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Founder Mentor Guide

Walkthrough 1 · Montana

Montana LLC Formation Walkthrough (2026): 7 Stages and the 3 Best LLC Services

My advice for 2026: when forming an LLC in Montana, start with Registered Agent MT.org ($199), Mainstay Filing ($199) and Montana Registered Agent.co ($199), best first. Montana charges $35 to form an LLC, and $20 for the annual report later; you can finish in 7 stages.

Advice from the Founder Mentor Guide mentors

Read this first

Cost to form
$35
sosmt.gov, last viewed October 2026
Annual report
$20 a year
Deadline on the state's schedule: April 15
State fees over three years
$75
No service fee included
Stage count
7
Listed below

You will walk away able to

  • The Montana formation paper, its price and who gets it
  • Who can be the registered agent
  • Upkeep that repeats
  • Who we would phone to file

The Montana call list

The mentors' five criteria are on how we score, and they decide the order.

Our call

1. Registered Agent MT.org: best for a small first bill

Top recommendation$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Start with Registered Agent MT.org; expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

It beats Mainstay Filing on three-year cost, and cost is a big slice of how we rank.

Set time aside for the annual report every year; the price leaves it out.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • The agent renews at $99
  • $199 plus the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one

What to watch

  • The annual report stays your responsibility
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

2. Mainstay Filing: best for a first year with very little to do

Works in every stateYear one $199; renewal $199; state fee separate

Our second call, Mainstay Filing: it wraps the filing, your registered agent and the annual report into $199 a year, and the renewal does not budge from $199.

A $200 three-year gap to Registered Agent MT.org decides where it lands.

The annual report is part of the job, and Montana's $20 fee is billed to you at cost.

What you get

  • Filing made with the state
  • Registered agent all year long
  • Annual report filed for you
  • The EIN application comes with it
  • The official fee, nothing added

What works

  • A flat $199 every year
  • The renewal stays at $199
  • Your EIN application gets filed too

What to watch

  • After year one it costs $100 more every year
Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Our call

3. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for owners happy to do their own reports

Montana specialist$199 plus the state fee, then $99 a year

Our third call, Montana Registered Agent.co: expect $199 for the formation on top of state fees, and $99 when the agent renews.

Set time aside for the annual report every year; the price leaves it out.

On price it is a tie with Registered Agent MT.org.

What you get

  • The filing is done for you
  • A year of agent service comes with the price

What works

  • $199 plus the state fee
  • No agent fee in year one
  • The agent renews at $99

What to watch

  • The annual report stays your responsibility
  • An EIN add-on costs $99
Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.

The Montana picks side by side

#ServiceFirst yearFrom year twoThree-year total
1Registered Agent MT.org$199$99/yr$397Visit Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597Visit Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Montana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397Visit Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Company prices as listed on November 13, 2026. Plan for $35 more in state fees, whichever row you pick.

Starting a Montana LLC, stage by stage

  1. Stage 1

    Pick a name and make sure it is free

    Do your name search at the Montana Secretary of State. Finding a clash now beats a rejected Montana filing later.

    See whether the web address is open while you are at it.

  2. Stage 2

    Name your registered agent

    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.

    Our recommended services all work as a registered agent.

    Check it yourself: mca.legmt.gov, last viewed October 2026

  3. Stage 3

    Handle it alone or get help

    Skipping the service saves $199; it also means you fill in every form. Our picks are listed in order.

  4. Stage 4

    Now deal with the Articles of Organization

    Once the Montana Secretary of State accepts the Articles of Organization and $35, the LLC exists. The law behind it is Mont. Code Ann. § 35-8-201.

    Check it yourself: sosmt.gov, last viewed October 2026

  5. Stage 5

    Ask the IRS for an EIN

    When Montana approves the LLC, go to the IRS for an Employer Identification Number; your bank and any payroll service will ask for it. Mainstay Filing handles the EIN application at no added charge.

  6. Stage 6

    Get the owners to sign an agreement

    Treat the operating agreement as the owners' rulebook. Keep a copy; no one at the state will ask for it.

  7. Stage 7

    Stay in good standing in Montana

    The filing that returns on schedule is the annual report ($20, every year, by April 15). A late one carries $15.

    Check it yourself: sosmt.gov, last viewed October 2026

Montana costs by stage

StagePaid toCost
Setting up the LLCState office$35
Annual reportState office$20 every year
Late filingState office$15
Paid helpThe service$199 for year one
Three-year state totalState office$75
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

On three-year bill (32% of the score) finished first, with right behind.

Three years with Registered Agent MT.org cost $397, which is $200 under Mainstay Filing.

What founders ask

What should I budget for filing a new LLC in Montana?

The official schedule says $35. Bring in a service and add $199.

Which form creates the LLC?

The Articles of Organization creates the company, and the Montana Secretary of State is who gets it.

Is a registered agent required?

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

What does Montana require each year?

Circle the annual report on your calendar: $20, every year, April 15.

Can I form the LLC without a service?

The state takes filings straight from owners, so no service is needed. Expect $35 plus a registered agent.

Which LLC service should a first-time founder use?

Phone Registered Agent MT.org, because $199 on top of the state fee, and the first year of agent service is already in there, then $99 a year. After that come Mainstay Filing and Montana Registered Agent.co.

Where we got the facts

  1. Where the Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  2. Where the Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  3. Where the Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  4. Where the Montana report due date advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed August 2026.
  5. Where the Mont advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed August 2026.
  6. Where the Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source advice comes from: sosmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  7. Where the Montana registered agent statute advice comes from: mca.legmt.gov, viewed October 2026.
  8. The pricing page at Registered Agent MT.org, viewed November 13, 2026
  9. The Montana service page at Mainstay Filing, viewed November 13, 2026
  10. The pricing page at Montana Registered Agent.co, viewed November 13, 2026