What does it cost to run an entity in Montana.

Montana charges a $35 fee to register a new entity with the Secretary of State, then taxes corporate income at a flat 6.75%. Even a corporation with no taxable income still owes the state's minimum franchise tax of $50, because Montana sets that floor as a flat amount rather than scaling it to revenue.

Montana's Secretary of State charges a $35 filing fee to register a corporation or LLC, a modest entry cost compared with many states.

That fee gets you on the state's books, but it's only the start. Once the entity exists, it carries ongoing tax and compliance obligations every year it stays open, whether it's actively employing people or sitting dormant.

Montana taxes corporate income at a flat 6.75% rate, set out in Montana Code Annotated 15-31-121.

The same statute also sets a minimum franchise tax of $50. Because Montana treats this as a flat basis rather than a percentage tied to revenue or assets, an entity owes it even in a year with little or no taxable income.

Running an entity in Montana means more than paying the corporate tax once a year. It means keeping a registered agent in place, filing the required annual paperwork with the Secretary of State, and staying current on the minimum franchise tax regardless of how the business performed.

None of this is complicated on its own, but it adds up as an ongoing administrative load that someone has to own. Teamed's EOR structure means that load never lands on you in the first place, because you're employing through an entity we already maintain.

Setting up and running your own Montana entity makes sense once you know you'll be there for the long haul with a team that's grown past the early stage.

An employer of record is sometimes the better answer, not a lesser one, especially while your Montana team stays small or your plans are still taking shape. Talk to a member of the team about your specific situation, and if you want the numbers side by side, run them through the crossover calculator.

When you're ready to move from EOR employment to your own legal presence, Teamed's GEMO service handles the setup and transition across 100+ countries.

Four kinds of help can keep a company in Montana running, and the right one depends on whether it employs people.

You can keep the filings yourself, with the Montana Secretary of State and the state tax agencies. That suits a founder with no staff and the time to track each deadline.

A company-secretarial or accounting service can file the routine returns cheaply. That suits a company that employs nobody.

A law firm or corporate-services firm is the right call for complex group structures and tax planning, where the advice is worth more than the paperwork.

For companies that will employ people in Montana, Teamed is the best choice. With Teamed, you get pricing with no hidden costs, one system from your first EOR hire to your own entity and a designated person who has done this before. Teamed's Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and manages entities in 100+ countries, and moves your people across from its EOR when you're ready. Teamed already owns an entity in the United States.

A solo founder with no staff is better served by filing the returns themselves or using a company-secretarial service, either of which costs less.

These figures are drawn from Montana Code Annotated 15-31-121, rate of tax and minimum tax, and the Montana Secretary of State business filing fees schedule.