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Founder Mentor Guide

Mentor notes 2 · Montana

Montana Registered Agent Walkthrough (2026): 6 Stages and the 3 Best Agents

For naming a registered agent in Montana in 2026, our mentors would send you to Montana Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Registered Agent MT.org ($99 a year) and Mainstay Filing ($149 a year), in that order. 6 quick stages cover the rule, who qualifies, the address test and the paperwork.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Walkthrough snapshot

Required by law
Yes
We pulled this from mca.legmt.gov in October 2026
What recommended services charge
$99 to $149 a year
Posted prices
Annual report
$20 a year
We pulled this from sosmt.gov in October 2026
How many stages
6
One at a time

What you will get from this walkthrough

  • What the law says
  • The address and eligibility rules
  • Naming the agent with the state
  • Who we would phone as agent

Montana: our recommended services

Five weighted criteria set the order (see how we score), and three-year cost and work taken off your desk count most.

Our call

1. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for LLCs that live in Montana only

Number one pick$99 per year (renews at $99)

If you only phone one company, make it Montana Registered Agent.co, because $99 a year buys you a Montana agent who keeps an office in the state.

Because Mainstay Filing costs more over three years, this service takes the top spot.

What you get

  • A Montana address for the registered office
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • $99 a year, same at renewal
  • Yearly price below the national pick

What to watch

  • A single-state service
  • Annual report is a job it leaves to you
Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Registered Agent MT.org: best for another local option

In-state service$99 per year (renews at $99)

Registered Agent MT.org comes in second: $99 a year buys you a Montana agent who keeps an office in the state.

It lists the same prices as Montana Registered Agent.co.

What you get

  • A Montana address for the registered office
  • Scans of anything served on the LLC

What works

  • Yearly price below the national pick
  • $99 a year, same at renewal

What to watch

  • A single-state service
  • Annual report is a job it leaves to you
Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Mainstay Filing: best for companies working in several states

Upkeep covered$149 per year (renews at $149)

Mainstay Filing comes in third: you pay $149 a year here and the identical amount in any state you add later.

A $150 three-year gap to Montana Registered Agent.co decides where it lands.

What you get

  • A Montana street address for the record
  • Papers served on the company are scanned for you, no charge
  • Up to three government mailings a year are scanned for free
  • Also works for nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs

What works

  • Price $149; renews at $149
  • The same provider anywhere

What to watch

  • $50 a year above Montana Registered Agent.co
  • Agent service only, so reports stay with you
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Scores and prices together

#ServiceAnnual priceRenewal priceThree-year total
1Montana Registered Agent.co$99$99/yr$297Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Registered Agent MT.org$99$99/yr$297Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Mainstay Filing$149$149/yr$447Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Listed prices, viewed November 13, 2026. Montana asks the same either way.

How a Montana agent gets set up

  1. Stage 1

    Understand the requirement

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

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from mca.legmt.gov in October 2026

  2. Stage 2

    Find out who can serve

    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 rule comes from Mont. Code Ann. § 35-7-105.

  3. Stage 3

    Use an office address that qualifies

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

    Hire a service and its Montana street address goes on the record, not yours.

  4. Stage 4

    Serve yourself or bring in a pro

    A qualified owner can act as agent. Prefer to hand it off? Our recommended agents bill $99 to $149 yearly.

  5. Stage 5

    Make the agent official

    the Montana Secretary of State is where the agent gets recorded, and where any later change goes too.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sosmt.gov in October 2026

  6. Stage 6

    Update when something changes

    Montana checks the agent's details through the annual report ($20, every year, due April 15); letters about it go to your registered agent.

    Check it yourself: We pulled this from sosmt.gov in October 2026

Agent and state costs

EntryPayeeCost
Agent serviceService$99 to $149 a year
Renewing the agentService$99 to $149 a year
Annual reportPaid to the state$20 every year
The state's fees come from official pages, listed below. Over three years they add up to the filing, two reports and, in a few states, a minimum tax.

Why the list runs this way

edged out on three-year bill, which counts for 32%.

Montana Registered Agent.co wins the cost score at $297 over three years, against $150 more at Mainstay Filing.

Montana questions answered

Is having a registered agent the law in Montana?

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

Can I be my own registered agent?

Often. Run the two tests in stages 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Change it whenever you like through the Montana Secretary of State, as stage 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in Montana?

Figure on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

The state's yearly line is the annual report at $20 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Go with Montana Registered Agent.co: $99 a year and no jump at renewal, if your LLC is staying in the state. Then Registered Agent MT.org and Mainstay Filing.

Where we got the facts

  1. For Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee, open sosmt.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  2. For Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source, open sosmt.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  3. For Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source, open sosmt.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  4. For Montana report due date, open mca.legmt.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  5. For Mont, open mca.legmt.gov (we last saw it August 2026).
  6. For Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source, open sosmt.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  7. For Montana registered agent statute, open mca.legmt.gov (we last saw it October 2026).
  8. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Montana Registered Agent.co
  9. November 13, 2026, pricing page belonging to Registered Agent MT.org
  10. November 13, 2026, Montana service page belonging to Mainstay Filing