Do veterans get a free LLC in Montana?

No. As of August 2026, no Montana statute or adopted administrative rule waives the LLC formation fee for veterans. A proposed rule would create that waiver, but it hasn't been adopted and has no effective date. Budget for the standard fee.

What is MAR Notice 2026-901, and does it help me?

It's the Secretary of State's proposed rule to waive domestic LLC and assumed business name filing fees for businesses owned by veterans or active-duty service members. It was published on July 24, 2026, with a public hearing set for August 14, 2026. A proposal is not a rule — it can be adopted, amended, or dropped, and it doesn't help a filing you make before it takes effect.

Does a VA disability rating help me in Montana?

Not for business filing fees. The proposed formation-fee rule describes veterans and active-duty members generally, with no disability element that we could confirm, and Montana state procurement doesn't run a disabled-veteran bid preference. A rating matters for federal certification and federal contracting, not for what you pay the Secretary of State.

Does Montana give veteran-owned businesses a preference on state contracts?

No. Title 18, chapter 4 of the Montana Code, which governs state purchasing, contains no occurrence of the word veteran. There's no small-business, minority-owned, women-owned or veteran-owned preference in Montana procurement — the only preference in play is a reciprocal one for resident bidders.

Is there a Montana veteran-owned business certification?

No state certification exists. Montana veterans who want a certification use the federal SBA VetCert program, which is what opens federal set-aside contracting. Certifying federally doesn't change anything about your Montana filing fees or your standing with Montana state agencies.

Can my LLC get a tax credit for hiring a veteran?

Yes, if the hire is a registered apprentice. Montana allows an employer credit of $750 per registered apprentice, raised to $1,500 when the apprentice is a veteran, under Mont. Code Ann. § 39-6-109. The credit runs no more than five tax years per apprentice and the apprenticeship has to be approved by the Department of Labor and Industry. Note the direction of it: you claim it for employing a veteran, not for being one.

LLC Guide

Montana veterans pay the full LLC filing fee — for now

No adopted rule or statute waives it. One that would waive it is out for public comment right now, which makes this the rare page worth bookmarking and re-reading in a few weeks.

By Edmond Hui · Last updated: August 2026

Montana does not discount LLC filing fees for veterans — the fee is $35 for everyone — but Montana runs no veteran-owned business certification of its own. See the sources below.

Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC

Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.

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Montana does not waive the $35 LLC filing fee for veterans today, though a proposed Secretary of State rule would.

The Secretary of State published MAR Notice 2026-901 on July 24, 2026, proposing to waive the domestic LLC and assumed business name filing fees for businesses owned by U.S. veterans or active-duty service members. A public hearing is set for August 14, 2026. Until an adoption notice with an effective date exists, the fee is payable in full, and nobody outside the agency can tell you what the eligibility test will be. File on the assumption you're paying.

What a Veteran Pays to Form an LLC in Montana

Standard state filing fee	$35
What a veteran pays today	$35
Veteran-specific saving	$0 — no veteran discount on this fee
State veteran-owned business certification	No state program — federal certification only

Verified August 6, 2026 against Montana primary sources — listed at the end of this guide.

Why Montana Has No Veteran LLC Fee Waiver

A veteran filing Articles of Organization for a Montana LLC pays exactly what a civilian pays. The Secretary of State's Business Services fee schedule carries one price for a domestic LLC and no veteran line item, no exemption code, and no refund path. If a rule adoption changes that later, it will change going forward — proposed rules in Montana don't reach back and refund filings made before they took effect. There's a second Montana fee story that gets misfiled as a veteran benefit, and it's worth untangling before you budget. Secretary Christi Jacobsen has waived the annual report fee for every Montana business that files between January 1 and April 15, and has done it for 2024, 2025, 2026 and 2027. That's universal. It has nothing to do with service, discharge status, or ownership, and you get it by filing early like everyone else. Miss April 15 and the fee applies, veteran or not.

Authority: Montana Secretary of State, Business Services Filing Fees (Articles of Organization, domestic LLC, $35.00). No statute or adopted administrative rule waives the LLC formation fee for veterans. A proposed rule, MAR Notice 2026-901 (proposed 2026-07-24, hearing 2026-08-14), would waive the domestic LLC and assumed business name filing fees for businesses owned by U.S. veterans or active duty service members, but it has NOT been adopted and is not in force. — sosmt.gov

Veteran-Owned Business Certification in Montana

Montana does not run its own veteran-owned business certification. That means there is no state certificate to apply for — but it also means the federal certification is the one that matters, and it is free.

The SBA’s VetCert program certifies Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB) and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (SDVOSB) for federal contracting. Certification is free and is handled entirely at veterans.certify.sba.gov.

Other Montana Programs for Veteran Business Owners

Montana's one veteran-specific business tax provision rewards hiring rather than owning, which is an important distinction if you're a solo LLC. It only starts mattering once you have someone working for you.

Larger apprenticeship tax credit for hiring a veteran apprentice: A Montana employer may claim a state tax credit of $750 for each registered apprentice employed, increased to $1,500 for each apprentice who is a veteran. The credit may not be claimed for more than 5 tax years per apprentice and must be approved by the Department of Labor and Industry. It is a credit for employing a veteran, not for being one. mca.legmt.gov

State Benefits vs Federal Benefits — What Is Actually Different

Most of what gets published as “veteran LLC benefits in Montana” is actually federal, and identical in all 50 states. Three separate things get run together:

What it is	Who runs it	Does it make forming an LLC cheaper?
Filing-fee waiver	Montana Secretary of State, by statute	Not available in Montana
Veteran-owned business certification	U.S. Small Business Administration (VetCert)	No — it helps you win contracts, not file paperwork
SBA loans, VBOC counselling, VA benefits	Federal agencies	No — and they are the same in every state

Certification is worth doing on its own merits, but it is not a discount on formation. If a page tells you Montanagives veterans a “free LLC” and then links you to a certification portal, it has conflated the first row with the second.

Free Help for Veteran Business Owners in Montana

The Montana Veterans Affairs Division, part of the Department of Military Affairs, is the state's front door for veterans and can point you to benefits counselors. For anything about the filing itself — fee amounts, the status of MAR Notice 2026-901, whether an adoption notice has posted — the Secretary of State's Business Services office is the authority, and it's the only source worth trusting on that question. If the apprenticeship credit is relevant to you, approval runs through the Montana Department of Labor and Industry, not the Department of Revenue.

Montana Veterans Affairs Division (MVAD), Montana Department of Military Affairs — veterans.mt.gov

Veteran Business Outreach Centers (VBOCs) are funded by the SBA and provide free business planning and formation counselling to veterans, service members and military spouses. Find your VBOC.

Forming the LLC Itself

Nothing about the formation process changes because you are a veteran — the forms, the registered agent requirement and the annual filing are the same. The full walkthrough lives in our Montana formation guide rather than being repeated here.

How to start an LLC in Montana →

Sources

Every figure on this page was checked against these primary sources on August 6, 2026.

Chart comparing the standard Montana LLC filing fee with what a veteran actually pays to form an LLC, and the difference between the two. — What a veteran pays to form an LLC in Montana, against the standard filing fee. Source: Montana Secretary of State.

Frequently Asked Questions

: No. As of August 2026, no Montana statute or adopted administrative rule waives the LLC formation fee for veterans. A proposed rule would create that waiver, but it hasn't been adopted and has no effective date. Budget for the standard fee.
: It's the Secretary of State's proposed rule to waive domestic LLC and assumed business name filing fees for businesses owned by veterans or active-duty service members. It was published on July 24, 2026, with a public hearing set for August 14, 2026. A proposal is not a rule — it can be adopted, amended, or dropped, and it doesn't help a filing you make before it takes effect.
: No, and this is the most common mix-up on the subject. The Secretary of State has waived the annual report fee for every Montana business that files between January 1 and April 15, announced for 2024 through 2027. It's a universal early-filing waiver. Your DD-214 has nothing to do with it.
: Not for business filing fees. The proposed formation-fee rule describes veterans and active-duty members generally, with no disability element that we could confirm, and Montana state procurement doesn't run a disabled-veteran bid preference. A rating matters for federal certification and federal contracting, not for what you pay the Secretary of State.
: No. Title 18, chapter 4 of the Montana Code, which governs state purchasing, contains no occurrence of the word veteran. There's no small-business, minority-owned, women-owned or veteran-owned preference in Montana procurement — the only preference in play is a reciprocal one for resident bidders.
: No state certification exists. Montana veterans who want a certification use the federal SBA VetCert program, which is what opens federal set-aside contracting. Certifying federally doesn't change anything about your Montana filing fees or your standing with Montana state agencies.
: Yes, if the hire is a registered apprentice. Montana allows an employer credit of $750 per registered apprentice, raised to $1,500 when the apprentice is a veteran, under Mont. Code Ann. § 39-6-109. The credit runs no more than five tax years per apprentice and the apprenticeship has to be approved by the Department of Labor and Industry. Note the direction of it: you claim it for employing a veteran, not for being one.

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