Wyoming LLC in 2026: Costs, the Annual License Tax, Privacy Reality and the Nexus Trap

Wyoming invented the limited liability company in 1977, and it still has one of the cheapest and simplest LLCs to run: a $100 filing and, for most small companies, a $60 annual license tax. That reputation has also made it the favourite of formation websites selling "anonymous" and "tax-free" LLCs to people who live elsewhere. This guide separates the real benefits from the marketing. It covers every Wyoming fee in the Secretary of State's schedule effective July 1, 2026, how the annual report and license tax work, what stays private and what doesn't, and the nexus rule that makes many out-of-state owners pay two states instead of one. All figures were checked with the Wyoming Secretary of State in October 2026.

Quick answer

A Wyoming LLC costs $100 to form online with the Secretary of State and $60 a year in annual report license tax for most small companies. It is a strong choice if you live or operate in Wyoming, or for a passive holding company — but if you run the business from another state, that state will usually make you register and pay there too.

• License tax: the greater of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar (two-tenths of a mill) of Wyoming assets

• Annual report due the 1st day of your formation month; dissolution after 60 days late

• Owners need not be named in the articles, but filings are public and agents keep owner records

• Non-residents must use a Wyoming registered agent with a physical address

• Online formations are active immediately; paid expedite ($700+) is for paper-only documents

Is a Wyoming LLC right for you?

The honest test is where the business actually happens. If you live in Wyoming, sell from Wyoming or own Wyoming property, a Wyoming LLC is an easy decision: low fees, a short form, an annual report you can file in minutes, and free online certificates of good standing.

If you live and work somewhere else, the answer is usually no. An LLC owes fees and taxes in every state where it does business, not only where it was formed. A consultant in Chicago, a landlord in Texas or an online shop run from a California garage is doing business in their home state. They would form in Wyoming, then register the same LLC as a foreign LLC at home, and pay both states every year. The cheap Wyoming fee becomes an extra cost rather than a saving.

There are cases where Wyoming makes sense for non-residents: a holding company that owns shares or intellectual property and has no operations or employees in the owner's state, a company owned by people in several states who want a neutral, well-tested statute, or a non-US founder selling online to US customers who needs a US entity and has no home state at all. Even then, take advice on where the company's activities will create a filing obligation.

Wyoming LLC at a glance (2026)

$100

Articles of Organization

plus card fee online

$60

Minimum annual license tax

assets up to $300,000

60 days

Grace before dissolution

after the annual report due date

$150

Foreign LLC registration in Wyoming

How to form a Wyoming LLC

Wyoming's statute asks very little. Under W.S. 17-29-201, the Articles of Organization state only the LLC's name, the street address of its registered office and the name of its registered agent, and they must come with the agent's signed consent. One or more organizers sign and deliver the articles. Members and managers are not required.

Forming a Wyoming LLC

1. 1

   Check the name

   Search the Secretary of State's business database. Read the office's name-availability guidance first; a name that is too close to an existing one is rejected.

2. 2

   Appoint a registered agent

   A Wyoming resident aged 18+ with a physical Wyoming address, or a business entity authorized in Wyoming. Get the signed Consent to Appointment.

3. 3

   File the Articles of Organization online

   Online filing is available for domestic LLCs. Pay the $100 fee plus the card convenience fee.

   Tip: The LLC is active as soon as the online filing is complete; download the certificate, copy and receipt straight away.

4. 4

   Get an EIN and sign an operating agreement

   The EIN is free from the IRS. Wyoming doesn't file operating agreements, but you need one.

5. 5

   Set up annual report reminders

   The Secretary of State emails reminders 60, 30 and 10 days before the due date if you give it an email address.

Online versus paper. The Secretary of State says an online filing makes the company active as soon as the process is completed, with the certificate available to download after payment. Paper filings are processed in the order received and take no longer than 15 business days. Because online formation is immediate, there is no reason to pay for expedite. The paid tiers introduced with the July 2026 fee schedule — $700 for next-business-day and $1,400 for same-day review — apply only to documents that cannot be filed online, and the office lists initial formations and annual reports among the exclusions.

Registered agent rules. Every Wyoming entity must keep a registered agent in the state. An individual agent must be at least 18, live in Wyoming and have a physical Wyoming address; a PO box, drop box, mail-forwarding service or shipping store does not qualify. A business entity authorized in Wyoming can also serve. Anyone acting as agent for more than ten entities must register as a commercial registered agent with the Secretary of State and pay $50 a year (W.S. 17-28-105). Changing your agent later costs $5. If an LLC is dissolved for having no agent, reinstatement costs $350, so keep the agent's invoice paid.

Commercial agents typically charge somewhere around $25 to $300 a year, depending on extras such as mail scanning; that range is our market estimate from published pricing, not an official figure. Many bundle a "privacy" address you can use as your principal office.

The annual report and license tax

Every Wyoming LLC, and every foreign LLC registered in Wyoming, files an annual report and pays a license tax (W.S. 17-29-209). The report states the LLC's principal office address and certifies the value of its capital, property and assets located and employed in Wyoming.

When it's due. On the first day of the month in which the LLC was formed, every year. If your LLC was filed on May 15, the report is due May 1. You can file up to 120 days early. The Secretary of State sends courtesy email reminders 60, 30 and 10 days before the due date.

How much. The license tax is the greater of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar (two-tenths of a mill) on Wyoming assets. The break-even point is $300,000: anything at or below that pays $60. Only assets located and employed in Wyoming count, so an LLC whose bank account, inventory and equipment are in another state, with nothing in Wyoming, reports little or nothing and pays the minimum.

Paying online. Online annual reports carry a card processing fee of 2.4% (minimum $1) of the filing fee, so a $60 report costs about $61.44 online. You can avoid the fee by printing the completed report and mailing it with a check. If the license tax is more than $500, online filing is not allowed and you must mail the report.

Missing it. The LLC is delinquent from the second day of the month after the due date. If the report is not filed within 60 days of the due date, the Secretary of State administratively dissolves the LLC. You can reinstate an LLC dissolved for not filing within two years by filing the missing reports, paying the license taxes owed and a $100 reinstatement fee. After two years in dissolved status, Wyoming law does not allow reinstatement at all, and you would have to form a new company.

An LLC formed on May 15

January 1

Earliest day to file (120 days before the due date)

March–April

Email reminders at 60, 30 and 10 days

May 1

Annual report and $60+ license tax due

June 2

LLC classed as delinquent

By June 30

60 days after the due date — file or face dissolution

Within 2 years

Reinstatement still possible ($100 + back taxes)

Privacy: what "anonymous LLC" really means

Formation websites market Wyoming as the "anonymous LLC" state. There is something real behind it, and also a lot that the marketing leaves out.

What stays off the public record. Wyoming's articles don't ask for members or managers, and LLC annual reports do not list owners the way corporate reports list officers and directors. If you use a commercial agent's address and a non-personal principal office address, a search of the Secretary of State's database will not show your name as an owner.

What is public. The Secretary of State states plainly that all filed documents are public records under the Wyoming Public Records Act, and that anything typed into the online system or written on a paper form, including signatures, becomes public on filing. If you sign the articles yourself as organizer, your name is on the public record. Many owners have their registered agent or an attorney act as organizer for that reason. The annual report shows the principal office address, so a home address used there is public too.

Who can see what about a Wyoming LLC

Information	Public database	Registered agent's records	Bank / IRS
LLC name, agent, agent address	Yes	Yes	Yes
Organizer name and signature	Yes	—	—
Principal office address	Yes (annual report)	Yes	Yes
Members and managers	No (not required)	Yes — key individuals	Yes
Communications contact (name, address, phone)	No	Yes	—

LLC name, agent, agent address

Public database

Yes

Registered agent's records

Yes

Bank / IRS

Yes

Organizer name and signature

Public database

Yes

Registered agent's records

—

Bank / IRS

—

Principal office address

Public database

Yes (annual report)

Registered agent's records

Yes

Bank / IRS

Yes

Members and managers

Public database

No (not required)

Registered agent's records

Yes — key individuals

Bank / IRS

Yes

Communications contact (name, address, phone)

Public database

No

Registered agent's records

Yes

Bank / IRS

—

What the state can still find. Since a change to Wyoming's registered agent law, every entity must give its agent, and keep current, the name, mailing and physical address and business phone of a natural person who is an officer, member, manager or similar, who acts as the company's "communications contact" (W.S. 17-28-104(d)). Agents must also keep a record of the company's key individuals — the names and addresses of managers, members or anyone in a similar role. The Secretary of State explains this information is used when law enforcement or a state agency needs to reach a business. The communications contact cannot be the agent's own employee unless that person is also an officer, member or manager of the company.

What everyone else knows. Your bank will identify the owners before opening an account. The IRS asks for a responsible party when the LLC applies for an EIN. Courts can order the agent to disclose its records in litigation. Anonymity in Wyoming means keeping your name out of a public database, not hiding ownership from authorities or creditors.

Federal beneficial ownership reporting to FinCEN is Not required for US-formed companies under the current rule, so a Wyoming-formed LLC does not file a BOI report. That rule has changed several times since 2024, so check FinCEN's site before relying on it.

The nexus trap for out-of-state operators

Every state has its own definition of "doing business" or "transacting business". If your LLC meets it, the state expects you to register as a foreign LLC, file its reports and pay its taxes, no matter where the LLC was formed. Wyoming itself works this way: an out-of-state company that does business in Wyoming without a certificate of authority faces a $5,000 penalty plus fees, taxes and 18% interest.

California shows how expensive the trap can be. The Franchise Tax Board treats an LLC as doing business in California if it is commercially domiciled there — run from there — or if its California sales, property or payroll exceed annual thresholds. A Wyoming LLC run by a Los Angeles owner is doing business in California, owes the $800 annual tax and, if it doesn't register, a $2,000 penalty. Our California LLC cost guide has the details. Texas charges $750 to register a foreign LLC and Georgia $235, both well above Wyoming's own formation fee.

Income tax follows the same logic. An LLC taxed as a partnership or disregarded entity passes its profit to the owners, who report it where they live and where the income is earned. Forming in Wyoming doesn't move that income to Wyoming.

Worked examples

A Casper outfitter. Jenna lives in Casper and runs guided trips. She forms her LLC online for $100 plus the card fee, names herself registered agent at her shop and gets her EIN the same day. Her Wyoming assets — a trailer, rafts and a bank balance — total about $180,000, so her annual report each year costs $60, or about $61.44 paid online. Her only state cost in the first year is the formation fee; from the following year she pays about $61 a year.

A Californian who formed in Wyoming. Marco, a web developer in San Jose, buys a "Wyoming anonymous LLC" package for $250 including the state fee and a year of registered agent service. Because he runs the business from home in California, the LLC must register as a foreign LLC there and pays the $800 California annual tax. His yearly cost becomes $60 in Wyoming, about $125 for the Wyoming agent (estimate) and $800 in California: roughly $985, compared with $800 plus California's biennial $20 statement had he formed in California.

A holding company with real Wyoming assets. A family LLC owns a Cheyenne commercial building worth $2.5 million. Its license tax is $0.0002 per dollar (two-tenths of a mill) × $2,500,000 = $500, payable online. If the property is revalued to $3 million, the tax rises to $600 and the report must be mailed because online filing stops at $500.

A non-US founder selling online. A seller in Germany forms a Wyoming LLC through a commercial agent to sell digital products to US customers. Wyoming's costs are $100 plus $60 a year and the agent fee. The owner still needs an EIN, must file the federal information returns that apply to foreign-owned single-member LLCs, and may need to collect sales tax in states where sales pass economic nexus thresholds. That is a question for a US tax adviser.

Other Wyoming fees you may meet

Wyoming Secretary of State fees (schedule effective July 1, 2026)

Filing	Fee
Articles of Organization (domestic LLC)	$100
Certificate of authority (foreign LLC)	$150
Amendment, dissolution or other filing	$60
Appointment of new registered agent	$5
Reinstatement after tax dissolution	$100
Reinstatement after no-agent dissolution	$350
Certificate of good standing online	free
Expedite (paper-only documents)	$700 / $1,400

Articles of Organization (domestic LLC)

Fee

$100

Certificate of authority (foreign LLC)

Fee

$150

Amendment, dissolution or other filing

Fee

$60

Appointment of new registered agent

Fee

$5

Reinstatement after tax dissolution

Fee

$100

Reinstatement after no-agent dissolution

Fee

$350

Certificate of good standing online

Fee

free

Expedite (paper-only documents)

Fee

$700 / $1,400

Wyoming has no general state business licence; the Secretary of State points owners to the city clerk where they operate for local licences and permits, and to the Department of Revenue for sales and use tax. If you hire in Wyoming, the Department of Workforce Services handles unemployment insurance and workers' compensation.

Common mistakes

Forming in Wyoming to avoid your home state. As the examples show, this usually adds cost rather than removing it. Form where you operate.

Signing as organizer when you want privacy. The organizer's name and signature become public. If privacy matters, let the agent or a lawyer sign.

Missing the anniversary-month deadline. Wyoming doesn't use one statewide date. Put the first day of your formation month in your calendar, and give the Secretary of State an email address for reminders.

Letting the agent lapse. An unpaid commercial agent may resign, and an LLC without an agent is dissolved. Reinstating costs $350.

Paying for expedite on an online filing. Online formations and annual reports are immediate and are excluded from expedite anyway.

Official links

• Wyoming SOS — Start a BusinessOnline LLC filing, forms and fee schedule
• Wyoming SOS — Fee schedule (July 1, 2026)
• Wyoming SOS — Annual report filingDue dates, card fee, mail option
• Wyoming SOS — Registered agent guide
• Wyoming SOS — Business FAQsDelinquency, reinstatement, foreign entities
• Wyoming Statutes Title 17

What to do next

Decide first where your business really operates. If it's Wyoming, check your name with our LLC name checker, choose an agent and file online; then get your EIN. If you live elsewhere, compare the cost of forming at home using our LLC registration guide, the California LLC cost guide, the Texas LLC cost guide or the Florida LLC guide.

This is general information, not legal or tax advice — confirm on the official source or with a professional.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a Wyoming LLC cost?

Filing the Articles of Organization with the Wyoming Secretary of State costs $100, plus a card convenience fee when you file online. Each year after that, the LLC files an annual report and pays a license tax of $60 or two-tenths of a mill on Wyoming assets, whichever is greater. Most small LLCs pay $60. Add a registered agent if you don't live in Wyoming.

When is the Wyoming LLC annual report due?

On the first day of the month in which the LLC was formed, every year. An LLC formed on May 15 files by May 1 each following year. You can file up to 120 days early. The LLC becomes delinquent on the second day of the following month, and if the report is not filed within 60 days of the due date the LLC is administratively dissolved.

Is a Wyoming LLC anonymous?

Partly. Wyoming does not require member or manager names in the Articles of Organization, so owners can stay off the public filing. But everything typed into a filing becomes public, including the organizer's name and signature, and the registered agent must hold the names and addresses of key individuals and a communications contact, which law enforcement and state agencies can reach. Banks and the IRS also know who owns the LLC.

Should I form a Wyoming LLC if I live in another state?

Usually only if you have a specific reason, such as a holding company with no operations at home. If you run the business from your home state, that state will normally require you to register the Wyoming LLC as a foreign LLC and pay its fees and taxes too. In California, for example, that means the $800 annual tax on top of Wyoming's $60.

Can I be my own registered agent in Wyoming?

Only if you are at least 18, live in Wyoming and have a physical Wyoming street address. A PO box, drop box, mail-forwarding service or shipping store does not qualify. Non-residents must appoint a Wyoming resident or a business entity authorized in Wyoming, usually a commercial registered agent. Changing agents later costs $5.

How fast is a Wyoming LLC formed?

An LLC filed online through the Secretary of State's system is active as soon as the filing and payment are complete, and you can download the certificate straight away. Paper filings are processed in order and take up to 15 business days. Paid expedite ($700 next-day, $1,400 same-day) is only for documents that cannot be filed online.

Sources & verification

Figures on this page were checked against the sources below when it was last reviewed on 9 October 2026. Each rate and limit is stored once with its own official source and review date, and official update channels are monitored daily so changes are picked up. How we verify

1. 1.Business Division Filing Fee Schedule (effective July 1, 2026) — Wyoming Secretary of State · accessed 9 October 2026
2. 2.How to Create a Wyoming Company (revised June 2026) — Wyoming Secretary of State · accessed 9 October 2026
3. 3.How to Find (or Become) a Registered Agent — Wyoming Secretary of State · accessed 9 October 2026
4. 4.How to Request an Expedited Filing (revised June 2026) — Wyoming Secretary of State · accessed 9 October 2026
5. 5.Annual Report instructions — Wyoming Secretary of State · accessed 9 October 2026
6. 6.Business Entities FAQs — Wyoming Secretary of State · accessed 9 October 2026
7. 7.Wyoming Statutes Title 17 (17-28-104, 17-28-105, 17-29-201, 17-29-209) — Wyoming Legislature · accessed 9 October 2026
8. 8.Doing business in California — California Franchise Tax Board · accessed 9 October 2026
9. 9.Apply for an EIN online — Internal Revenue Service · accessed 9 October 2026
10. 10.Beneficial Ownership Information — FinCEN · accessed 9 October 2026