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau, and it is highly rated by customers posting reviews on Trustpilot. The service is noted for being easy to use and responsive to customer requests.

Learn more: Read our full ZenBusiness review.