Ready to file in Montana?
The articles of organization prepared and filed for you, the state fee shown on its own line before you pay, and the approved copy emailed.
File your Montana LLCat america-llc-filing.com, or start on Standard Filings
What registering an LLC in Montana means
Montana keeps the register of companies formed under its law. Your LLC is on it the moment the Montana Secretary of State files Articles of Organization. From that day the company can open a bank account, sign contracts and be sued in its own name rather than yours. The registration does not include a federal tax number, a Montana tax account or a local business license; those come after and are separate registrations with other offices.
People use "register", "form" and "file" for the same act. In Montana the act is one document, Articles of Organization, and one fee, $35. The step-by-step for everything around it, from the operating agreement to the bank account, is in how to start an LLC in Montana; this page is about the registration itself.
- Montana
- Articles of Organization
- Montana
- The Montana Secretary of State (biz.sosmt.gov)
- Montana
- $35
- Montana
- Required; Montana street address
- Montana
- Not published by the state
- Montana
- 24-hour processing $20; 1-hour processing $100.
- Montana
- No fee for 2026 and 2027 reports filed by April 15 ($35 after), due april 15
What it costs to register an LLC in Montana
The filing fee is set by Montana and is the same whether you file it yourself or a service files it for you. Montana charges $35 for the Articles of Organization.
- Amount
- $35
- Notes
- Paid once, to the state
- Amount
- 24-hour processing $20; 1-hour processing $100.
- Notes
- Optional, set by the state
- Amount
- No fee for 2026 and 2027 reports filed by April 15 ($35 after)
- Notes
- Due april 15
- Amount
- $35, added by the state to a late report.
State fees verified October 2026 and set by the state, not by us. Online filing prices. Yearly costs, the five-year total and how Montana compares are in Montana LLC cost.
Step 1: Confirm Montana is the state to register in
Register where the company will actually operate. An LLC that does business in Montana but registers elsewhere has to register in Montana anyway, as a foreign LLC, and pay two states.
Wyoming, Delaware and Nevada come up because of privacy, case law or taxes. They make sense for a holding company or a business with no fixed location. A company that operates in Montana and registers somewhere else ends up registered in both. The comparison is in cheapest states to form an LLC.
Step 2: Clear the name with Montana
Montana requires a name distinguishable from every company on its records, with an LLC designator. Search the state's business records at biz.sosmt.gov before you file.
Rules on designators, restricted words and the distinguishability test are in LLC name rules. A rejection for a name conflict costs days and, in some states, a second fee.
Step 3: Name a Montana registered agent
Montana requires a registered agent with a Montana street address, available in business hours. On the filing: No signature. Under MCA 35-7-105(2), appointment is the entity's affirmation that the agent agreed to serve.
Who may serve, whether the agent signs, and what becomes public: Montana registered agent requirements.
Step 4: Prepare Articles of Organization
The Montana form asks for the company name with its LLC designator, the registered agent and its Montana street address, the principal or mailing address, and the organizer who signs. One or more persons may form an LLC by signing and filing articles (35-8-201). Statute does not restrict who signs. Everything on it becomes a public record; what Montana shows is listed below.
The document itself, and what every state's version asks for, is explained in articles of organization.
Step 5: File Articles of Organization and pay the $35 fee
Filed with the Montana Secretary of State (biz.sosmt.gov). The state fee is $35, paid once. Montana does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file.
Faster review: 24-hour processing $20; 1-hour processing $100.
Montana takes the filing from the public at biz.sosmt.gov. Ready to file? The Articles of Organization prepared and filed for you, with the state fee on its own line: form your Montana LLC at america-llc-filing.com.
Step 6: Complete the Montana registrations that follow
One registration follows in Montana: (1) Annual Report. Then the federal tax number and the operating agreement.
The order and the deadlines are in what to do after forming an LLC. The recurring state report is the one owners forget.
What becomes public when you register in Montana
Everything on Articles of Organization is a public record once Montana files it; anyone can pull it from the state's business search. On the Montana filing: All initial members (member-managed) or managers (manager-managed), with business mailing addresses, plus the registered agent.
One or more persons may form an LLC by signing and filing articles (35-8-201). Statute does not restrict who signs. The operating agreement, the ownership split and the tax election are not filed with Montana and stay private. Do you need an operating agreement?
How long Montana takes to register an LLC
Montana does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file. Paid faster review is offered: 24-hour processing $20; 1-hour processing $100. The figures are the state's own and move with its workload; a rejection for a name conflict or a missing agent consent restarts the clock. Every state's published time is in how long it takes to form an LLC.
Ready to register your Montana LLC?
Name checked, Articles of Organization prepared and filed with Montana, the $35 state fee on its own line, approved copy emailed.
After registration in Montana
The state registration is the first of several. These are the ones Montana owners run into, in the order they usually come up.
- Annual Report. Due january 1 - April 15 of each year after the year of formation. Cost: $20 (waived for 2026 and 2027 reports filed by April 15); $35 after April 15.
- Federal tax number (EIN). Issued by the IRS after the state registration, at no charge; the bank asks for it. How to get one: Montana EIN number.
- Operating agreement. Not filed with Montana, but the document that says who owns the company and who can sign for it.
The recurring report is where most companies lose good standing. When it is due, file the Montana report at america-llc-filing.com, or the Montana LLC annual report page has the due date, fee, late penalty and portal.
Before you file in Montana
From Montana's published forms and filing instructions:
- Member-managed LLCs must list every initial member's business mailing address.
- Manager-managed LLCs must list manager names and addresses.
- An agent you appoint yourself needs a Montana physical address.
Sources
The Montana facts on this page come from the state's own forms, fee schedules and statutes, read for the October 2026 fee audit. Fees change; the state's page is the final word.
- mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0350/chapter_0080/part_0020/section_0020/0350-0080-0020-0020.html
- mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0350/chapter_0070/part_0010/section_0050/0350-0070-0010-0050.html
- sosmt.gov/business/fees/
- sosmt.gov/wp-content/uploads/business_filing_fees.pdf
- mca.legmt.gov/bills/mca/title_0350/chapter_0080/part_0020/section_0080/0350-0080-0020-0080.html
Standard Filings is a filing service, not a law firm. This page is general information from Montana's published filing rules and fee schedules, not legal or tax advice.
Montana LLC registration FAQ
How much does it cost to register an LLC in Montana?+
Montana charges $35 to file the Articles of Organization, paid once to the state and the same whether you file yourself or use a service. After that, the recurring requirement is No fee for 2026 and 2027 reports filed by April 15 ($35 after), due April 15. State fees verified October 2026; the full picture is in Montana LLC cost.
Where do I register an LLC in Montana?+
With the Montana Secretary of State (biz.sosmt.gov). That is the only office that creates the company. Tax accounts, the registrations listed above and local licenses are registered separately afterwards.
How long does Montana take to register an LLC?+
Montana does not publish a standard processing time for LLC filings that we could verify; the filing portal shows the current turnaround when you file. Paid faster review is offered: 24-hour processing $20; 1-hour processing $100.
Do I need a Montana registered agent?+
Yes. Montana requires a registered agent with a Montana street address, available in business hours. On the filing: No signature. Under MCA 35-7-105(2), appointment is the entity's affirmation that the agent agreed to serve. Who may serve and what becomes public is in Montana registered agent requirements.
Can I register a Montana LLC from out of state?+
Yes. Montana takes filings from anyone, but the registered agent must have a Montana street address, so an out-of-state owner names a Montana resident or a registered agent company. If the company does business where you live, it registers there too, as a foreign LLC.
What do I file in Montana every year?+
Montana's recurring requirement: No fee for 2026 and 2027 reports filed by April 15 ($35 after), due April 15. Late: $35, added by the state to a late report.
More on Montana
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