Deal alert! Our favorite company, Northwest, is forming LLCs for $39 (60% off!) See details.
Starting a Montana LLC
A Montana Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a legal structure used to protect your personal assets (home, car, bank account) in the event your business is sued.
An LLC can be used to operate a business. An LLC can also be used to hold assets (such as real estate, vehicles, boats, or aircraft).
Forming an LLC in Montana is simple. Search your Montana LLC name in the state database and select your Montana Registered Agent.
File your Montana Articles of Organization with the Montana Secretary of State and wait for your LLC to be approved.
The state of Montana no longer has a “file by mail” option (since 2017). All LLCs in Montana must be filed online.
The Montana LLC filing fee is $35 (one-time payment).
Note: The filing fee used to be $70 in Montana, but the state reduced it to $35 in 2022.
Check out LLC Cost in Montana for more info on the fees to start an LLC.
The Montana LLC approval time is 1 hour or less. It’s pretty much “instant”. After you submit your LLC filing online and make payment, you’ll receive an email with your LLC approval documents (on average it takes about 5 minutes or less).
Note: Filing times may take longer due to the current global situation and government delays. Please see how long does it take to get an LLC in Montana.
After your Montana LLC is approved, complete your Montana LLC Operating Agreement and get your Montana EIN Number (aka Federal Tax ID Number) from the IRS. Next, check whether your company needs a Montana Business License or other permits to operate.
In order to keep your Montana LLC in compliance with the state, you need to file a Montana LLC Annual Report each year. The fee is $20 and it’s due by April 15th (the first Annual Report is due the year after your LLC is approved). And like the LLC formation step, the Annual Report can only be filed online (you can’t file by mail).
And every year, your small business must file any required Montana LLC Taxes. We recommend hiring an accountant for help.
Need to save time? Hire a company to form your LLC:
Northwest ($39 + state fee) or LegalZoom ($149 + state fee)
(check out Northwest vs LegalZoom)
Matt holds a Bachelor's Degree in business from Drexel University with a concentration in business law. He performs extensive research and analysis to convert state laws into simple instructions anyone can follow to form their LLC - all for free! Read more about Matt Horwitz and LLC University.
MONTANA LLC GUIDE
Follow the lessons below to form your Montana LLC.
This was quite helpful as I filled out my LLC application.
Thank you for the info!
Hey Merrit, that’s awesome to hear! You are very welcome :)