Montana Foreign Registration · Annual report
The Montana annual report for a foreign LLC
Annual reports are due from every LLC on Montana's register, foreign ones included, and the Secretary of State waives the fee for reports filed from January 1 to April 15; a report filed after April 15 costs $35. The report is a renewal of registration information, not a tax or earnings report. Skip it for 140 days past the due date and the certificate can be put through revocation.
The annual report at a glance
| Who files | every limited liability company and corporation, profit and nonprofit |
|---|---|
| Due | April 15 each year |
| Fee window | January 1 to April 15: $0, waived |
| Fee after April 15 | $35 |
| What it updates | the business mailing address, registered agent, shares if any, and principals of record |
| Where | The online portal at biz.sosmt.gov |
| Not | A tax or earnings report |
| Revocation trigger | No report within 140 days after it is due |
What the report is
The Secretary of State describes the annual report as the filing that keeps a registration current and confirms that the business is active in Montana. It lets the filer update the business mailing address, the registered agent, any shares and the principals of record. It is not a tax return or an earnings report. The requirement covers every LLC and every corporation, profit and nonprofit.
Filing a no-change report
If nothing has changed, the no-change route is short. In the portal at biz.sosmt.gov, search for the business, click the business name in the results, use the File Annual Report button in the right-hand panel, review the information, read and check each declaration box, fill in every field marked with a red asterisk, and click File Online.
Filing a report with changes
When the information has changed, the route is the same with one difference: sign in first, then search for the business, click its name, choose File Annual Report, and follow the steps, updating the report information as you go. The declarations and required fields work as before.
The fee window
Any annual report filed between January 1 and April 15 goes in free; the Secretary of State has waived the fee for that window. After April 15, the fee is $35 for each report, and each missing report from earlier years carries the same $35.
What a missed report does
A missed report does not end the registration at once. Under MCA 35-8-1011 the Secretary of State may start a revocation proceeding if the report is not delivered within 140 days after it is due. The office delivers a notice, and the LLC has 60 days to correct the ground before a certificate of revocation can be signed. A foreign LLC that is revoked cannot reinstate and must register again.
The fees in brief
A report filed from January 1 to April 15 carries $0. After April 15 the fee is $35 for each report, and every missing report from earlier years adds the same amount. Filing by April 15 keeps the report free.
If the registration is revoked
A foreign LLC whose certificate is revoked has no reinstatement route and registers again, at $70. That makes the on-time report the cheaper course.
A reminder routine
Put April 15 on the company calendar and have a second person confirm that the filing happened. Keep the confirmation with the company records.
What to check before you file
Look at the business mailing address, the registered agent, any shares and the principals of record as the portal shows them. If any is out of date, update it in the report. Confirm that the agent is still serving. File before April 15, and keep the confirmation with the company records.
Who is a principal of record
The report refreshes the principals of record, which for an LLC are the people the company has listed. Check the list against current managers and members before you file.
Annual report questions
When is the Montana annual report due?
By April 15.
What does it cost?
Nothing from January 1 to April 15, and $35 after that.
Is it a tax filing?
No. It renews registration information.
What happens if I miss it?
After 140 days past the due date, the Secretary of State may begin revocation, with 60 days to correct.
Our fee and Montana's
Get authority in Montana
+ $70 Montana fee
- The Montana certificate of authority application, written from your replies
- A compliance statement about your home-state law, ready to sign
- A registered agent in Montana, whether ours or one you pick
- Montana's issued certificate, forwarded to you
- Renewal: after the first year, the agent service renews at $149 a year
$199
Montana
Get Montana authorityMontana charges $70, and $50 more for each series named in a series LLC. $199 plus the state fee, including your first year of registered agent service; after that the agent service renews at $149 a year.
Sources
- Montana Secretary of State, business filing fees
- Montana Secretary of State, filing fee schedule (PDF)
- Montana Code 35-8-1002, consequences of transacting business without authority
- Montana Secretary of State, annual report fee waiver announcement
- Montana Secretary of State help center, file an annual report
- Montana Secretary of State help center, register a business
- Montana Secretary of State help center, how to reinstate a business
- MCA 35-8-1011, grounds for revocation
- MCA 35-8-1012, procedure for and effect of revocation
Need to be authorized in Montana?
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