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Founder Primer

LLC paperwork, boiled down for founders.

Guide 2 · Montana

Montana Registered Agent Primer (2026): 6 Moves and the 3 Best Agents

Our 2026 marks for appointing a registered agent in Montana: Montana Registered Agent.co ($99 a year), Mainstay Filing ($149 a year) and Registered Agent MT.org ($99 a year), highest first. Learn the rule, the eligibility test, the address test and the filing in 6 moves.
From the Founder Primer desk

At a glance

Mandatory?
Yes
mca.legmt.gov, read October 2026
What our picks charge
$99 to $149 a year
From each company's pricing page
Annual report
$20 a year
sosmt.gov, read October 2026
Moves in this primer
6
In order

What you get

  • What Montana requires of a registered agent
  • The eligibility and address rules
  • How to name or change the agent
  • Who we would hire as agent

If you want someone else to file

Marked on the scoring page: three-year cost (27%), to-dos cleared (38%), renewal, fit with Montana's rules and readable pricing.

Top mark $99/yr, renewal $99

1. Montana Registered Agent.co: best for founders based in the state

Montana Registered Agent.co leads the list, since an in-state street address for the registered office, $99 a year.

It costs less than Mainstay Filing over three years, and three-year cost is 27% of the mark.

Inside the price
  • An in-state office address
  • Legal papers scanned and posted
In its favor
  • $99; renews at $99
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
Against it
  • Serves only Montana
  • Filing the annual report is not part of what it does
Visit Montana Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
Most work done for you $149/yr, renewal $149

2. Mainstay Filing: best for one agent for every state

Mainstay Filing is a fair second choice: $149 a year, and the plan still works if you add a state later.

Over three years it sits $150 behind Montana Registered Agent.co.

Inside the price
  • An in-state office address
  • Served papers scanned free, the same business day
  • Three government letters a year scanned at no charge
  • Also serves nonprofits, corporations, LPs and LLPs
In its favor
  • $149; renews at $149
  • Same price in all fifty states
Against it
  • Montana Registered Agent.co costs $50 less a year
  • Reports need the formation package
Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
One-state plan $99/yr, renewal $99

3. Registered Agent MT.org: best for staying in one state

Registered Agent MT.org takes third; an in-state street address for the registered office, $99 a year.

It costs the same as Montana Registered Agent.co.

Inside the price
  • An in-state office address
  • Legal papers scanned and posted
In its favor
  • Under Mainstay Filing on price
  • $99; renews at $99
Against it
  • Serves only Montana
  • Filing the annual report is not part of what it does
Visit Registered Agent MT.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

3 services side by side

# Service Annual price Renewal price Three-year total
1 Montana Registered Agent.co $99 $99/yr $297 Visit Montana Registered Agent.co Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
2 Mainstay Filing $149 $149/yr $447 Visit Mainstay Filing Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.
3 Registered Agent MT.org $99 $99/yr $297 Visit Registered Agent MT.org Partner link. We may earn money if you buy.

Pulled from each company's pricing page on November 13, 2026. Montana charges the same either way.

The Montana agent, in order

  1. Move 1

    The Montana rule, short

    Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

    Where this comes from: mca.legmt.gov, read October 2026

  2. Move 2

    Check eligibility

    A commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State, or a noncommercial agent: an individual, including an owner, or an entity in Montana. (Mont. Code Ann. § 35-7-105)

  3. Move 3

    Meet the address rule

    The address has to be an actual street address or rural route box number in Montana. A P.O. box alone is not enough.

    With a service, the public record shows its address, not yours.

  4. Move 4

    Serve yourself or hire one

    Pass the tests above and you can name yourself. One of our picks costs $99 to $149 a year.

  5. Move 5

    File the agent's details

    A new LLC names its agent on the Articles of Organization, filed with the Montana Secretary of State. An LLC that changes agents files an amendment there.

    Where this comes from: sosmt.gov, read October 2026

  6. Move 6

    Track the repeating filing

    Your agent's details are confirmed annually on the annual report, which costs $20, due April 15. Late costs $15.

    Where this comes from: sosmt.gov, read October 2026

Agent and state costs

Line Paid to Amount
Hiring an agent Your service $99 to $149 a year
Renewal Your service $99 to $149 a year
Annual report The state $20 every year

These are the official Montana fees, cited below. The three-year line adds the filing fee, the year-two and year-three reports and any minimum tax.

Why Montana Registered Agent.co is first

Founder outlay over three years is 27% of the mark, and it is where moved ahead in Montana.

Add up three years and Montana Registered Agent.co is $297, $150 below Mainstay Filing.

Montana questions

Do Montana LLCs need a registered agent?

Yes. Every LLC must name a registered agent with an in-state street address.

Can I be my own registered agent?

Yes, if you pass the eligibility and address tests in moves 2 and 3.

Can I change my registered agent later?

Change whenever you like through the Montana Secretary of State, as move 5 describes.

What does a registered agent cost in Montana?

Plan on $99 to $149 a year.

What does the LLC pay the state each year?

Expect to file the annual report and pay $20 every year.

Which registered agent would you choose?

Montana Registered Agent.co, since $99 a year with scans of served papers in an online account. Then Mainstay Filing and Registered Agent MT.org.

Keep reading

Sources, so you can check us

  1. Montana Secretary of State fee page and fee facts trace to sosmt.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  2. Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source facts trace to sosmt.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  3. Montana yearly filing: Annual report: fee, official source facts trace to sosmt.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  4. Montana report due date facts trace to mca.legmt.gov (read August 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  5. Mont facts trace to mca.legmt.gov (read August 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  6. Montana formation fee: Filing fee, official source facts trace to sosmt.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  7. Montana registered agent statute facts trace to mca.legmt.gov (read October 2026); that page is the authority, not us.
  8. Montana Registered Agent.co pricing page as of November 13, 2026
  9. Mainstay Filing Montana service page as of November 13, 2026
  10. Registered Agent MT.org pricing page as of November 13, 2026