Register your Montana LLC Online
Complete the form below in 2–3 minutes. Your LLC and EIN come at no extra cost — you only pay Montana’s own $35 state fee.
- Enter your desired LLC name
- Choose your state
- Receive your LLC and free EIN by email
Trusted by Thousands Nationwide
What is an LLC in Montana?
An LLC (Limited Liability Company) is a simple structure for running your business under a professional name. It separates your business from your personal name, and it's the most common way to add a partner, sell the business, or look like a real company instead of a side project.
That separation goes further than the name. If the business owes money or gets sued, your house, car, and personal bank accounts are generally off-limits — as long as you run the LLC properly. It doesn't protect you from something you personally did wrong.
A sole proprietorship skips all of that. You're doing business under your own name or a DBA, and everything stays tied to you personally.
A corporation does the same separation as an LLC, but it's built for a different job: issuing stock and bringing in outside investors. An LLC is simpler to run and cheaper to keep up if that's not you right now.
Benefits of an LLC in Montana
- Add partners or co-owners whenever you're ready
- Transfer ownership if you sell the business
- “Montana Company, LLC” shows you’re a real business
- Shows you’re registered (Montana Secretary of State)
- Get a matching domain like MontanaCompanyLLC.com
- Simpler upkeep than forming a corporation
What's different about a Montana LLC
Montana’s $35 filing fee is flat — no itemized registered-agent add-on, no separate corporation surcharge. The one exception is a series LLC, which walls off separate business lines under one parent company, for an extra $50 per named series. Montana doesn't publish a standard turnaround time, but it sells two rush tiers if you need a guaranteed date: $20 for 24-hour processing, $100 for 1-hour.
Montana doesn't require you to publish a notice in a newspaper to form an LLC, unlike a handful of other states.
Cost to start an LLC in Montana
$35 to the Montana Secretary of State — that's it. We don't charge a filing fee on top of it. A Montana corporation runs $35 through the same process.
| What you get |  | Others |
|---|---|---|
| EIN (Tax ID) | Free | up to $99 |
| Registered agent | Freefirst year | up to $249per year |
| Name check | Free | usually free |
| Montana state filing feespaid to the state — same for everyone | $35 | $35 |
Free EIN with your Montana LLC
Your EIN (Employer Identification Number) is what opens a business bank account and identifies your company to the IRS — it's like a Social Security Number for your LLC. It's included at no extra cost, right alongside your LLC.
LLC vs Corporation in Montana
An LLC is simpler and more flexible, and keeps “LLC” in your business name. A corporation is a more formal structure built for issuing stock and outside investment, and keeps “Inc” or “Corp” in the name instead. 97% of our clients choose an LLC.
What is a Sole Proprietor in Montana?
A sole proprietorship means you're doing business as an individual. You can file a DBA with the Montana Secretary of State to use a name other than your own. As an individual, you can't add a partner to the business, because everything is tied to your personal name and Social Security Number. If you later want to add partners or sell the business, you'll need to start an LLC or corporation.
File a DBA Under Your LLC
Montana calls a DBA an Assumed Business Name. It lets one LLC operate under more than one business name. You file it with the same Secretary of State that formed your LLC — not a city or county — for $20, and it's good for 5 years before it needs renewing.
An Assumed Business Name isn't required if you're fine using your LLC's own name.
Example: Montana Company, LLC dba Montana Auto Brokers.
DBA vs LLC in Montana
A DBA only gives you another name to use. The LLC is the actual business entity that owns the DBA name and holds all legal rights.
Common Questions
Why start an LLC in Montana?
It separates the business from your own name, lets you add or remove owners as the business grows, and reads as a real, established company.
How long does it take to get a Montana LLC?
Filing takes a few minutes on this page. Montana doesn't publish a standard turnaround for regular processing. If you need a firm date, Montana's own paid rush options run 24 hours or 1 hour, for $20 or $100.
What's Montana's LLC annual report, and what does it cost?
Free if you file between January 1 and April 15 — a waiver Montana has extended through 2027. $35 if you file after April 15. It's a state filing requirement, not a tax, and skipping it completely lets Montana start dissolving the LLC as soon as December 1.
Do I need an EIN for my Montana LLC?
Yes, for a business bank account and for the IRS to recognize your company. It's included free when you file here.
What's a registered agent, and do I need one?
A registered agent is the address Montana sends legal mail to. Every LLC needs one, and it's included free for your first year when you file here.
Do I need an operating agreement?
Montana doesn't require one to file, but a bank often asks for one to open your business account. You can add it when you file, or write your own later.
Still deciding on a name?
Try the free name generator — type a word you like, get real available options back, then come straight here to file.
Sources (6)
Every fact on this page was checked directly against Montana's own filing agency and its published fee schedule — verified September 20, 2026.
- Montana Secretary of State — Business Services Filing Fees — the $35 LLC and corporation fee, $20 Assumed Business Name fee, annual report fee/waiver, expedited processing tiers
- Montana Secretary of State — Business Filing Fees (PDF) — the same fee schedule, cross-checked
- Montana Secretary of State — Business Services — the filing agency name and the Business Filing Portal
- Secretary Christi Jacobsen — Annual Report fee waiver announcement — the fee waiver through 2027
- Montana SOS Help Center — Involuntary Dissolution — what triggers administrative dissolution
- Montana Code Annotated §30-13, Part 2 — the Assumed Business Name statute, confirming state-level filing