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LLC 101 Guide

Unit 1 · Montana

Starting an LLC in Montana (2026): 7 Tasks and the 3 Best LLC Services

Ranked for 2026, the services worth hiring for setting up an LLC in Montana are Mainstay Filing ($199), Montana Registered Agent.co ($199) and Registered Agent MT.org ($199). 7 tasks make up the unit; the state's own price tag is $35, and the annual report adds $20.

Prepared by the LLC 101 Guide instructors

Key facts for this unit

Fee to form
$35
Look it up at sosmt.gov; our reading dates from October 2026
Annual report
$20 a year
Filing window as stated: April 15
State cost, years 1 to 3
$75
Without any service fee
Task count
7
Listed below

Unit goals

  • What Montana charges to form an LLC and who takes the filing
  • The registered agent requirement
  • The state filing that recurs
  • Who we would hire to file

Services we recommend in Montana

Graded on the grading page: three-year cost (34%), assignments completed (31%), renewal price, fit with Montana's rules and plain pricing.

Top of the class

1. Mainstay Filing: best for one bill for filing and upkeep

Top of the class$199 yearly plus the $35 state fee

Start the list with Mainstay Filing, because for $199 each year you get the formation filed, a registered agent in place and the annual report sent in.

You pay $200 more over three years than at Montana Registered Agent.co and leave less of the paperwork to yourself.

It also sends in the annual report, with Montana's $20 fee billed at cost.

What the price covers

  • The formation filing
  • Registered agent for the whole year
  • Annual report filed for you on time
  • The EIN application is part of the price
  • State fee at cost

What works

  • $199 a year covers filing, agent and report
  • It files your EIN application for you
  • No jump at renewal ($199)

What to weigh

  • Renewal costs $100 above Montana Registered Agent.co
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

2. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for a small first bill

One-state plan$199 the first year, $99 after

Montana Registered Agent.co takes second place: a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent.

The price leaves out the annual report, so that is yours to file every year.

What the price covers

  • The Montana formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra
  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two

What to weigh

  • It does not file the annual report for you
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Top of the class

3. Registered Agent MT.org: best for a local filer

One-state plan$199 the first year, $99 after

Registered Agent MT.org takes third place: a $199 formation fee, followed by $99 yearly for the agent.

The price leaves out the annual report, so that is yours to file every year.

On price, it is level with Montana Registered Agent.co.

What the price covers

  • The Montana formation, prepared and sent
  • A year of agent service is part of the price

What works

  • $199 and the state fee
  • $99 yearly from year two
  • Year-one agent service costs nothing extra

What to weigh

  • It does not file the annual report for you
  • Help with the EIN is $99 more
Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services, side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Montana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Registered Agent MT.org$199$99/yr$397Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Taken from each company's price page on November 13, 2026. The $35 state fee is left out of the figures.

The unit, task by task

  1. Task 1

    Name the company

    the Montana Secretary of State keeps the records. Search them now, because in Montana a name that is taken can send the filing back.

    Keep a second choice in your pocket.

  2. Task 2

    Settle who your registered agent will be

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address. A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: an individual, including an owner, or an entity in Montana.

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.

    Any of the recommended services can take the registered agent job.

    Source: Look it up at mca.legmt.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  3. Task 3

    Do it yourself or hire a service

    Skip the services and you pay the state $35. Use one of our picks and you pay $199 extra to skip the forms.

  4. Task 4

    Put together the Articles of Organization

    Once the Montana Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization and $35, the LLC exists, as Mont. Code Ann. § 35-8-201 provides.

    Source: Look it up at sosmt.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

  5. Task 5

    Order the LLC's federal tax number

    The IRS hands out EINs, not Montana. Apply once the state approves you, then give the number to your bank. This task is inside the Mainstay Filing package.

  6. Task 6

    Write an operating agreement

    Think of the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. Keep it with the company records; the state never asks for it.

  7. Task 7

    Get ready for year two and beyond

    Montana wants the annual report every year, due April 15, with a fee of $20. Miss the deadline and $15 is added.

    Source: Look it up at sosmt.gov; our reading dates from October 2026

The bill

TaskWho gets paidCost
The formation taskThe state$35
Annual reportThe state$20 every year
Late filingThe state$15
Optional serviceService$199 in the first year
State total across three yearsThe state$75
To get the three-year state number we add up the filing, the reports due in years two and three and any yearly minimum tax, and we keep service fees separate.

Why the list runs this way

What decided it was assignments the price completes, which carries 31% of the grade.

Taking over the annual report tipped the grade toward the bundle.

Short answers

What is the Montana state fee for a new LLC?

Expect $35 to file. A recommended service adds $199 in year one.

Which form creates the LLC?

Look for the Articles of Organization; the Montana Secretary of State is where it goes.

Is a registered agent required?

Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

What does Montana require each year?

Send in the annual report every year with $20; the deadline is April 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

You may. File alone for $35 and line up a registered agent as well.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Mainstay Filing, because a flat $199 covers formation, the registered agent and the annual report, and renewal costs $199. After it come Montana Registered Agent.co and Registered Agent MT.org.

Reading list and sources

  1. Want proof for what the unit says about Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee? Go to sosmt.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  2. Want proof for what the unit says about Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source? Go to sosmt.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  3. Want proof for what the unit says about Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source? Go to sosmt.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  4. Want proof for what the unit says about Montana report due date? Go to mca.legmt.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  5. Want proof for what the unit says about Mont? Go to mca.legmt.gov; the copy we used dates from August 2026.
  6. Want proof for what the unit says about Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source? Go to sosmt.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  7. Want proof for what the unit says about Montana registered agent statute? Go to mca.legmt.gov; the copy we used dates from October 2026.
  8. Mainstay Filing Montana service page, opened November 13, 2026
  9. Montana Registered Agent.co pricing page, opened November 13, 2026
  10. Registered Agent MT.org pricing page, opened November 13, 2026