2025 fees Montana Secretary of State Rank #6 of 51

LLC Costs in Montana (MT)

$180 all-in for your first year - $35 to file, $20 annual report, plus a registered agent. Montana is $203 (53%) cheaper than the national average for first-year LLC costs.

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Montana has the lowest LLC filing fee in the country at $35. Annual report fee is also very low at $20. Montana has no sales tax. Excellent for low-overhead businesses.

Updated 2025 · Source: Montana Secretary of State

Lower Articles filing fee

Lower Articles filing fee. $35 one-time SOS filing sits in the bottom third of Articles/formation fees nationwide. The $35 one-time Articles filing fee in Montana is the standout line item, putting the $180 first-year total at #6 of 51. Fees are those published by the Montana Secretary of State; registered agent is a $125/yr market-rate line, not a vendor quote.

According to the Montana Secretary of State fee schedule; registered agent normalized at $125/yr. See methodology. How we calculate →

$35
One-time filing fee
$20 /yr
Annual report
$180
First-year total
#6 of 51
Cost rank (1 = cheapest)

State LLC fee schedule strip

Fee strip MT · Montana SOS FY 2026 · rank #6

Montana · FY 2026 · 5-7 business days · no pub

  • PHOTO Online filing
  • PHOTO sosmt.gov
  • PHOTO 5-7 business days
  • PHOTO +$20 expedite
  • PHOTO near Kentucky
  • PHOTO 53% below avg

Cheap-third stack: stamps derive from this state's Secretary of State fee schedule, not a recommendation of where to form. Read with where this cheap-third stack ranks → · All 51 SOS fee rows →

1. Arizona$1752. Mississippi$1753. Missouri$1754. Montana$1805. Kentucky$1806. Colorado$185
1. Arizona$1752. Mississippi$1753. Missouri$1754. Montana$1805. Kentucky$1806. Colorado$185
First-year SOS-fee total for Montana and nearest-cost peers. Source: each Secretary of State + 51-row aggregate.

Cost vs. speed: where Montana sits among all 51 filing offices

Montana delivers both: below-average cost and a 6-business-day turnaround faster than the national median. 2×2 strategic matrix plotting 30 entities by First-year cost ($) (X) and Processing time (business days) (Y), with a crosshair dividing the plot into four quadrants. Slow & expensiveCheap but slowFast but priceyFast & cheap $0$500$1,000$1,500 0d10d20d30d First-year cost ($) Processing time (business days) Cost vs. speed: where Montana sits among all 51 filing offices
Montana delivers both: below-average cost and a 6-business-day turnaround faster than the national median.
Montana delivers both: below-average cost and a 6-business-day turnaround faster than the national median. National median processing time: 6 business days; national average first-year cost: $383. Source: each state's Secretary of State published processing-time guidance + the 51-row SOS fee aggregate.

How the cheap-third $180 stack breaks down

How your $180 first-year total breaks down Registered agent is still the largest piece (69%) even though Montana sits in the cheaper third overall.
  • State filing fee $35
  • Annual Report (yr 1) $20
  • Registered agent $125
Cost Item Amount
State Filing Fee $35
Annual Report $20
Registered Agent $125/yr
Expedited Filing (optional) $20
Total, First Year $180

Ongoing tax burden after formation

Montana's 6.75% corporate tax rate sits roughly in the middle nationally, a moderate ongoing cost alongside the $180 one-time formation fee above.

Corporate income tax
6.75%
6.75% corporate tax rate, #32 of 51 lowest nationally
Effective property tax rate
0.72%
Of assessed property value, per year

Sources: Tax Foundation state corporate tax rates, Census ACS effective property tax rates.

Fee check: Verify current LLC fees with the Montana Secretary of State at https://sosmt.gov. Not legal or tax advice.

Montana LLC quick facts (cheap third)

Filing Fee $35
Annual Report $20 /yr
Processing Time 5-7 business days
Expedited $20 → Same business day
Online Filing Available
First-Year Total $180
File with Montana SOS

Similar Cost States

Arizona $175 Mississippi $175 Missouri $175 New Mexico $175

Still-cheaper peers

MT already sits in the cheapest third, but these states still undercut it on first-year SOS fees:

Mississippi $175 Missouri $175 New Mexico $175

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified. Report a data error on this page.

Sources used on this page
  • Montana Secretary of State - LLC filing fee, annual-report requirement, and processing time. sosmt.gov
  • Federation of Tax Administrators - cross-check of state fee and tax figures. taxadmin.org
LLC fees and requirements sourced from the Montana Secretary of State. See our methodology for details.

Verify with the Montana Secretary of State →