Start a Wyoming LLC: $100 + $62/yr
The cheapest credible US domicile: no member disclosure, no state income tax, and statutory charging-order protection that covers single-member LLCs. Here is the full sequence, what each step costs, and the deadlines that catch people in year two.
| Item | Cost | When |
| Articles of Organization | $100 | Once, at formation |
| Registered agent | ~$25–$150/yr | Continuously |
| Annual report + license tax | $62 minimum | 1st day of anniversary month |
| EIN | $0 | After formation |
Step by step
- Check the name. Search the Secretary of State's business database. The name must include “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” or “Limited Liability Company” and be distinguishable from existing entities.
- Hire a registered agent. Wyoming requires an agent with a physical Wyoming street address that accepts legal papers during business hours. Most non-residents use a commercial agent; many also provide a mailing address you can use on the Articles.
- File Articles of Organization ($100) online through WyoBiz. Online filings are usually approved within a business day; paper filings take longer. Members and managers do not have to be named.
- Sign an operating agreement. Wyoming does not collect it, but banks ask for it and it is what gives your charging-order protection teeth. Single-member LLCs should still have one.
- Get an EIN from the IRS. US persons apply online in minutes; founders without an SSN or ITIN apply by fax or mail See EIN without an SSN.
- Open a bank account with the Articles, EIN letter, and operating agreement.
- Calendar the anniversary month. If you formed in March, the annual report and license tax are due March 1 every year starting the year after formation.
The annual license tax
Wyoming charges the greater of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of assets located and employed in Wyoming. The crossover is $300,000 of Wyoming assets, so an online business or holding LLC with nothing physically in Wyoming pays $60 plus a $2 online fee. Assets held elsewhere (a California rental, a bank account in New York) do not count toward the Wyoming figure. Our Wyoming calculator shows the exact amount for any asset level.
Miss the due date and the entity goes delinquent. Once the report is 60 days late the Secretary of State starts the administrative-dissolution process; dissolution ends your good standing and can expose members to personal liability for obligations incurred while dissolved. Reinstatement means filing the missing reports, paying the back taxes, and a reinstatement fee. See the anniversary deadline guide.
Taxes Wyoming doesn't charge, and taxes it can't prevent
Wyoming has no personal or corporate income tax, so a pass-through LLC files no Wyoming income tax return. That does not reach the federal level or your home state: members report LLC income on their own returns where they live, and if the LLC has employees, an office, or enough sales in another state, that state can require it to register and pay its own tax. Non-US owners of a single-member LLC must also file Form 5472 every year, even with no income.
Best for / not for
- Best for: bootstrapped online businesses, holding companies, real-estate and IP holding LLCs, and privacy-minded or non-US founders who want the lowest fixed cost.
- Not for: venture raises (investors expect a Delaware C-corp) or founders running the business from California, who will pay California's $800 on top See LLC vs S-corp in California and the Wyoming vs Delaware comparison.