Best LLC formation services in Montana

How do you form an LLC in Montana, step by step?

Pick a name, line up a registered agent, complete the Articles in the Secretary of State's online system, choose a speed, then get an EIN and write an operating agreement.

Montana took paper out of the process: the office says it has moved to an online-only filing system. The state filings below all happen online.³

1. Check the name against the Secretary of State's business records. If you need to hold a name before you can file, a reservation costs $10. An owner ready to file can skip it.¹
2. Choose a registered agent. Montana law asks for an actual street address or rural route box number in this state, and the statute recognizes a commercial registered agent or a noncommercial registered agent. The Montana registered agent guide explains who qualifies, including whether an owner can serve.²
3. Complete the Articles of Organization. A standard LLC pays the $35 fee. A series LLC pays more, since the fee sheet lists the fee plus $50.00 for each series member named in the series LLC.¹
4. File it online (Online only). There is no mail option to fall back on, so a formation service files through the same online system you would use.³
5. Decide whether to pay for speed. The state sells 24-hour processing $20 or 1-hour processing $100, on top of the filing fee. The state's sources here don't give a standard turnaround for unexpedited filings, so if you have a lease or contract date, ask the office or pay for a tier.¹
6. Get an EIN. This federal tax number comes from the IRS at no state cost, and banks usually ask for it. Some packages below include it.
7. Write an operating agreement. It records who owns what share and how decisions are made. Co-owners and banks may ask to see it.
8. Mark the annual report on your calendar. After the first one, the statute says reports are due between January 1 and April 15, and a report filed in that window costs $0. Staying compliant in Montana covers the first report and what it asks.^{4, 5}

Owners of an LLC formed in another state don't file Articles here. They register with a Certificate of Authority instead, which costs $70.¹

What does a Montana LLC cost with and without a service?

The state charges the same fees whoever files. Each provider's package price is added to them, never subtracted.

The rush tiers are optional, and you pick one only if a date forces it (24-hour processing $20; 1-hour processing $100). The table below lists each provider's agent price and cheapest package in the order of the provider table, which is by our score, highest first, with ties in editorial order.

The next table shows what each cheapest package covers beyond the filing itself, taken from the providers' own pages.

"Not listed" means the package description we cite doesn't mention the item, so ask before you order. The year-by-year arithmetic, with agent renewals, is on the cheapest ways to form a Montana LLC.

What does each provider's cheapest formation package include in Montana?

The paragraphs follow the provider table's order. Each covers only the published formation terms; agent service on its own is compared in Montana registered agent services compared.

Several mid-tier packages bundle annual report filing, and in Montana an on-time report costs $0. What such a feature buys here is the reminder and the paperwork.⁵

Tailor Brands

Lite costs $0 plus state fees, and its listing shows LLC formation processed within 14 business days. It comes with no annual compliance, operating agreement or branding tools. Essential, at $199/yr plus state fees, lists LLC formation processed within 1 business day and adds annual compliance (report filing and updates) and an operating agreement. That is a yearly price, and Elite at $249/yr plus state fees is yearly too. The plans don't list a registered agent; Tailor Brands sells it at $199/year. It sells an EIN filing service, price not published.^{6, 7, 8}

ZenBusiness

Starter costs $0 + state fees, with standard 7-10 day processing, and ZenBusiness says its timing excludes Secretary of State time, meaning the Montana office's own queue is extra. For speed, there's a Rush upgrade +$79 on Starter. Starter comes with Worry-Free Compliance free for 1 year (then $199/yr); mark that renewal date. Its listing says EIN and operating agreement are +$99 add-ons. The agent is an add-on +$199/yr, though new LLCs get 50% off the first year ($99) when you form an LLC. Pro ($199 + state fees, renews at $199/yr) bundles ongoing filing compliance (state-required annual report filings and up to 2 amendments per year), EIN, operating agreement template.^{9, 29}

LegalZoom

LegalZoom's entry package, $0 + state filing fees, covers Articles of organization, and the extras below are priced one at a time. The EIN costs $79, an operating agreement from $99, and registered agent service $249/year (first-time registered agent customers). Its middle package ($249 + state filing fees) adds attorney consultations on these terms: 30 days included, then $49/month auto-renew. That monthly charge continues after the included period unless cancelled.^{11, 12, 13, 14}

Bizee

Bizee's Basic is $0 + state fee and includes the agent for its first year (Registered Agent (1st year included)); after that the agent costs $149/year (ongoing annual fee). On Basic, the EIN ($70) and the operating agreement (+$99) are both extras you add at checkout if you want Bizee to handle them. Standard ($199 + state fee) adds the EIN, the operating agreement and faster processing (~2 weeks), and Premium lists expedited filing (~4 business days). Bizee doesn't say whether that faster filing pays Montana's own rush fee.^{15, 16, 30}

Swyft Filings

Swyft's Basic is $0 + state fees and covers preparation and filing of Articles of Organization. Standard, at $169 + state fees (promotional, 'SAVE $30'; regular $199), adds custom organizational minutes, custom banking resolution, business banking essentials, operating agreement, and Swyft says it processes in 3 business days. Neither lists a registered agent, and buying Swyft's own agent separately costs $149 per quarter ($596/year). Every plan comes with a 14-day free trial of ComplianceGuard, its annual report product, which then costs $199/year (14-day free trial then auto-charged). A Montana owner who files the report alone would cancel it within the trial to avoid the yearly charge.^{17, 31, 32}

doola

doola's Starter is $297/yr, a yearly fee, and covers LLC filing, EIN, US bank account guidance, US business address, registered agent. It quotes 1-2 business days filing; the Secretary of State's processing comes after. Founders outside the U.S. can compare doola with similar services in agents for non-resident founders.^{18, 19}

Northwest Registered Agent

Northwest forms an LLC for $39 + State Fees and lists a free domain name, open source website, phone line, business email, business address with it. Its corporation page describes a year of registered agent service included with formation, but the LLC page is silent on the agent, so confirm before ordering. Alone, the agent is $125 per year. The operating agreement costs nothing (Free template), and the EIN costs $50 (with SSN); $200 without SSN.^{20, 21, 22, 33, 34}

Rocket Lawyer

Rocket Lawyer ties formation to membership, with a first registration free with a Rocket Lawyer membership. Memberships bill every year. Standard costs $149/year and leaves the agent out, so an LLC that wants Rocket Lawyer as its agent needs Plus ($249/year) or Pro ($349/year) and then pays $125 a year for the agent. The EIN is $70 with Plus or Pro membership. No operating agreement is listed with formation.^{23, 24, 35, 36}

InCorp

InCorp lists formation starting at $99 plus state fees and publishes no itemized package list; the page notes "Live chat and phone support included." The agent is sold separately at $129 per state per year. For expedited processing, InCorp lists a $50.00 InCorp expedite fee, and any state expedite fee is charged on top; in Montana that would be 24-hour processing $20 or 1-hour processing $100. The EIN is a separate service at $69.^{1, 25, 26, 27, 37}

Harbor Compliance

Harbor's formation service starts at $99 plus state fees. Its page lists name check, articles, registered agent, EIN, and the operating agreement without saying which tier includes what or how long a bundled agent lasts. The same page gives its timing (Most LLCs prepared and filed in one business day; state response varies). Harbor offers to expedite state processing (Expedited state processing available in most states (price not published)) without saying whether Montana is one of those states, so ask whether its quote covers Montana's own rush fee or only its handling. If the bundled agent comes from Harbor's agent service, note that service's cancellation rule: notice at least 90 days before the end of the current term.^{28, 38, 39}

Should you file the Montana Articles yourself or use a service?

Filing yourself costs $35 and runs through the same online form a service would use. A service adds convenience, and sometimes an agent, an EIN or an operating agreement, for its package price.¹

Because Montana files online only (Online only), the DIY route has no paper forms to mail. What a service changes is who types the answers and who acts as agent.³

The agent needs an actual street address or rural route box number in this state (Mont. Code Ann. § 35-7-104). An owner with such an address may be able to serve and skip a yearly agent fee; the Montana registered agent guide covers who may serve and what the role asks. Owners without a Montana address need someone in the state, whether a person or a service.²

Rush handling works the same way for both routes. A provider's quoted speed can describe its own preparation time before anything reaches the state's online queue; ZenBusiness, for one, says its time excludes Secretary of State time. Montana's own rush tiers are 24-hour processing $20 and 1-hour processing $100.^{1, 9}

Watch the yearly charges. Some packages renew every year, and some bundle a free trial of compliance service that then bills automatically. The Montana report costs $0 to file yourself in the window, and missing it has teeth: the statute names failing for 140 days to file the annual report as grounds for dissolution. A paid service or a calendar reminder both solve that. Owners with partners, investors or a licensed profession may want a lawyer to draft the operating agreement rather than relying on a template. The glossary defines the filing terms, and annual reports explained covers the report in general.^{5, 40}