What Is the Cost of a Registered Agent in Montana?
Accurate budgeting for a Montana registered agent requires separating two distinct expense categories: state filing fees paid to the Montana Secretary of State and commercial service fees paid to a private registered agent provider.
State filing fees in Montana are fixed by statute and published on the Secretary of State’s Business Services Filing Fees page. These charges apply only when a document is submitted at formation, for example, or when updating entity records. Montana does not impose any annual state fee specifically for keeping a registered agent on file, and filing a Statement of Change to update an agent or registered office incurs no fee.
Commercial service fees are the recurring annual charges assessed by professional registered agent companies for providing a Montana street address, accepting legal documents, and forwarding them to the entity. These fees vary by provider and typically fall between $49 and $300 per year for Montana entities.
Montana law does not require any entity to engage a commercial registered agent. Under the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) § 35-7-105, a represented entity may appoint either a commercial registered agent listed with the Secretary of State or a noncommercial registered agent, an individual or entity that serves as agent without being commercially listed. An owner or officer who maintains a street address in Montana may serve as a noncommercial agent at no cost.
Montana State Filing Fees for Registered Agent Appointments
The initial registered agent designation in Montana is made in the entity’s formation document — the Articles of Incorporation for a corporation, the Articles of Organization for an LLC, or the Certificate of Limited Partnership for an LP. No separate filing fee is assessed for the agent appointment; it is included in the formation filing fee.
The table below lists formation filing fees by entity type, each of which includes the initial registered agent designation.
| Entity Type | Form | Filing Fee |
| Domestic Profit Corporation | Articles of Incorporation (Corp.) | $35 |
| Domestic Nonprofit Corporation | Articles of Incorporation (Nonprofit) | $20 |
| Domestic LLC | Articles of Organization | $35 |
| Domestic Series LLC | Articles of Organization (Series) | $35 + $50 per series member |
| Domestic Limited Partnership | Certificate of Limited Partnership | $10 |
| Domestic LLP | Registration of Limited Liability Partnership | $20 |
| Domestic Business Trust | Articles of Incorporation (Business Trust) | $70 |
| Cooperative/Agricultural Association | Articles of Incorporation | $20 |
| Agricultural Marketing/Rural Cooperative | Articles of Incorporation | $40 |
| Foreign Profit Corporation | Foreign Registration Statement | $70 |
| Foreign Nonprofit Corporation | Certificate of Authority | $15 |
| Foreign LLC | Certificate of Authority | $70 |
| Foreign Limited Partnership | Certificate of Authority | $10 |
| Foreign Business Trust | Certificate of Authority | $70 |
All fees above are published on the Business Services Filing Fees page. Filings are submitted through the Online Business Services portal, which accepts credit cards, debit cards, and e-checks. Paper forms are also available on the portal’s Forms page, though the Secretary of State’s office encourages online submission. Mail filings may be sent to the State Capitol, Room 260, 1301 6th Avenue, Helena, MT 59620.
Note: Montana’s formation fees are among the lowest in the country. A domestic LLC or profit corporation can be formed for $35, making the commercial registered agent fee a proportionally significant part of the year-one budget.
State Filing Fee to Change a Registered Agent
Montana charges no state filing fee to change a registered agent or registered office address. Under MCA § 35-7-108, a represented entity may file a Statement of Change with the Secretary of State at any time, and the change takes effect upon filing. The interest holders or governors of a domestic entity do not need to approve the filing.
The table below lists fees for all registered-agent-related actions.
| Action | Form | Filing Fee |
| Change of registered agent and/or registered office (Corporations) | Statement of Change | No fee |
| Change of registered agent and/or registered office (LLCs) | Statement of Change | No fee |
| Change of agent and/or address (Limited Partnerships) | Change of Agent and/or Address | No fee |
| Change of registered office/agent (Associations & Cooperatives) | Statement of Change | No fee |
| Change of name or address by a noncommercial registered agent | Statement of Change (Agent-Initiated) | No fee |
| Resignation of registered agent | Statement of Resignation | No fee |
All of these filings carry no charge, as confirmed on the Business Services Filing Fees page. The agent-initiated change under MCA § 35-7-109 allows a noncommercial registered agent who changes their own name or address to update the filing for each represented entity without entity approval. The agent must promptly notify the entity of the change.
Resignation of a registered agent is governed by MCA § 35-7-111. A resignation takes effect on the earlier of the “31st day after the day on which it is filed” or the appointment of a new registered agent. The resigning agent must promptly notify the represented entity.
What Is Included in a Registered Agent Service Fee?
The annual fee paid to a commercial registered agent provider in Montana covers the professional services needed to satisfy the state’s registered agent requirement on an ongoing basis. Exact inclusions vary by provider and pricing tier, but a core set of services is standard across the market.
Core services (generally included at all price levels):
- A physical Montana street address to serve as the entity’s registered office on file with the Secretary of State.
- Receipt of service of process, legal notices, tax correspondence, and other government communications during normal business hours.
- Same-day or next-day digital scanning and uploading of received documents to a secure online portal.
- Email alerts when documents are received on the entity’s behalf.
Additional services (included by some providers or at higher tiers):
- Compliance reminders for annual report deadlines and other periodic filing requirements.
- Use of the agent’s address on formation filings to keep the owner’s personal address off the public record.
- Mail forwarding for general business correspondence.
- Pre-populated Montana state forms are accessible within an online dashboard.
What is NOT included in a standard registered agent service fee:
- State filing fees—formation fees, annual report fees, and any other charges paid to the Secretary of State are billed separately.
- Preparation or filing of annual reports (unless purchased as a separate compliance service).
- Legal advice or representation.
- Expedited state filing processing (Montana offers 24-hour processing for $20 and 1-hour processing for $100, per the filing fees page).
Registered Agent Cost When Forming a New Montana Business
When forming a new Montana entity, the registered agent is designated within the formation document itself. There is no separate state fee for the agent appointment — the formation filing fee is the only state charge at formation.
The table below shows total year-one costs, combining the state formation fee with the commercial registered agent service fee.
| Entity Type | State Formation Fee | Commercial RA (Year 1) | Total Year 1 Cost |
| Domestic Profit Corporation | $35 | $0–$300 | $35–$335 |
| Domestic Nonprofit Corporation | $20 | $0–$300 | $20–$320 |
| Domestic LLC | $35 | $0–$300 | $35–$335 |
| Domestic Limited Partnership | $10 | $0–$300 | $10–$310 |
| Domestic LLP | $20 | $0–$300 | $20–$320 |
| Cooperative Association | $20 | $0–$300 | $20–$320 |
| Foreign Profit Corporation | $70 | $0–$300 | $70–$370 |
| Foreign LLC | $70 | $0–$300 | $70–$370 |
| Foreign Nonprofit Corporation | $15 | $0–$300 | $15–$315 |
The $0 in the Commercial RA column reflects entities where a Montana resident individual serves as the entity’s own noncommercial registered agent, as permitted under MCA § 35-7-105.
Many commercial registered agent providers package the first year of agent service into a formation bundle. Before committing to any formation package, confirm whether the quoted price includes the state filing fee, the registered agent service fee for year one, and the renewal price for subsequent years. Some providers lead with deeply discounted introductory rates and then increase the price substantially at renewal.
Online formation through the Online Business Services portal is the standard filing method. Montana does not offer a reduced filing fee for online versus paper submission; the amounts are the same regardless of filing method.
Cost of Serving as Your Own Registered Agent in Montana
Montana’s Model Registered Agents Act permits any individual or entity to serve as a noncommercial registered agent, provided the agent maintains “an actual street address or rural route box number in this state,” as required by MCA § 35-7-104. The entity itself cannot serve as its own agent, but an owner, member, manager, officer, or director who resides in Montana and maintains a qualifying address may accept the appointment.
Cost of self-designation:
- Commercial service fee: $0.
- State filing fee at formation: Included in the standard formation filing fee. No additional charge.
- State filing fee to update address: A Statement of Change must be filed, but Montana assesses no fee for this filing.
Tradeoffs of self-designation vs. commercial service:
| Factor | Self as Registered Agent | Commercial Service |
| Annual cost | $0 | $49–$300/year |
| Privacy | A personal name and home address appear on the public record | The provider’s business address appears on the public record |
| Business hours availability | Must be available at the registered office during business hours to accept service of process | The provider maintains a staffed office at all times |
| Service of process delivery | Delivered in person at the registered office | Scanned and forwarded the same day electronically |
| Address updates | Must file Statement of Change (no fee) each time the address changes | The provider maintains a stable address; no filing needed |
| Compliance monitoring | The entity tracks its own annual report deadlines independently | The provider sends reminders before the April 15 deadline |
| Eligibility requirement | Must be a Montana resident with a physical street address in the state | The provider handles all eligibility and listing requirements |
Frequently Asked Questions About Registered Agent Costs in Montana
Is there a fee to designate a registered agent when forming a Montana LLC or corporation?
No separate state fee exists for the registered agent designation at formation. The appointment is made within the Articles of Organization (for an LLC) or Articles of Incorporation (for a corporation), and the cost is included in the formation filing fee — $35 for a domestic LLC or profit corporation and $20 for a nonprofit corporation.
How much does it cost to change a registered agent in Montana?
Montana does not charge a filing fee to change a registered agent. The Statement of Change may be filed at no cost for corporations, LLCs, limited partnerships, and associations. The change may be submitted online through the Online Business Services portal or by mail to the State Capitol, Room 260, 1301 6th Avenue, Helena, MT 59620. The change takes effect immediately upon filing. Credit and debit card convenience fees do not apply because there is no underlying state fee for this filing.
Can I designate myself as a registered agent to avoid the annual service fee?
Yes. Any individual who maintains a physical street address in Montana may serve as a noncommercial registered agent under MCA § 35-7-102(13). This eliminates the annual commercial service fee. The tradeoff is that the individual’s name and street address become part of the entity’s public filing, and the individual must be personally available at that address during business hours to accept legal documents.
What is the annual cost of Northwest Registered Agent in Montana?
Northwest Registered Agent charges $125 per year for registered agent service in Montana. The fee covers a Montana street address as the entity’s registered office, receipt and same-day scanning of all legal documents and service of process, email notification alerts, and an online document portal. The $125 rate is a flat annual charge with no per-document surcharges. Details appear on the Northwest Registered Agent Montana page.
Does the registered agent service fee include the state filing fee?
No. The commercial registered agent service fee and state filing fees are entirely independent charges. The service fee covers the agent’s ongoing availability and document-handling infrastructure. State filing fees, such as the $35 LLC formation fee or the annual report late fee, are paid separately to the Secretary of State through the Online Business Services portal.
Is there a fee to file the consent of registered agent form?
Montana does not require a separate consent filing. Under MCA § 35-7-105(2), the act of designating a registered agent in the entity’s formation document or Statement of Change “is an affirmation by the represented entity that the agent has consented to serve.” No standalone consent form is filed with the Secretary of State, and no fee applies. The agent’s consent is established at the point of designation, and the Secretary of State notifies the agent of the filing under MCA § 35-7-105(3).
Is there a fee for the registered agent to resign?
Montana does not list a separate fee for the Statement of Resignation on its filing fees page. Under MCA § 35-7-111, a registered agent may resign at any time by filing a Statement of Resignation. The resignation takes effect on the earlier of the thirty-first day after filing or the appointment of a replacement agent. The entity must appoint a new agent before the resignation becomes effective to avoid operating without one.
How does the cost compare for a nonprofit corporation versus a for-profit corporation?
Nonprofit corporations pay lower fees than for-profit corporations for formation and foreign qualification in Montana.
| Transaction | For-Profit Corporation | Nonprofit Corporation |
| Domestic formation | $35 | $20 |
| Foreign entity registration | $70 | $15 |
| Change of registered agent | No fee | No fee |
| Resignation of registered agent | No fee | No fee |
| Annual report (before April 15) | Waived (2026–2027) | Waived (2026–2027) |
| Annual report (after April 15) | $35 | $35 |
A nonprofit corporation saves $15 on domestic formation and $55 on foreign registration compared to a for-profit corporation. Agent change and resignation costs are identical — both are free. Annual report fees do not differ by corporate type for corporations and LLCs, though associations and cooperatives pay a $20 annual report fee when the standard waiver does not apply, per the filing fees page. Commercial registered agent service fees are the same regardless of the entity’s tax-exempt status.
Are there any hidden fees associated with registered agent services?
State filing fees in Montana are fixed and transparently published on the Secretary of State’s Business Services page — there are no hidden government charges. On the commercial service side, the most common cost surprises include substantially higher renewal rates after a discounted introductory year, upsell charges for compliance monitoring or mail forwarding packaged as essential add-ons, per-document fees for forwarding service-of-process notifications, and formation packages that bundle the agent fee with optional services to inflate the headline price.
Does the cost change if I move my business to a new address in Montana?
The cost impact depends on which address changes and whether the entity uses a commercial service.
- Entity’s principal office address only (registered office unchanged): No registered-agent-related filing is required, and no fee is triggered. The entity may need to update its annual report, but the registered agent designation is unaffected.
- Registered agent’s address changes: The agent files a Statement of Change under MCA § 35-7-109 for each entity represented.
- Replacing the registered agent entirely: A Statement of Change must be filed, but again, no state fee applies.
- Using a commercial registered agent service: No state filing is triggered because the provider’s address remains stable. The provider manages address continuity internally at no additional cost to the entity.