[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.