How to Start an LLC in Wyoming
Forming an LLC in Wyoming costs $100 in state filing fees, paid to the Wyoming Secretary of State. Here is the full process, the real costs and the Wyoming-specific rules most guides skip.
What it costs
| Item | Cost | Required? |
|---|---|---|
| State filing fee (Wyoming Secretary of State) | $100 | Yes, one time |
| Annual Report + license tax Annual Report filed with the Secretary of State; the fee paid with it is the Annual Report License Tax. | $60 minimum | Yes, recurring |
| Registered agent service | $100–$200 / year | Optional (you can be your own) |
| EIN from the IRS | Free | Yes, for banking and taxes |
| Operating agreement | Free–$200 | Strongly recommended |
Step by step
Choose and check your LLC name
Your name must be distinguishable from existing Wyoming entities and include "LLC" or "Limited Liability Company". Search availability for free on the Wyoming Secretary of State website before you fall in love with a name.
Appoint a registered agent
Required by law: a person or company with a physical street address in Wyoming, available during business hours to receive legal mail. You can be your own agent if you live in the state; most founders who value privacy or don't live there use a service ($100 to $200 per year).
File your formation documents ($100)
File Articles of Organization (in some states called a Certificate of Formation) with the Wyoming Secretary of State. Standard processing: immediately online. This is the step that legally creates the LLC.
Get your EIN from the IRS (free)
The Employer Identification Number is your LLC's federal tax ID, needed for bank accounts, hiring and tax filings. The IRS issues it free. If the LLC's principal place of business is in the US and the responsible party has an SSN or ITIN, the IRS online application issues the number immediately (one EIN per responsible party per day). Owners without an SSN or ITIN, including most non-US founders, cannot use the online tool: they file Form SS-4 by fax (about 4 business days), by mail (about 4 weeks) or, for international applicants, by phone at 267-941-1099. Details and the exact numbers are in our non-resident guide. Never pay a service just for an EIN.
Create an operating agreement
Wyoming does not legally require an operating agreement, but banks, investors and courts expect one, and it is the document that protects your limited liability if ownership is ever disputed.
Handle ongoing compliance
Wyoming LLCs file an Annual Report with the Secretary of State, due on or before the first day of your anniversary month (not the last day). The fee paid with it is the Annual Report License Tax: $60, or $0.0002 per dollar of assets located in Wyoming, whichever is greater. You must file even with no income or no assets. Miss it and the state issues a delinquency notice, with 60 days to cure before administrative dissolution.
What a Wyoming LLC really costs, by scenario
The $100 filing fee is the number everyone quotes. What you actually spend depends on whether you can supply the Wyoming street address yourself.
| Scenario | Year one | Each year after |
|---|---|---|
| You live in Wyoming and act as your own registered agent | $100 | $60 (annual report license tax) |
| Remote or non-US owner using a registered agent service | $100 + $100–$200 agent = $200–$300 | $160–$260 |
| Add a formation service or a lawyer-drafted operating agreement | + $0–$500 | no change |
The $60 is a minimum. The annual report license tax is $60 or $0.0002 of the assets the LLC holds in Wyoming, whichever is greater. An LLC with no Wyoming property pays $60; one holding $1 million of Wyoming assets pays $200. Figures from the Secretary of State FAQ.
Deadlines, penalties and how you lose the LLC
- The annual report is due on the first day of your anniversary month, every year. Formed on May 15? It is due May 1, not May 31. File it online at WyoBiz with the LLC's filing ID.
- Wyoming does not charge a late fee as such. The penalty is worse: if the report and tax are not in within 60 days of the due date, the LLC becomes subject to administrative dissolution.
- Reinstatement is possible for a period after dissolution by filing an application together with every missed annual report and its tax, but by then your bank, contracts and payment processors may already have flagged the entity.
- If your registered agent resigns, for example because you stopped paying, the state notifies the LLC and gives it a short window to appoint a new one. Miss it and the same dissolution path applies.
Privacy: what is public and what is not
Wyoming's reputation for privacy is deserved, but narrower than the marketing suggests.
- Public on the Articles: LLC name, registered agent name and address, principal and mailing address, and the name of the organizer who signs. Member and manager names are not required.
- Public on the annual report: principal office address, the Wyoming asset figure, and the name of the person who signs it.
- Not public but on file: Wyoming law requires your registered agent to keep, off the public record, the name and contact details of a "communications contact" for the LLC. Anonymity is from the public, not from the state.
- Federal: under FinCEN's interim final rule of March 2025, LLCs formed in the US are exempt from Beneficial Ownership Information reporting. Banks still collect owner details under their own customer due diligence rules.
Wyoming for non-US founders
Wyoming is the most common choice for owners outside the US: no state income tax, no owner names on the formation record, and a name banks and fintech providers recognise. Three things still apply regardless of the state:
- You need a registered agent with a Wyoming street address. A registered agent address is not your "principal place of business", so it does not make you eligible for the IRS online EIN tool; apply on Form SS-4 by fax or phone instead.
- A Wyoming LLC wholly owned by one non-US person must file Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 each year it has a reportable transaction with its owner, which includes putting money in or taking money out.
- Forming in Wyoming does not change your tax position at home, and it does not remove US tax if your income is effectively connected with a US trade or business.
Our non-resident LLC guide covers the EIN numbers, banking and Form 5472 in detail.
Who should not form in Wyoming
- You live and work in another state. A Wyoming LLC doing business in, say, California must register there as a foreign LLC, pay California's $800 minimum franchise tax every year and file California returns. You end up paying two states for one business.
- You are raising venture capital. Investors generally want a Delaware corporation, not an LLC of any state.
- You run a local shop, clinic or trade. Form where the customers are; the licensing you need is local anyway.
Mistakes we see with Wyoming LLCs
- Using the registered agent's street address as the LLC's principal office to look local. Many agents prohibit it, banks see through it, and it can create a false "US principal place of business" claim on IRS forms.
- Treating the $60 annual report as too small to matter, then discovering the LLC was dissolved 60 days after the due date.
- Letting the registered agent subscription lapse and never seeing the resignation notice.
- Paying $200 or more to a third party for an EIN the IRS issues free.
- Running a single-member LLC with no operating agreement. Banks ask for one, and it is the document that shows the LLC is separate from you.
Official Wyoming links
- WyoBiz: file Articles of Organization online (the $100 fee is paid here)
- WyoBiz: file the annual report and pay the license tax
- Secretary of State business FAQ, including due dates and dissolution rules
- Business Division fee schedule (PDF)
Owner outside the US? Read Form 5472 for a foreign-owned LLC with no revenue before the first April.
Wyoming LLC: frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to start an LLC in Wyoming?
The state filing fee is $100, paid to the Wyoming Secretary of State. Ongoing state cost: $60 minimum license tax. Optional costs include a registered agent service (typically $100 to $200 per year) if you don't act as your own.
How long does it take to form an LLC in Wyoming?
Typical processing time: immediately online. Many states offer paid expedited options if you need the LLC approved faster. The clock starts when the Wyoming Secretary of State receives your filing.
Do I need a registered agent in Wyoming?
Yes. Every Wyoming LLC must continuously maintain a registered agent with a physical street address in the state to receive legal and official mail. You can serve as your own agent if you have a Wyoming address and are available during business hours, or hire a commercial registered agent service.
What is the Wyoming annual report and license tax?
Wyoming LLCs file an Annual Report each year with the Secretary of State, and pay an Annual Report License Tax alongside it. The tax is $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of Wyoming-located assets, whichever is greater, so entities with $300,000 or less in Wyoming assets pay the $60 minimum. The report is due on the first day of your anniversary month and must be filed even with no income.
Is a Wyoming LLC anonymous?
Member and manager names are not on the public formation record, and there is no state income tax return naming them. But the organizer and the person signing the annual report are public, your registered agent must keep a communications contact for the LLC on file, and banks collect beneficial owner details. It is private from the public, not from the state or your bank.
Do I need a Wyoming address or to visit Wyoming?
No. The only in-state address required is the registered agent's, and commercial agents charge roughly $100 to $200 a year. You never need to visit. A registered agent address is not a business address for banks or the IRS, though, so do not present it as your principal place of business.
I live in California. Can I still form in Wyoming?
You can, but you will have to register the Wyoming LLC as a foreign LLC in California and pay California's $800 minimum annual franchise tax anyway. For a business run from California, forming in California is usually cheaper and simpler.
Not sure whether Wyoming fits your situation?
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Compare with other states
Fees and rules last reviewed September 2026. State fees change; always confirm with the Wyoming Secretary of State before filing. This guide is general information, not legal or tax advice.