Massachusetts Business Name Availability Checker
Data verified September 3, 2026 · Official database: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
LLC filing fee
Name reservation cost
Reservation hold one extension
Quick answer: Massachusetts results do not show a status column. Start with Entity Name and Begins with, then open each close record. The same legal name can appear under different ID numbers, and the Business Entity Summary may reveal a withdrawal date that the result list hides. Only the Corporations Division decides whether a proposed name passes the state’s “same as or deceptively similar” test.
How to check a name in Massachusetts
The public database can search by entity name, an individual’s name, identification number or filing number. A name check begins with the first option, but the list is only an index of records. It does not label a company active, withdrawn or dissolved. This walkthrough therefore treats the result page as a set of leads and the individual summary as the place to interpret a match.
Step 1: Choose the entity-name search
Open Search for a Business Entity. Under Search by, keep Entity Name selected. The page identifies this route as Search by entity name (Company, LP, LLP, LLC, etc.). The other radio buttons answer different record questions, so do not use Individual Name for a proposed company-name screen.
Step 2: Enter the distinctive beginning
Type the words that make the name recognizable in Enter name. The capture uses microsoft and leaves Search type on Begins with. Leave the LLC ending out at first because Massachusetts compares the proposed legal name against several entity classes, not just other LLCs. Keep Display number of items to view at 25 unless a common term produces a longer list, then select Search Corporations.
Step 3: Separate names by ID number
The Business Entity Results page reports Number of records: 14 for this query. Its columns are Entity Name, ID Number, Old ID Number and Address. Three visible rows use the exact name MICROSOFT CORPORATION but carry different identifiers. The list has no status field, so neither an old address nor a familiar name settles the filing question. Use the linked entity name to inspect each close record.
Step 4: Read the dates on the summary
This Business Entity Summary is for ID 001004757, one of the exact-name results. It identifies a Foreign Corporation, a Massachusetts registration date of 01-28-1986 and a Date of Withdrawal of 11-14-1988. That last field supplies context the result table withheld. Record the ID and disposition, then review the other same-name entries rather than assuming this one withdrawn registration frees the wording.
Massachusetts LLC naming rules
M.G.L. c. 156C, § 3 sets a short but consequential test:
- Use an LLC ending. The name must contain “limited liability company,” “limited company,” “L.L.C.,” “L.C.,” “LLC” or “LC.”
- Screen more than LLC records. A proposed name cannot be the same as or deceptively similar to a domestic or foreign corporation, limited partnership or limited liability company name that is reserved or on file.
- Treat similar wording as a real conflict. Massachusetts does not limit the rule to character-for-character duplicates. A spelling change can still fail when the result is deceptively similar.
- Know the consent route. The existing entity can provide written consent, but the consent must be filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. A private email or verbal agreement is not the statutory filing.
- Clear regulated language separately. Banking law restricts uses such as “bank,” “banking” and “bankers,” while insurance business names can require Division of Insurance approval. A clean corporate search does not replace the relevant regulator’s review.
Reserving a name in Massachusetts
Reservation is optional when the formation filing is ready. Under M.G.L. c. 156C, § 4, an accepted application gives the applicant exclusive use of an LLC name for 60 days. The Corporations Division charges $30 and may grant one additional 60-day period after a written request and another $30 fee.
The Division’s name-reservation instructions point applicants to three different records: the corporate database, the name-reservation database and the trademark database. The walkthrough above covers only the first. Search the reservation register for a name that has not yet become an entity, and use the trademark register as a separate warning screen before paying for a hold.
Business certificates in Massachusetts
Massachusetts uses the term business certificate for a DBA. This is not a Secretary of the Commonwealth filing. The state’s business-certificate instructions direct a business using a name different from its legal name to the clerk for the city or town where it is located. M.G.L. c. 110, § 5 requires a filing in every municipality where the business has an office and gives each certificate a four-year term.
The filing makes the people behind the business name and their address part of the local public record. It is not a business license and it does not appear in the statewide entity results shown above. Municipal procedures and charges vary because a city or town may establish its own clerk fees. Check the specific clerk’s instructions instead of relying on a single statewide price.
If your Massachusetts name is taken
- Map every exact-name record. When the list repeats a name, use the ID Number and Business Entity Summary to separate the registrations.
- Look for disposition dates. A Date of Withdrawal, dissolution information or other record event may appear only after opening the entity. Treat it as evidence for the Division to evaluate, not automatic permission.
- Change the recognizable wording. Adding LLC alone does not answer the state’s deceptively-similar test. Replace or add words that alter how the whole name reads.
- Use consent as a documented filing path. If an existing entity agrees, confirm the Division’s current format and file the written consent with the Secretary rather than keeping it privately.
- Search the other registers. A pending reservation may not be an entity yet, and a trademark issue is distinct from the Corporations Division’s entity-name decision.
A Massachusetts domestic LLC then files a Certificate of Organization for $500. Its annual report also costs $500 and falls due on the anniversary of the original filing. Against that recurring state cost, a $30 reservation is useful only when the name needs to be held before the organization document is ready. If the filing is ready, submitting it directly removes a separate deadline and fee.
Official Massachusetts sources
- Search for a Business Entity: names, identification numbers, addresses and entity summaries
- Limited Liability Company Information: LLC name requirements, formation and annual-report forms
- M.G.L. c. 156C, § 3: accepted LLC endings, comparison standard and written consent
- M.G.L. c. 156C, § 4: reservation eligibility, 60-day term, extension and transfer
- Corporations Division filing fees: LLC formation, annual-report and name-reservation charges
- Business certificates in Massachusetts: municipal filing route and clerk directory
- M.G.L. c. 110, § 5: certificate contents, municipal coverage, four-year term and penalty
Frequently asked questions
How do I search for a Massachusetts business name?
Use the Massachusetts Corporations Division's Search for a Business Entity page. Select Entity Name, enter the distinctive beginning of the proposed name, keep Begins with for the first pass and open close records. The result list has no status column, so review the Business Entity Summary before treating an older record as inactive.
What makes an LLC name acceptable in Massachusetts?
It must use an approved LLC ending and cannot be the same as or deceptively similar to a domestic or foreign corporation, limited partnership or LLC name that is reserved or on file. A search result is only a preliminary screen; the Secretary of the Commonwealth applies the legal test to the filing.
Can I use a similar Massachusetts name with consent?
Massachusetts law allows a similar LLC name when the existing corporation, limited partnership or LLC provides written consent and that consent is filed with the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Confirm the required document and filing sequence with the Corporations Division before relying on this route.
How long does a Massachusetts name reservation last?
A Massachusetts LLC name reservation costs $30 and holds the name for 60 days. The Secretary may extend it for one additional 60-day period after a written request, and the Corporations Division lists another $30 fee for that extension.
Where do I file a DBA in Massachusetts?
Massachusetts calls it a business certificate. File with the city or town clerk where the business is located, and follow that municipality's process and fee schedule. The certificate lasts four years. It is a local public-record filing, not an entry in the statewide Corporations Division search.