The 5 Best Registered Agents in Montana (2026)

Full transcript

0:00 The short answer

Dan The 5 best registered agents in Montana in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, Northwest Registered Agent, Registered Agent MT.org, Bizee, and Montana Registered Agent.co.

Maya Welcome to The Business Formation Podcast. Montana. What should a listener know first?

Dan Montana charges nothing to change your registered agent. And you can be your own agent, as long as you have a physical Montana address where papers can be served.

0:31 What Montana requires

Maya What does the law say?

Dan Montana follows the Model Registered Agents Act, in Title 35, chapter 7 of the state code. Every LLC needs a registered agent, and the Secretary of State's help center says the agent must be available during business hours to accept documents.

Maya Who can serve?

Dan Montana sorts agents into two kinds. A commercial agent is a service listed with the Secretary of State. A noncommercial agent is anyone else, like you or a friend, as long as they have a Montana address.

Maya What counts as an address?

Dan An actual street address or a rural route box number. A P.O. box can be the mailing address, but it can't be where the agent sits.

Maya Rural route box. That's a very Montana detail.

Dan It is, and it matters, because the filing asks for one of those two, not a mailbox.

Maya I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan.

Dan Thanks, Maya. Now the five.

1:29 Mainstay Filing

Maya Number one?

Dan Mainstay Filing, $149 a year, and it renews at the same $149.

Maya What does that buy me?

Dan Its Montana address on the public record instead of yours. Served papers are scanned and uploaded the same business day, with no fee, and the first three government mailings each year are scanned free.

Maya And switching from my current agent?

Dan Mainstay files the change for you. Montana has no state fee for it, so there's nothing to pass along.

Maya The honest catch?

Dan If the lowest flat price is all you want, two agents on this list charge $99.

2:07 Northwest Registered Agent

Maya Second?

Dan Northwest Registered Agent, $125 a year. Its page says the price hasn't changed in 20 years, and it scans up to 10 pieces of regular business mail a year for free.

Maya The catch?

Dan Signing up automatically enrolls you in its annual report filing service. That's $100 plus state fees per filing, until you cancel it.

Maya Is that worth keeping?

Dan Montana's state fee is waived for on-time reports right now, so look at what you'd be paying for before you leave it on.

2:40 Registered Agent MT.org

Maya Third?

Dan Registered Agent MT.org, $99 a year, and still $99 at renewal. You get the office address on your filings, same-day scanning of legal mail, and reminders for state deadlines.

Maya Switching?

Dan Costs no state fee.

Maya Any catch?

Dan Annual report filing is a separate service. It isn't in the $99.

Maya Compared with number one?

Dan $50 less a year, $150 across three.

3:11 Bizee

Maya Four?

Dan Bizee, formerly Incfile. Free the first year with any formation package, then $149 a year.

Maya Fine print?

Dan The free year needs a formation order, and the renewal is automatic. Its policy says auto renew fees can't be reversed once they're charged.

Maya And if I'd formed my company already?

Dan You'd start at $149, the same as Mainstay. Two years is $298.

3:40 Montana Registered Agent.co

Maya And five?

Dan Montana Registered Agent.co, a flat $99, no change at renewal. It covers a Montana address on your filings, same-day scanning and reminders.

Maya Like number three?

Dan On the listings, yes. Same price, and the same catch: annual report filing is a separate service.

4:01 Naming the agent at formation

Maya Where does the agent go when I form the LLC?

Dan In your Articles of Organization. They're filed online only, and the fee is $35.

Maya What goes on the form?

Dan For a commercial agent, the agent's name. For a noncommercial one, the name and the Montana address.

Maya Does the agent have to sign anything?

Dan No. Montana has no separate consent form. Naming the agent is your affirmation that they agreed.

Maya So you could name someone who never said yes.

Dan On paper, yes. The Secretary of State notifies the agent about filings that name them, but get a yes first.

4:44 Changing the agent

Maya How do I change it later?

Dan In the Business Filing Portal. You sign in, open your business, choose Filing Actions, and pick Registered Agent or Office Change by Entity.

Maya What's the fee?

Dan None. The fee sheet says no fee for a statement of change.

Maya Do my members have to approve it?

Dan No. The statute says the interest holders or governors need not approve the filing.

Maya When does it take effect?

Dan On filing. And if you're in a hurry, the state sells faster handling: $20 for 24 hours, or $100 for one hour.

Maya Can the annual report change it too?

Dan Yes, the annual report can update your agent, but don't wait for it.

5:28 If the agent resigns

Maya What if my agent quits?

Dan The agent files a statement of resignation with the Secretary of State. We found no fee listed for it.

Maya When does it take effect?

Dan On the 31st day after filing, or sooner if you appoint a new agent.

Maya Do they have to warn me?

Dan Yes. The agent has to promptly tell your LLC the date the statement was filed. That's your clock.

Maya So thirty-one days to find someone.

Dan Use them. Name the replacement in the portal before the date arrives.

5:59 When there's no agent

Maya What happens with no agent at all?

Dan If an LLC has none, or its agent can't be served with reasonable diligence, it can be served under the regular court rules.

Maya Does the state do anything?

Dan After 60 days without an agent, the Secretary of State can involuntarily dissolve the LLC. The same 60 days applies if you change agents and never file the statement of change.

Maya That one's easy to forget.

Dan It is, and it's the reason to file the change the day you switch.

6:28 The annual report

Maya What does Montana want each year?

Dan An annual report, filed from January 1 to April 15. It lists your registered agent.

Maya What does it cost?

Dan The standard fee is $20, but the state is waiving it for on-time reports in 2026 and 2027. After April 15, the fee is $35.

Maya So the deadline matters even when it's free.

Dan It does. A free filing that you miss turns into a $35 one.

Maya And the agent plans?

Dan Mainstay and the $99 agents don't file it for you. Northwest's service does, which is where that $100 comes in.

7:08 Doing it yourself

Maya Can I be my own agent in Montana?

Dan Yes. The help center lists it as an option: you, a Montana resident, or a service. It costs nothing, and you don't need to be a resident, just have a physical Montana address.

Maya What's the tradeoff?

Dan Your address goes on the public record, and you have to be there during business hours.

Maya If I'm out on a job site or a ranch?

Dan Then papers can miss you. That's the case for handing it off.

7:36 Picking one

Maya How would a Billings or Missoula owner decide?

Dan Three questions. Does the price hold, is there a real Montana address, and who files the change when you switch.

Maya And your answer?

Dan Mainstay Filing. Our pick for Montana, at $149 a year.

7:53 The five in a row

Maya All five, once more?

Dan One, Mainstay Filing: $149, same at renewal. Two, Northwest: $125, with the report service to cancel. Three, Registered Agent MT.org: $99 flat. Four, Bizee: free the first year with a formation order, then $149. Five, Montana Registered Agent.co: $99 flat.

Maya The links are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.