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Solar incentives · Montana · 2026
Solar rebates in Montana.
The federal, state, and utility solar incentives available in Montana for 2026, then matched to a vetted local installer.
Programs · Montana
5
active programs & rules in 2026
Net metering retained, with an annual settle-up forfeit · verified 2026-09-01
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The full list
5 programs available right now in Montana.
Tax credit
#01
Federal Residential Clean Energy Credit (Section 25D) - ENDED
The 30 percent federal Residential Clean Energy Credit under Section 25D expired for property placed in service after December 31, 2025. Cash and loan purchases made now receive no federal tax credit. Confirm with the Montana Department of Revenue whether any state credit currently applies to residential solar, since Montana previous alternative energy systems credit is no longer available for recent tax years.
Source ↗ Tax credit
#02
Federal Commercial ITC (Section 48E) - via Lease / PPA
Section 48E, the commercial Clean Electricity Investment Credit, survives at 30 percent and is available to third-party owners of residential systems under leases and power purchase agreements. The provider claims it and may reflect part of the value in the rate offered. Ask what they claim and what actually reaches you, and confirm with a tax advisor.
Source ↗ Net metering
#03
Net metering retained after the Commission rejected NorthWestern proposal
The Montana Public Service Commission unanimously voted to reject a NorthWestern Energy proposal to end net metering, implement a new rate class for solar customers and add a demand charge. As a result Montana retains net metering and its customers do not carry a solar-specific demand charge. Renewable installations of less than 50 kW capacity are eligible on the NorthWestern system, far above what a household would install.
Source ↗ Program
#04
Annual settle-up: unused credits granted to the utility
At the annual settle-up month, any remaining unused kilowatt hour credit accumulated during the previous twelve months is granted to NorthWestern Energy without compensation to the customer. Nothing is paid for it and it does not carry into the next year. That is the same structural rule Washington applies on April 30, Oregon at the end of the March billing cycle and Kansas on March 31, and it is a direct argument against building a system larger than your household consumes across a year.
Utility
#05
Cooperatives and municipal utilities set their own terms
Montana is served by NorthWestern Energy and Montana-Dakota Utilities alongside rural electric cooperatives and municipal utilities. The 50 kW eligibility threshold and the annual settle-up described here are NorthWestern terms. Cooperatives set their own arrangements for customer generation, so check the utility name on a recent bill before applying any NorthWestern figure to your address.
Net metering · Montana
Net metering retained, with an annual settle-up forfeit
Montana retains net metering, and that is worth stating plainly because it was contested. NorthWestern Energy proposed ending net metering, creating a separate rate class for solar customers and adding a demand charge, and the Montana Public Service Commission unanimously rejected the proposal. The result is that Montana solar customers are not carrying the kind of solar-specific monthly charge that Alabama Power levies at $5.41 per kW per month, and the arrangement remains a genuine offset rather than a discounted export rate. Renewable installations of less than 50 kW capacity are eligible on the NorthWestern system, which is far above what a household would install, so the programme ceiling is not the practical constraint. What is, is the annual settle-up. At the settle-up month, any remaining unused kilowatt hour credit accumulated during the previous twelve months is granted to NorthWestern Energy without compensation to the customer. Nothing is paid for it and nothing carries forward into the following year. That puts Montana in the same structural position as Washington, Oregon and Kansas: credits accumulate usefully through the year, letting a summer surplus offset a winter deficit, but a genuine annual surplus is donated. The design conclusion follows directly. Build from your last twelve months of bills, ask what percentage of your annual usage the system covers, and ask for the monthly credit balance tracked through to the settle-up month. A balance that rises and falls with the seasons and lands near zero describes a well-matched system; one that only climbs describes an oversized one.
Worth checking before you sign:
taking a rebate can change your net-metering terms, and export credit rules
differ by utility. Your matched installer confirms the exact numbers for
your address.
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