Financial infrastructure for growing Montana businesses
Founded in Montana's Flathead Valley. We serve contractors, hospitality operators, trucking companies, professional service firms, and growing businesses across Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Kalispell, Great Falls, and Helena.
Serving Montana businesses
Montana businesses face a specific set of financial challenges: extreme seasonality, a workforce shortage that drives labor costs, lenders who need clean financials to approve a working line, and a state tax structure (no general sales tax, PTET election, 5.9% top income rate) that rewards proactive planning. Most Montana businesses leave money on the table because their bookkeeping wasn't built for any of this.
We build the financial infrastructure that lets a Montana business owner answer the question "how's the business doing?" with a real number, in real time. That means clean books, 13-week cash flow forecasts, job costing for contractors and trades, PTET election analysis for S-Corps, and lender-ready financials when it's time for a credit line or SBA loan.
Our founder spent years on the lender side at a Montana community bank — reviewing commercial loan packages, analyzing credits, and structuring SBA participations. That perspective shapes everything we do: we know what Glacier Bank, First Interstate, Stockman Bank, and SBA underwriters need to see to approve a loan, and we prepare your financials accordingly.
Industries we serve in Montana
The Montana tax landscape
No General Sales Tax
Structural AdvantageMontana is one of only five states with no general sales tax. For retail, hospitality, and service businesses, this simplifies operations — but it also means the state leans harder on income tax, making entity structure and owner compensation decisions more consequential.
Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) Election — 5.9%
Most UnderutilizedMontana's PTET election allows S-Corps and partnerships to pay state income tax at the entity level, making it fully deductible as a business expense. This effectively bypasses the federal $10,000 SALT cap. For a business owner with $200K in Montana pass-through income, this election can save $2,600–$4,400 in federal taxes annually. Most Montana business owners are not using it.
Income Tax: 4.7% and 5.9% Graduated Rates
Planning RequiredMontana uses a two-bracket graduated income tax. The 5.9% top rate applies to most profitable small business owners. For an owner drawing $200K in pass-through income, that's $11,800 in state income tax — real money that requires a strategy, not just a filing.
Capital Gains: 3.0% Preferential Rate
Exit PlanningMontana taxes long-term capital gains at 3.0% on the first $21,100 above ordinary income. For business owners planning an exit or asset sale, this creates meaningful planning opportunities around timing and structure that most accountants don't address proactively.
What we deliver to Montana businesses
- Clean monthly books and reconciled financials
- 13-week rolling cash flow forecasts
- Controller-level reporting and KPI dashboards
- Fractional CFO strategy and financial leadership
- Tax planning, preparation, and resolution
- Loan readiness and lender-ready financial packages
Cities we serve in Montana
Services in Montana
Frequently asked questions about Montana financial services
Ready to Build Your Financial Infrastructure?
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