How to start an LLC in Montana

The state filing fee is $35. After that, the annual report is free if you file it between January 1 and April 15 in 2026 or 2027, and $35 if you file late. A commercial registered agent typically adds $50 to $150 a year, and some cities and counties charge for a local business license.

The Articles of Organization cost $35, filed online through biz.sosmt.gov. A series LLC adds $50 for each series named. Expedited handling is extra: $20 for 24-hour priority or $100 for 1-hour handling.

The Secretary of State says it processes business documents within 10 working days. Pay $20 extra for 24-hour priority handling or $100 extra for 1-hour handling if you need it faster.

Create an account at biz.sosmt.gov, open Forms, and choose Articles of Organization for Domestic Limited Liability Company. Enter the name, principal office mailing address, registered agent, management type, and the names and addresses of your members or managers, then pay $35 by card or e-check. Montana only accepts filings online. You get an email when the filing is approved, and the documents appear in your account.

Articles of Organization. In the online portal, the form is "Articles of Organization for Domestic Limited Liability Company."

Yes. Every Montana LLC needs one. It can be a commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State or a noncommercial agent, such as you. A noncommercial agent must give an actual Montana street address or rural route box, not just a PO box, and should be available during business hours. Failing to keep an agent for 60 days is grounds for involuntary dissolution.

Yes, if you have a Montana street address or rural route box and are there during business hours to accept legal papers. That address goes on the public record. The Secretary of State suggests a commercial agent if your business has no physical presence in Montana or you have privacy concerns about your address.

No. Montana doesn't require you to file one with the state. The Secretary of State still highly recommends having one as an internal document, because it sets member roles, decision-making, and profit distribution, and banks often ask for it.

Between January 1 and April 15 every year, starting the calendar year after you form. The Secretary of State has waived the fee for on-time reports in 2026 and 2027. Reports filed after April 15 cost $35.

A late report costs $35. If a Montana LLC still hasn't filed by December 1, the Secretary of State can involuntarily dissolve it (foreign LLCs registered in Montana have until November 1). Reinstatement is available for 5 years: you file every missing report ($35 each) plus a $35 reinstatement application, and most LLCs also need a tax certificate from the Department of Revenue.

No. Montana's Articles of Organization statute has no publication step, so there's no newspaper notice cost.

Montana has no general state business license. Cities and counties handle business licensing, so check with yours. Licensed trades and professions get their licenses from the Department of Labor & Industry, and a few activities like retail food or beer and wine sales use the Department of Revenue's eStop system.

By default, profit passes through to the owners and is taxed on their personal returns. For 2026, Montana taxes taxable income at 4.7% up to $47,500 for single filers ($95,000 married filing jointly) and 5.65% above. In 2027, the top rate drops to 5.4% and the 4.7% bracket widens to $65,000 single ($130,000 joint). You also owe federal self-employment tax on your profit.

No. Montana has no general sales tax, so most Montana LLCs don't collect one. If you sell online to buyers in states that require remote sellers to collect, you may have to collect those states' sales tax.

If you regularly work at clients' locations instead of your own shop or office, Montana expects you to have either an ICEC or your own workers' compensation coverage. The certificate costs $125 and lasts two years, and a working member of a member-managed LLC can apply. Working without either can bring fines of up to $5,000 per violation.

Yes. Montana doesn't require members to live in the state. You do need a registered agent, and a noncommercial agent needs a Montana street address, so out-of-state owners normally hire a commercial agent. If you'll run the business from your home state, that state will usually require the LLC to register there too.

Montana has no sales tax, and a Montana LLC can own a vehicle. That only settles what Montana charges. If you live in another state and keep the vehicle there, your home state's sales, use, and registration laws still apply to you, and your state may treat a Montana LLC registration as tax evasion and pursue back taxes and penalties. Check with your own state's revenue department before you try it.

No. The Articles and each annual report list the names and business mailing addresses of your members or managers, and the Secretary of State makes filing information public. You can keep your home address off the record by using a commercial registered agent and a business mailing address that is not your home.

No. Domestic U.S. companies, including Montana LLCs, are exempt from FinCEN BOI reporting, and FinCEN made that exemption permanent in a final rule effective August 14, 2026. The federal rule has changed before, so recheck FinCEN before relying on an old checklist.