Head-to-head • Updated 2026
Wyoming vs Texas for Startups: $62 vs $0 (With a Catch)
Wyoming charges $62/yr flat; Texas charges $0 under its indexed threshold but demands PIR + margin machinery above it.
Quick answers
- Should I choose Wyoming or Texas?
- No-revenue holding: Texas is $0 but paperwork-heavy. Operating business: Wyoming’s simplicity usually wins under ~$2M.
| Wyoming | Texas | |
| Annual minimum | $62 | $0 under threshold |
| Gotcha | Anniversary reports | PIR + margin math + forfeiture risk |
| Income tax | 0% | 0% (margin instead) |
Cost to form and keep
| Formation | Annual minimum | Due | |
| Wyoming | $100 Articles of Organization or Incorporation | $62 | Anniversary month |
| Texas | $300 Certificate of Formation (LLC or corporation) | $0 under threshold | May 15 |
Before registered-agent fees and before any tax on profit. Operating in a state means paying it no matter where the entity was formed.
Wyoming: what else to know
- $60 minimum license tax plus a $2 online fee; only assets located and employed in Wyoming count toward the $300,000 line.
- No state income tax on the entity or its owners.
- A registered agent with a Wyoming address is required: commercial agents typically charge $25–$150 a year.
Full rules: Start a Wyoming LLC.
Texas: what else to know
- No franchise tax at or below $2.65M of annualized revenue (2026–2027 reports), but the Public Information Report is still due every May 15.
- Above the threshold: 0.75% of margin (0.375% retail/wholesale) or 0.331% of revenue on the EZ Computation.
- Out-of-state entities registering in Texas pay a $750 registration fee.
Full rules: Texas no-tax-due & PIR.
Verdict
No-revenue holding: Texas is $0 but paperwork-heavy. Operating business: Wyoming’s simplicity usually wins under ~$2M.
Test where you actually owe tax with the nexus checker before choosing a home state.
Other head-to-heads
Sources
- State SOS / FTB / Division / Comptroller fee schedules; calculators on this site