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LLC UnpackedEvery filing, unpacked: the fee, the form, the catch.

Open it up · Montana

3 Best LLC Services in Montana (2026): Unpacked

Our 2026 stack of LLC formation services in Montana, top to bottom: Mainstay Filing ($199), Montana Registered Agent.co ($199) and Registered Agent MT.org ($199). Inside the cost: $35 goes to the state, and three years of service add $397 to $597.
Unpacked by the LLC Unpacked editorial team

Top layer

Fee to the state
$35, paid once
Every year after
$20 each year
Registered agent
Required, yes
Top of the stack
Mainstay Filing, Montana Registered Agent.co then Registered Agent MT.org

Montana: ranked

Prices come from each company's own page. See how we open it up.
Top of the stack

1. Mainstay Filing: best for owners who want upkeep handled

$199 a year plus $35 to the state

What puts Mainstay Filing first: $199 a year packs in formation, the registered agent and every annual report.

Over three years this runs $200 above Montana Registered Agent.co, and more of the filings are handled inside.

Inside the service is the annual report, filed for you, with Montana's $20 passed through at cost.

Inside the price

  • Formation filed with the state
  • Registered agent across the full year
  • Annual report filed on your behalf
  • EIN application
  • State fees at cost

Inside, the good

  • No fee for the EIN application
  • $199 a year covers filing, agent and report
  • Renews at $199

Inside, the catch

  • $100 a year above Montana Registered Agent.co after year one
The Montana specialist

2. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for owners who plan to stay local

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

What puts Montana Registered Agent.co second: it opens at $199 with the first agent year inside and renews at $99.

You still file the annual report yourself.

Inside the price

  • Montana formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • $199 to form the LLC
  • Agent renews at $99
  • A first year of agent service is inside

Inside, the catch

  • The annual report sits outside the box
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra
The Montana specialist

3. Registered Agent MT.org: best for another in-state option

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

What puts Registered Agent MT.org third: it opens at $199 with the first agent year inside and renews at $99.

You still file the annual report yourself.

It charges what Montana Registered Agent.co charges.

Inside the price

  • Montana formation filing
  • A first year of agent service

Inside, the good

  • Agent renews at $99
  • A first year of agent service is inside
  • $199 to form the LLC

Inside, the catch

  • The annual report sits outside the box
  • The EIN application costs $99 extra

Inside each price

#CompanyYear oneEach year afterThree-year totalWhat is inside
1Mainstay Filing$199$199/yr$597formation filed with the state; registered agent across the full year; annual report filed on your behalfSee Mainstay FilingPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2Montana Registered Agent.co$199$99/yr$397montana formation filing; A first year of agent serviceSee Montana Registered Agent.coPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3Registered Agent MT.org$199$99/yr$397montana formation filing; A first year of agent serviceSee Registered Agent MT.orgPartner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Service fees only, from company prices read November 13, 2026. State fees are the same whichever pick you open.

Layer by layer

What is inside the cost of forming an LLC here?

Your bill has two parts: $35 for the filing and, optionally, $199 for first-year help.

Add the recurring report and the state's fees reach $75 over three years. peek at sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026

What do I actually send the state?

The Montana Secretary of State receives the Articles of Organization, and once it is approved the company exists.

Statute: Mont. Code Ann. § 35-8-201. peek at sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026

Is a registered agent required?

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.

peek at mca.legmt.gov, confirmed October 2026

What comes after the LLC is formed?

Underneath it all, one filing repeats: the annual report, every year, at $20 each time. The state phrases its deadline like this: April 15.

Miss the deadline and you owe an extra $15.

peek at sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026

Do I have to pay a service at all?

Yes. Filing on your own costs only the state's fees, $75 over three years.

Choose help and your three-year total rises by $397 to $597.

Why is the stack in this order?

On what is inside the price (29%), Mainstay Filing comes out ahead.

Two layers carry most of the weight, total across three years (34%) and what is inside the price (29%).

The layer that decides it: the annual report sits inside the first pick's price, while Montana Registered Agent.co leaves it with you.

How we open it up

What Montana requires to form an LLC

RequirementWhat is insidePeek at source
LLC filing fee$35peek at sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026
Registered agentRequired, yespeek at mca.legmt.gov, confirmed October 2026
Annual report$20 every yearpeek at sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026
State fees, years one to three$75The rows above, stacked
The last row stacks the filing fee, the reports in years two and three and any minimum tax. A cost with no fixed amount, such as a newspaper notice, is explained above and kept out of the sum.

Also worth asking

Who applies for the EIN?

Only Mainstay Filing packs it in. Elsewhere it is $99 at Montana Registered Agent.co and $99 at Registered Agent MT.org.

What if the report is late?

Expect a $15 late fee.

How do the three-year totals compare?

Opened up over three years: Mainstay Filing at $597, Montana Registered Agent.co at $397, Registered Agent MT.org at $397, with state fees on top.

What do these numbers rest on?

Official Montana paperwork stands behind every state fee here, and every service price traces back to the company's own pricing.

Do I have to use a service?

No law requires a service. It is a paid convenience.

Who tops the stack in Montana?

Mainstay Filing, because the annual report is filed for you within the $199 annual price, next to formation and the registered agent. Then Montana Registered Agent.co and Registered Agent MT.org.

Originals behind this page

  1. Unpacking Montana Secretary of State fee led us to sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  2. Unpacking Montana yearly filing: Annual report led us to sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  3. Unpacking Montana yearly filing: Annual report led us to sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  4. Unpacking Montana report due date led us to mca.legmt.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  5. Unpacking Mont led us to mca.legmt.gov, confirmed August 2026, which you can open yourself
  6. Unpacking Montana formation fee: Filing fee led us to sosmt.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  7. Unpacking Montana registered agent statute led us to mca.legmt.gov, confirmed October 2026, which you can open yourself
  8. Mainstay Filing Montana service page, read November 13, 2026
  9. Montana Registered Agent.co pricing page, read November 13, 2026
  10. Registered Agent MT.org pricing page, read November 13, 2026