Property Management Bookkeeping in Montana

Money held for owners in Montana is not your money, and Montana sets its own rules — through state law and the Montana Secretary of State-registered licensing regime — on how those funds are held, how often they are reconciled, and what records must exist. We keep the trust ledger reconciled to the bank with owner-level detail behind every balance; whether that satisfies Montana's specific requirement is a determination for you and your attorney, not us.

Security deposits in Montana are a liability, not income. Montana sets no statutory cap on the deposit amount, and requires you to return or account for it within 30 days of move-out. That deadline is why the ledger has to be per-tenant rather than one pooled balance — a pooled figure cannot answer "what is owed to this tenant, and by when," which is the only question that matters when a deposit is disputed.

Registering to do business in Montana runs through the Montana Secretary of State and employer accounts through the Montana Department of Labor and Industry. Because Montana has no sales tax account to maintain, there is one less registration to let lapse than in most states.

With no statewide general sales tax in Montana, there is no rate to apply or reconcile — the liability account most businesses get wrong simply does not exist here. No general sales tax. Resort communities may levy a local resort tax on lodging and certain retail.