What we file
We prepare and submit your Articles of Organization to the Montana Secretary of State, with our partner as your registered agent in Montana. Before filing we search the Montana register for your name; if it is taken we ask you for another before anything is submitted.
- Name search against the Montana register
- Articles of Organization filed, state fee paid at cost
- Registered agent in Montana for 12 months, with mail scanned to your dashboard
- With Standard and Complete: EIN application, operating agreement and banking resolution
The name must be distinguishable on the Montana register and include LLC, L.L.C., Limited Liability Company or an accepted abbreviation.
Every year after
Annual report. The annual report costs $20 and is due by April 15 each year, starting the year after formation.
A late report adds a $15 fee. An LLC that does not file can be involuntarily dissolved by the state.
Separately from the state, a foreign-owned single-member LLC files IRS Form 5472 every year, even with no income.
Processing time
Online filings are usually reviewed within one to three business days. Montana sells paid priority handling for faster review.
Privacy
The annual report lists the principal office and the names of the managers, or the members if member-managed. That record is public.
Whatever the state publishes, your bank, the IRS and your registered agent always know who owns the company.
State tax
Montana has no sales tax. It does have a state income tax, normally relevant only if you do business in Montana. Ask a tax adviser if unsure.
General information, not tax advice. Where you live decides most of your tax position; speak to a tax adviser in your country.
For a founder outside the US
Works well
- Among the cheapest states to form: $35
- Only $20 a year to keep
- No sales tax
Watch out for
- Managers or members are named in the annual report
- Less familiar to banks than Wyoming or Delaware