Massage Therapy Business Permit Requirements in Boston, MA

1. EIN (Employer Identification Number)

   Required if you have employees or operate as an LLC/corporation. Free from the IRS.

   Official government source

   Free·Immediate (online application)

   Free

   Immediate (online application)

1. Massachusetts Massage Therapist License (Board of Registration of Massage Therapy)

   Massachusetts requires practicing massage therapists to be licensed by the Board of Registration of Massage Therapy, under the Division of Occupational Licensure. You must complete 650 hours of study at a Board-approved school: 100 hours of anatomy and physiology, 45 of pathology, 45 of kinesiology, 300 of supervised classroom massage theory and technique, 60 of ethics, professionalism and business practices, plus 100 hours of unpaid supervised clinical internship. Apply through the eLIPSE portal with a sealed official transcript, a 2x2 passport-style photo, a list of clock hours, two signed references (one from an employer in the field, one from someone unrelated), your insurance policy declaration page, and a CORI acknowledgement form. Passing the MBLEx or NCBTMB exam is required only if you do not meet the 300-hour massage theory and technique requirement. If you have held a license in another jurisdiction, mail the Board a certificate of standing.

   Official government source

   $225 license application fee, non-refundable. Renewal is $150 for a therapist, $50 for a solo establishment license, and $150 for a multiple establishment license, with a $57 late fee if you file more than three days after expiration. Any MBLEx or NCBTMB exam fee is set by the national exam provider, separately from the state.·The Board emails you once it has your complete application and all documents, and emails you about anything still missing. An incomplete application stays open for 180 days before it is treated as abandoned and you must reapply and repay.

   $225 license application fee, non-refundable. Renewal is $150 for a therapist, $50 for a solo establishment license, and $150 for a multiple establishment license, with a $57 late fee if you file more than three days after expiration. Any MBLEx or NCBTMB exam fee is set by the national exam provider, separately from the state.

   The Board emails you once it has your complete application and all documents, and emails you about anything still missing. An incomplete application stays open for 180 days before it is treated as abandoned and you must reapply and repay.

2. Massachusetts Sales Tax Registration for a Massage Therapy Practice

   The Massachusetts sales tax is 6.25% on sales of tangible personal property, not on services, so massage therapy itself is not taxable and a practice that only performs bodywork has nothing to collect. Registration matters once you sell tangible goods at retail — oils, lotions, tools, branded merchandise — in which case you register on MassTaxConnect and collect 6.25% on those sales. Note the treatment of gift certificates: the sale of the certificate itself is not the taxable event, so no tax is due when you sell it; tax applies at redemption, and only if what is redeemed is tangible personal property rather than a service. Buy resale stock under a Sales Tax Resale Certificate (Form ST-4).

   Official government source

   No fee. The Department of Revenue does not charge anything to open a sales tax or meals tax account on MassTaxConnect, and there is no annual renewal charge for the registration itself.·You complete the MassTaxConnect registration in one online sitting and get a confirmation email straight away. The registration certificate is mailed to you once DOR approves the account, and it must then be displayed at each business location where customers can easily see it.

   No fee. The Department of Revenue does not charge anything to open a sales tax or meals tax account on MassTaxConnect, and there is no annual renewal charge for the registration itself.

   You complete the MassTaxConnect registration in one online sitting and get a confirmation email straight away. The registration certificate is mailed to you once DOR approves the account, and it must then be displayed at each business location where customers can easily see it.

1. City of Boston Business Certificate (DBA)

   Massachusetts law requires any person doing business under a name other than their own to file a Business Certificate (DBA) with the city clerk. Filed with the Boston City Clerk's office. Valid for 4 years.

   Official government source

   $65·Same day

   $65

   Same day

2. City of Boston Massage Establishment License

   Massage therapists must hold an individual license from the Massachusetts Board of Registration of Massage Therapy (Division of Occupational Licensure). Whether Boston additionally requires a separate establishment-level license, and from which office, was not confirmed on the Boston Licensing Board's official page (which does not list massage among its licensed categories). Confirm establishment-level requirements directly with the City of Boston.

   Official government source

   Not verified; confirm with the City of Boston·Not verified; confirm with the City of Boston

   Not verified; confirm with the City of Boston

   Not verified; confirm with the City of Boston

Official Sources

• Massachusetts Board of Registration of Massage Therapy
• City of Boston — Business Certificates
• City of Boston — Licensing Board

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