Montana LLC Cost

It depends on your business. Here are a few of the fees you might have to pay when you start your own LLC in Montana.

Montana LLC Filing Fee – $35 and up

Articles of Organization cost $35 to file, plus an additional $50 for each series member (if you are forming a series LLC). If you want to reserve your name, a Name Reservation form costs $10.

Annual Reports – $20 to $35

Montana annual reports cost $20 to file if you file them before April 15. If you file your annual report after April 15, it’ll set you back $35.

Registered Agent – Free

Any individual or company can be a registered agent in Montana. Technically, you can choose to be your own registered agent in Montana for nothing. However, you have to perform the duties of a registered agent, which means you need to be available at your LLC’s principal address during business hours. Alternatively, you can hire a registered agent for a minor fee.

Rather than spend hours looking for a qualified registered agent, check out our Montana Registered Agent Service

There are more fees you have to look out for besides those for your Articles of Organization, annual reports, and registered agent service. Here are some other fees that you might encounter when running an LLC.

Assumed Business Name in Montana

An “Assumed Business Name” (or ABN) in Montana is a business name that you can use that’s distinct from your LLC’s official name. States variously refer to these names as DBA (or “Doing Business As”) names and Trade Names. In Montana, your LLC can have multiple Assumed Business Names. ABNs are great ways to freshen up your LLC’s image or present a new face to your customers.

You file a Registration of Assumed Business Name for each ABN you want. Each ABN form requires a $20 fee. File these forms with the Montana Secretary of State.

Certificate of Good Standing

$5: A Certificate of Good Standing in Montana shows that your LLC is complying with all of the laws of the state. You don’t need one when you first start your LLC. However, you’ll want to get one at some point. A Certificate of Good Standing allows your LLC to apply for funding with investors and banks, as well as open a business bank account.

Foreign LLC

Domestic LLCs are LLCs that have a Montana business address. Foreign LLCs are based outside of the state, and they require different business filings. To operate a foreign LLC in Montana, you need to file a Foreign Certificate of Authority with the Montana Secretary of State. The filing fee for this document is $70 plus an additional $50 for each series member (if you have a series LLC.)

Business Licensing

Virtually every business in Montana has to acquire business licenses, permits, and registrations. These licensure and permitting requirements are another Montana LLC cost. Most of these require a fee. It can be difficult to know which licenses, permits, and registrations you need for your business, especially because these requirements can originate from local, state, and federal authorities.

In collaboration with our partners at Avalara, we can produce a Business License Report for your business that shows exactly which licenses, permits, and registrations your LLC requires.

For just $0 plus state fees, we can form your Montana LLC for you in just minutes. No LegalZoom promo code required: Pay just $0 plus filing fees for fast LLC formation in Montana.

Unfortunately, yes. If you fail to make timely payment for your fees, the state government may impose a late fee and interest. In the worst-case scenario, the Montana Secretary of State may revoke your business’s official status. This means that your LLC won’t officially exist, depriving you of many key business benefits.

Generally, the state government won’t file your formation or licensing documents unless you have paid all fees in full. Depending on the related document, failure to file can lead to serious consequences, including the dissolution of your LLC. 

The Montana Secretary of State receives all of your filing fees. 

The largest LLC fee you can expect to pay is the Articles of Organization fee, which is at least $35. However, in some circumstances, the fees associated with your LLC’s business licenses and permits will be more expensive than your Articles of Organization fee.

You can pay by credit card, debit card, or e-check using Montana’s online business portal. Neither cash nor cryptocurrency is an accepted form of payment.