Montana LLC Cost 2025: $35 Filing Fee, 2026 Annual Report Rules, and Hidden Costs

Forming an LLC in Montana costs $35 online. Most first-year budgets land around $35 to $365, mainly driven by your registered agent choice (DIY vs paid) and optional filings like name reservation and an assumed business name (DBA). The most important Montana-specific detail is the annual report timing. File by April 15 to stay in good standing, and in waiver years the portal shows the on-time fee as waived. We verified the numbers using the Montana Secretary of State fee schedule and the filing portal guidance.

One-time Montana LLC formation and registration fees

These are the up-front state costs you pay to get your Montana LLC legally on the books: filing your Articles of Organization, registering an out-of-state LLC, and any name-related filings you choose to add. Everything is done online through the Montana Secretary of State’s business portal.

If you want a step-by-step walkthrough of the filing process itself, you can follow our Montana LLC formation guide alongside this cost breakdown.

Articles of Organization filing fee (domestic Montana LLC)

To form a standard domestic LLC in Montana, you pay a one-time $35 state filing fee for the Articles of Organization (see our certificate of organization guide).

How you file:
Montana is online-only through the Secretary of State filing portal, so there is no mail or in-person option.

What you will see in the portal (so you know you are in the right place):
When Aaron Kra double-checked the flow for this guide, he started from the Montana SOS Business Services area and clicked “Register A Business” to enter the online filing portal. From there, the portal follows a predictable sequence: choose the filing type, enter your LLC details, review everything on a final summary screen, then pay at checkout. After you submit, the portal shows a confirmation screen with a reference number. We recommend saving that page for your records.

Payment realities (based on our portal check):
In the Montana portal, the payment step appears at the very end of the application. You typically pay by credit or debit card, and for some filings the portal may also offer e-check (ACH) depending on what you are submitting. After checkout, save the confirmation screen and download your receipt from your account area so you have clean proof of payment for bookkeeping.

What this payment covers:

• Creating your LLC as a legal entity in Montana
• Recording your LLC’s name, business address, and registered agent
• Issuing a digital confirmation/certificate of filing

If you form a series LLC, Montana charges an extra $50 per series member on top of the $35 base fee.

If you’re in a hurry, Montana offers optional expedited processing on top of that $35:

• 24-hour priority handling: + $20
• 1-hour expedited handling: + $100

So from a pure cost angle, most DIY filers will pay $35 total, but if you want speed you’re looking at $55 (24-hour) or $135 (1-hour).

For an in-depth look at standard versus expedited processing times, you can read our dedicated guide on how long it takes to get an LLC approved in Montana.

Foreign LLC registration fee in Montana

If your LLC was formed in another state and you’re expanding into Montana, you don’t form a new LLC. Instead, you register as a foreign LLC.

The state charges $70 for a Certificate of Authority for a foreign LLC. For a foreign series LLC, Montana adds $50 per series member, just like it does for domestic series LLCs.

Filing is online only through the same Secretary of State portal, and you can also add expedited processing:

• 24-hour priority handling: + $20
• 1-hour expedited handling: + $100

From a budgeting standpoint, expect your minimum state cost to register a foreign LLC in Montana to be $70, or $90–$170 if you pay for faster approval.

Montana Business Name Reservation Fee (optional)

Montana lets you reserve a business name before you form your LLC, but this is optional and only makes sense if you’re not ready to file yet.

The name reservation fee is $10, and the reservation lasts 120 days. Filing is completed online through the SOS portal since paper submissions are essentially phased out.

You don’t need a reservation if you’re ready to file your Articles of Organization now. In that case, you can skip the $10 and just include the name directly on your LLC filing. Before you reserve or file, it’s smart to run a quick Montana business entity search to confirm that your preferred name is actually available.

Use a name reservation only when you’re still finalizing partners, funding, or your business plan, or when you want to hold a name while preparing documents or securing investors. Otherwise, this is an easily avoidable extra cost.

Assumed business name / DBA filing fees in Montana (optional)

If your LLC wants to operate under a different brand name than its legal LLC name, you’ll need an assumed business name (Montana’s term for a DBA).

The initial registration fee is $20, and renewal is $20 every five years. Filing is completed online through the Montana SOS portal.

You only pay this if:

• Your LLC’s legal name is, say, “Big Sky Retail LLC”
• But your storefront or website brand is “Helena Outdoor Gear”

From a cost standpoint, one DBA adds $20 now, then $20 every five years. Multiple DBAs cost $20 per name, plus renewals. Optional expedited handling can raise the total by $20 for 24-hour processing or $100 for 1-hour processing.

If you’re fine using your LLC’s exact legal name in public, you can avoid DBA costs entirely. You can always verify the latest fees on the Montana Secretary of State fee schedule.

Ongoing Montana LLC costs to stay in good standing

Once your Montana LLC is formed, your recurring costs are surprisingly low. In 2025, the state has waived the base annual report fee for on-time filings, so your main ongoing price factors are staying compliant with annual reports, deciding whether to pay for a registered agent service, and handling any local licenses or permits you need.

Montana LLC annual report fee and late penalties

Every Montana LLC must file an annual report to stay active and in good standing. Aaron Kra verified the filing path and the fee logic in the SOS system so we could describe the exact steps and the deadline that triggers extra costs.

• Due date: April 15 each year
• Filing window: You can file as early as January 1
• Where you file: Online through the SOS business portal only

First annual report timing for new LLCs (Montana-specific rule):
Montana law says the first annual report is due January 1 to April 15 of the year after the calendar year you formed the LLC (or the year a foreign LLC is authorized). After that, the same January 1 to April 15 window applies every year.

What you pay for the next filing cycle:
The Montana Secretary of State has announced the annual report filing fee is waived for on-time filings in 2026, and it will be waived again in 2027. If you file on time (January 1 through April 15 in those waiver years), the total should come out to $0 at checkout. If you file after April 15, the SOS filing fees page lists the annual report as $35.

Cost takeaway:
Filing on time in the announced waiver years keeps the annual report cost at $0. Filing late turns it into a $35 compliance event, and missing filings long enough can lead to dissolution and reinstatement costs, so April 15 is the deadline to protect.

For the most up-to-date numbers and waiver years, always double-check the Montana SOS annual report help center before you file. If you’d like a big-picture explanation of how these filings work in other states, our LLC annual report guide covers typical deadlines, fees, and penalties so you can see where Montana is relatively generous.

Registered Agent Costs in Montana

Montana law requires every LLC to maintain a registered agent with a Montana street address. You can either act as your own agent or pay a commercial registered agent service.

Cost options:

• DIY registered agent – $0
  You or another individual in Montana serves as agent at no extra state fee. The risk is that you must be reliably available at that address during business hours.
• Commercial registered agent service – typically $45–$300/year
  Local Montana specialists advertise rates around $45–$49 per year. Larger national providers commonly charge $89–$149 per year, with some premium brands reaching about $249 per year.

If you want help choosing between local specialists and national brands, our full guide to Montana registered agent costs and services compares pricing, features, and common upsells so you can plug realistic numbers into your budget.

When is paying for a service worth it (purely on cost/compliance)?

It can make financial sense to pay for a registered agent service if:

• You don’t have a reliable street address in Montana
• You don’t want service of process or state notices arriving at your home or storefront
• You travel a lot or keep irregular hours and could miss important legal mail
• You’d rather avoid the higher cost of reinstatement if the state revokes your LLC because you missed notices or your agent address stopped working

In other words, the $45–$150/year you spend on a solid commercial agent can be cheaper than even one reinstatement plus the time lost if your LLC falls out of good standing.

Local Business License and Permit Costs

Montana does not issue a single statewide general business license. Licensing often depends on your city or county and your industry, so the cost varies by location and what you do. For the safest starting point, we follow the Montana Department of Commerce guidance and confirm requirements with the relevant city or county office.

Real examples (to show how different it can be by city):

• Belgrade: a general business license is listed at $50.
• Billings: the city uses a business license tax schedule that starts at $55 for the “General” category (with higher tiers based on gross revenue).
• Helena: the general business license fee starts at $10 for a home-based business with no employees and scales up by staffing level.
• Kalispell: the city states it does not have a city business license program.

Cost planning tip: budget a placeholder for local licensing until you confirm your exact city and industry requirements, because one Montana city may charge a flat fee while another scales it based on revenue or staffing.

For detailed licensing help, the Montana Department of Commerce and your city’s business license page are the best starting points. If you’re also comparing Montana with other places you might expand into, our business license costs by state guide shows typical ranges and examples across the U.S., so you can benchmark your Montana fees against other states.

Tax-related costs that affect your real Montana LLC budget

Beyond filing fees, taxes often determine how much cash your Montana LLC sends out each year. We keep this section practical by focusing on the taxes that commonly show up for Montana owners, plus a few Montana-specific transaction taxes that surprise people who only hear “no sales tax.”

• Federal taxes:
  By default, an LLC is treated as a pass-through for federal income tax. Profits flow to the owners’ personal returns, and active members often owe income tax plus self-employment tax on their share. You can elect S corp or C corp treatment, but that is a tax planning choice, not a Montana Secretary of State filing fee.
• Montana state income tax:
  If your LLC income passes through to you, Montana generally taxes individual income using 2 brackets. For 2025, the Montana Department of Revenue lists rates of 4.7% and 5.9%, with the higher rate applying above the listed bracket thresholds. If you are not a Montana resident but you have Montana-source income, you may still have a Montana filing obligation.
• Sales and local transaction taxes (Montana-specific reality):
  Montana does not have a general-use statewide sales tax. However, Montana does impose targeted transaction taxes in certain categories. Accommodations are subject to a combined 8% lodging facility sales and use tax (4% + 4%). Montana also charges a 4% rental vehicle tax on base rental charges. Separately, designated resort communities or areas may adopt a local resort tax, but the maximum resort tax rate is 3% and it only applies where it is approved locally.
• Payroll and unemployment taxes (if you hire employees):
  If your LLC has employees, you will deal with standard federal payroll taxes plus Montana unemployment insurance contributions. Montana UI rates depend on the state’s rate schedule and your experience history, so the percentage varies by employer.

These costs vary by situation, so treat them as budgeting guidance and confirm your specifics with a tax professional.

For a broader overview of how LLCs are taxed and where you can often save money legally, our LLC tax benefits guide walks through pass-through taxation, S-corp elections, and common deductions you can discuss with your advisor.

Optional but common Montana LLC startup costs

On top of state filing fees, most Montana LLC owners spend a bit extra on documents, banking, software, and basic protection. These items are optional from a legal-formation standpoint, but they do affect your real first-year budget.

Operating agreement and legal help

An operating agreement isn’t filed with Montana, but it’s still a core document that can cost you time or money.

• DIY / templates: $0–$100
  Free templates from reputable business or legal sites are widely available, and some registered agent companies include them at no charge. Low-cost online services or fill-in-the-blank templates typically run around $50–$100.
• Attorney help: roughly $300–$1,000+
  Many small LLCs pay $300–$800 for a lawyer to draft or review a straightforward agreement, while complex multi-member or multi-entity structures can run $1,000 or more.

From a pure cost perspective, DIY keeps your Montana LLC cheap to start, but paying an attorney can help avoid later disputes or expensive corrections if you have partners or tricky profit-sharing arrangements.

EIN cost for a Montana LLC

Most LLCs need an Employer Identification Number (EIN) to open a bank account, hire employees, or handle federal taxes.

• IRS direct application: $0
  Applying online through the IRS website is completely free for both U.S. and foreign owners.
• Third-party “EIN service”: generally $50–$300
  Many formation companies charge $50–$300 to “get your EIN,” even though they’re submitting the same free IRS form on your behalf.

If you want to keep your Montana LLC cost as low as possible, skip the paid EIN upsell and apply directly at IRS.gov.

Other common paid add-ons

Even if you keep legal and filing fees lean, a few standard tools can nudge your first-year budget up:

• Business bank account fees:
  Many basic business checking accounts charge $0–$15 per month, often waivable if you maintain a minimum balance or meet activity requirements.
• Basic accounting software:
  Small businesses typically spend about $15–$40 per month on entry-level accounting software (e.g., QuickBooks Simple Start or similar plans).
• Starter business insurance:
  A basic general liability policy for a small business often falls around $400–$1,000 per year, depending heavily on your industry, revenue, and coverage limits.

Together, these add-ons can easily add a few hundred dollars per year to your Montana LLC’s real operating cost, even though none of them are part of your official state filing fees.

For neutral guidance on EINs, banking, and insurance basics, the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) site is a good, non-salesy reference. And if you expect to hire employees and would rather bundle payroll, HR, and benefits with a single vendor, our Montana PEO comparison reviews leading providers and typical pricing.

Example Montana LLC cost scenarios

To make the numbers clear, here are two simple Montana LLC cost scenarios: a bare-bones DIY setup and a more realistic option that uses a formation service plus a commercial registered agent.

Bare-minimum DIY Montana LLC (no paid services)

This scenario shows the lowest possible Montana LLC cost, assuming you handle everything yourself and skip paid add-ons.

This setup ignores local licenses, taxes, and optional tools like banking, software, or insurance.

Montana LLC using a formation package and commercial registered agent

This scenario reflects a more typical Montana LLC setup, where you pay for a formation service and a professional registered agent to handle filings and legal mail.

Example first-year costs:

Example ongoing yearly costs:

This second scenario keeps your Montana LLC cost relatively low while offloading paperwork, compliance reminders, and address privacy to a paid service.

If you’re still shopping for a provider to handle that formation and registered agent work, our best LLC services in Montana guide compares the main options, features, and pricing so you can plug in a real-world quote for that formation package line item.

Montana LLC cost FAQs

Here are quick, cost-focused answers to the most common questions people ask about Montana LLC fees, with short explanations so you can budget realistically.