How to Form an LLC in Montana
Montana LLC formation for $199 plus the state fee, with your first year of registered agent service included, then $99 per year.
Building a Montana LLC step by step starts with one formation document, continues with an agent on file, and finishes with annual maintenance. The state charges $35 to file, the whole thing is submitted online, and once you're approved the ongoing obligations are light. Next sections: every formation step, the fee details, and where we come into the picture.
Open Your Montana LLC — $199
Pay $199 once and we handle everything: prep, review, submission to Montana Secretary of State, and a first year with us as your registered agent.
What A Montana LLC Is (and Why People Form One)
A LLC entity is the small-business entity that combines liability protection for the owner with simple tax treatment by default. Across Montana's business community, the LLC dominates as the small-business entity of choice for its protection-plus-simplicity package.
The $35 Montana LLC Filing Fee (and the Other Numbers)
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Our LLC formation service | $199 one-time |
| State filing fee (Montana Secretary of State) | $35 one-time |
| Registered agent (required for every Montana LLC) | Year one with our filing; $99/year after |
| State annual report fee | $20/year |
$199 is our filing service, agent's first year included. The state fee is collected by Montana Secretary of State. Keeping us as agent after year one is $99 per year.
Montana notes worth knowing: the official Montana filing fee is $35, which makes this one of the cheapest states in the country to form an LLC. Forming a series LLC? The state's fee page lists that filing at $35 plus $50 for each series member named. After formation, the annual report is $20 a year, due by April 15, and a $15 late fee brings a late filing to $35 total.
The Articles of Organization (Montana's Formation Document)
The document that creates a Montana LLC is the Articles of Organization. The authority is Mont. Code Ann. § 35-8-201, which provides that "one or more persons may form a limited liability company consisting of one or more members by signing and filing articles of organization with the secretary of state."
There is no form number to look up. Montana's business filings are online only, so the Articles of Organization are completed and submitted inside the Secretary of State's Business Filing Portal rather than on a numbered paper form. There is no mail-in option.
The Steps to Form a Montana LLC
- Name your Montana LLC. The name must signal its entity type with an approved designator and must be distinguishable from every name already on the state's records. Run candidates through the Secretary of State's business search before you commit. Words that suggest a bank, an insurer, or a government body are restricted without the underlying licensure.
- Appoint your Montana registered agent. Every Montana LLC keeps an agent with a real street address in the state, and the agent's address becomes part of the public record. Our Montana agent product costs nothing during the twelve months after we file your Articles, then $99 a year; you list us on the filing and your own address never enters the public database.
- File the Articles of Organization online. Create or sign in to an ePass Montana account at biz.sosmt.gov and submit the articles: entity name, principal address, registered agent details, and whether it's member-run or manager-run, with the names and mailing addresses of the managers or initial members. Pay the $35 state fee at submission. Since the state retired paper filings, the portal is the only channel.
- Create your operating agreement. Montana never asks you to file one, but the agreement fixes ownership, profit allocation, decision rights, and member changes in writing. Skip it and Montana's statutory defaults govern the company by operation of law, whether or not they match your intentions.
- Get an EIN from the IRS. The federal tax ID for the LLC, needed for banking, payroll, and returns. Apply free at IRS.gov; the online application takes about ten minutes and issues the number immediately. Never pay a third party for this.
- Stay compliant after formation. Keep a registered agent with a Montana street address on file at all times, file the $20 annual report between January 1 and April 15 each year, keep business and personal finances strictly separated, and meet federal and state tax deadlines. Fall out of compliance and the LLC can be involuntarily dissolved, taking the liability shield with it until you reinstate.
Hand it off? $199 flat and we file your Montana LLC on your behalf.
Why the Registered Agent Rule Matters
All Montana LLCs must maintain a registered agent, and it's a statutory obligation rather than a recommendation. The agent's job is to:
- Keep an actual Montana location with a street address (a PO box alone won't satisfy the statute)
- Keep an actual street address in Montana where legal mail can be received
- Pass along incoming state correspondence and legal documents fast enough to preserve the LLC's response time
Owners often use their home address as agent and later wish they hadn't. Process servers, marketers, and any curious party can pull it up at will.
Formation customers get our agent plan at no cost for a year (renewal $99/year). We handle the public side of the agent role for you.
Common Montana LLC Questions
How much does it cost to form an LLC in Montana?
The official Montana filing fee is $35, which puts the state among the cheapest places in the country to form an LLC. After formation, plan on the $20 annual report each year (currently waived for on-time filings through 2027).
How long does it take to form an LLC in Montana?
No standard turnaround is posted for online filings. Faster review is available for $20 (24-hour priority) or $100 (1-hour expedite).
Does Montana require an annual report?
Yes. The report runs $20, is due April 15, and is filed online. File on time and the state currently waives the fee through 2027.
Do I need a registered agent for my Montana LLC?
Yes. Montana requires a registered agent located in Montana from formation onward. The requirement begins at formation and lasts so long as the LLC exists.
Can I form an LLC in Montana if I live in another state?
Yes. The one in-state requirement is the agent; we fulfill that requirement, starting with a year included in our formation price. Montana doesn't require LLC owners to be residents.
Begin Your Montana LLC
Montana lets you file directly through the Secretary of State's online portal; $35 is the state's portion, and the agent obligation remains regardless of how you file.
Our registered agent plan is what you list on the formation paperwork. With the first year included and $99 annually after, you get our address on the filing, scans the day mail arrives, and a heads-up before every state deadline.
Want the agent service without the LLC formation? The registered agent option costs $99/year.
More to know about Montana LLCs or how the agent role works? Visit our FAQ page or reach out any weekday.
Ready to file your Montana LLC?
$199 covers formation from start to finish, plus Montana's $35 state filing fee, and includes your first year of registered agent representation ($99/year after).