Lien Information

Question: “How can I file a lien?”
Answer: Visit our online portal at biz.sosmt.gov. You’ll need to log in with your account.

Question: “How do I file a paper form, and where do I mail my payment?”
Answer: We no longer accept paper forms or checks, so you must file the online form(s) and pay with credit/debit card or e-check. Visit our online portal at biz.sosmt.gov. You’ll need to log in to your account or create one to access the online portal.

Question: “What if I don’t have an account?”
Answer: Anyone can create an account, which is your user profile for the Montana Secretary of State site. Click the “Login” button and you’ll see where you can create an account.

Question: “Where do I find the forms to file?”
Answer: They are available under the “Forms” menu on the left, or by clicking “File a Lien” on the home screen.

Question: “I keep double-clicking on the lien filing I’m trying to do, but it doesn’t go anywhere.”
Answer: You need to single-click on the lien form, then click “File Online.”

Question: “The address I put on my form keeps changing. Why is that?”
Answer: Our new system uses address verification, so that any addresses entered match what the post office will accept.

Question: “I think I’ve completed the page that I’m on, but the system still shows an error.”
Answer: Check through the page for fields with red asterisks next to the headings. They are required, and you won’t be able to complete your filing without entering the information.

Question: “I’m working on an EFS filing, but don’t have my debtor’s social security number. Can I file without it?”
Answer: Any field that you see with a red asterisk is required, so no, you would not be able to file this lien.

Question: “My collateral information is very lengthy and detailed. Should I enter this into the collateral field?”
Answer: Instead of retyping all the information, simply enter “See Attached” into the collateral field and upload your document(s.)

Question: “My debtor’s signature is on the filing with our office. How do I indicate this on my electronic lien filing?”
Answer: If you are in an EFS filing, click the box that states “A signed agreement exists granting a lien on the farm product(s).” UCC amendment forms that require debtor signatures have a box that you must check on the “Authorization” page.

Question: “I don’t see where I can ‘File Online.’ Why can’t I submit my lien filing?”
Answer: Check the menu on the left in your filing. Look for any red Xs. This indicates an error in the form. You can go back to that section to make a correction by clicking on it.

Question: “I’ve put in my payment information and clicked ‘checkout.’ Why isn’t my payment going through?
Answer: Make sure you have selected the circle to the left of your preferred payment method.

Question: “The payment method I have on my checkout window is no longer valid. How do I enter a new payment method?
Answer: If your credit/debit card or bank account on the checkout window is no longer valid, just click the trash can icon to the right of the payment method. Then click “Add New Payment Method” and enter your new payment information.

Question: “I don’t see my work queue/the application I saved.”
Answer: Check the upper right corner of your screen to make sure you are logged in. If you have more than one user account, you may have saved the filing under another username.

Question: “There’s nothing in My Work Queue.”
Answer: If you have filed or saved any application, it will appear in your work queue for 90 days. Please make sure you are on the appropriate section heading (Liens or Copy Request) to see your filings.

Question: “I clicked the button to download my receipt/document and nothing happens.”
Answer: The pdf to download appears as a file name located in lower portion of the screen. Right click on that pdf file and open it or save it to your computer.

Question: “How do I review the filing I’ve submitted?”
Answer: Go to My Work Queue, and you’ll see the filing name. Click on it and select the form from the right-side window that appears.

Question: “I submitted a lien filing several days ago but haven’t heard back. How do I know if it’s been filed or not?”
Answer: Log back into your online portal and check your Work Queue. You should find the filing there, along with either an acknowledgement letter (if it’s been accepted) or a rejection letter.

Question: “I submitted a lien filing but never received a response email. What happened to my filing?”
Answer: Please make sure the Secretary of State’s office is marked as a safe email in your inbox. Check your junk/spam box for any responses that may have landed there. You can also log back into the portal and go to your Work Queue to find the filing.

Question: “I submit so many lien filings. How do I know which ones have been approved and which have not?”
Answer: Your approval or rejection email should indicate the file number that corresponds to the lien. You can also go to your Work Queue and easily see those that have been approved or rejected.

Question: “My lien filing has been rejected. What do I do?”
Answer: If your lien filing has been rejected, you will need to submit a new application. Go to the Forms page to get started.

Question: “We used to be able to correct our documents and resubmit them. Can we still do that?”
Answer: With our new lien filing system, the forms are designed so that many of the common errors can no longer happen. Because of this, we do not have the reprocessing option; instead, you must submit a new filing.

Question: “Why are only the most recent records showing in My Work Queue?”
Answer: The receipts, filing copies, and acknowledgement/rejection letters are only available in your work queue for 90 days.

Question: “Why can’t I see all of my records in the My Records section?”
Answer: The My Records section is limited to only 500 records.

Question: “I’m looking to do a basic lien search. Where is the search function?”
Answer: Lien searches are conducted via the UCC11 Copy Request form. You can find this under “Forms” in the left menu or under Copy/Search Requests on the home screen. There are a number of options to customize this search and/or request copies.

Question: “I want to search for EFS liens, but I only see the UCC11 search function.”
Answer: The UCC11 Copy Request form searches for all types of liens (UCC, EFS, Title 71, IRS, and Child Support.)

Question: “Where can I set up my monthly lien (or Farm Bill Master List) subscription?
Answer: Your subscription services are established on the Data Requests & Subscriptions page. Click on “New Data Request” and choose the subscription type to get started.

Question: “We used to have a master account, then I could add individual users to our subscription. How do I do that in this new system?”
Answer: With the new site, subscriptions are tied only to the account that establishes the subscription. This means that multiple people will need to have access to the username and password for your organization’s subscription. You may want to establish a new account specifically for this purpose.

Question: “I need to enter additional criteria to my farm bill subscription service. How do I do that?”
Answer: Go to “Data Requests & Subscriptions” and click on the gears icon next to your established subscription. You can then edit your subscription services.

Question: “The payment I have for my subscription service is no longer active. How do I change it?”
Answer: When you attempt to search for a file or access your farm bill subscription, you will automatically be prompted to enter new payment information before you can proceed.

Question: “Why do some of my subscriptions show up green/yellow/red?”
Answer: Green subscriptions are those that are active. Farm bill master list subscriptions that have been paused show as yellow. Cancelled subscriptions are red.

Question: “What is a ‘paused’ subscription?”
Answer: Subscriptions to the Farm Bill Master List may be paused for those months that you are not accessing the list. It allows you to keep your active subscription criteria, but you don’t have to pay the monthly fee. You are not able to conduct any searches while your subscription is paused. Simply “unpause” to restart your subscription service (monthly charges will automatically resume.)