How to Start a Wyoming LLC in 2026: Cost, Steps and Timeline
Filing a Wyoming LLC takes $100 and one form. Pay by card online and the state adds about $2.40 on top. The form is the Articles of Organization, and the state's Business Division reviews new registrations the following business day.
The short version of how to start an LLC in Wyoming: pick a name the state accepts, appoint a registered agent, file one form, write an operating agreement, get an EIN. Below is what each step costs and what goes on the public record. If you know how to file an LLC in Wyoming already, skip ahead, or let FormationHub file it. The general version is our starting an LLC guide.
Key Takeaways
- Wyoming charges $100 to file your Articles of Organization, plus a card fee of 2.4 percent if you pay online.
- The Business Division reviews new filings the next business day. Paper filings take up to 15 business days.
- State law allows no expedited filing, so nobody can sell you a faster review.
- The annual report license tax is at least $60, due the first day of your anniversary month.
- Members are not named on the filing. The organizer, the agent and three addresses are.
Wyoming LLC Cost in 2026
It costs $100 to file with the Wyoming Secretary of State. Pay by card online and the state adds 2.4 percent, minimum $1, which is about $2.40 on that filing. After that you owe an annual report license tax of at least $60 a year. Those are the state fees in full.
| What You Pay | Amount | When |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $100 | Once, at filing |
| Card processing fee | 2.4 percent, minimum $1 | Only if you pay online |
| Annual report license tax | $60 minimum | Every year, anniversary month |
| Reinstatement after a tax lapse | $100 | Only if the state dissolves you |
| Reinstatement with no agent on file | $350 | Only if you had no registered agent |
Most guides print a flat online surcharge and they disagree with each other. Here is the real rule, from the state's filing portal: "Additional fees for online filing include a credit card processing fee of 2.4% (minimum $1) of the filing fee." Every figure above comes from the fee schedule in force since 1 July 2026. Our cost breakdown by state shows how it lands elsewhere.
Wyoming LLC Annual Fee and Renewal
Wyoming bills you once a year, through the annual report. That report doubles as the renewal, and its price is a license tax, not a flat bill. The schedule sets it at $60, or two tenths of one mill ($.0002) on the assets your company holds in the state, whichever is greater. Own nothing there and you pay the $60 minimum fee, as most owners do. Our annual requirements guide covers the rest.
FormationHub files the Articles, serves as your registered agent and files the annual report. Form your company here.
How to File in Five Steps
None of these takes long. Wyoming LLC formation runs on one form, one consent signature and one fee.
Step 1: Pick a Name the State Will Accept
Wyoming LLC laws sit in Title 17, Chapter 29 of the state statutes. Your name has to end in a company tag. W.S. 17-29-108 asks for the words "Limited Liability Company" or a short form such as LLC, L.L.C., LC or Ltd. Liability Co. The name also has to be distinguishable from every active name on the state's records. Adding "The", switching LLC to L.L.C. or making a word plural will not do it.
Two things force a paper filing:
- Names beginning with the letter "A" followed by a space, or containing special characters, have to be filed on paper.
- Names using words like Bank, Trust, Academy, College or University need another agency's approval first, so they cannot be filed online.
Search first at wyobiz.wyo.gov and read the state's naming guidance before ordering letterhead.
Step 2: Appoint a Registered Agent
Every LLC here needs a registered agent with a physical street address in the state. That can be an individual who lives in Wyoming, or a business entity allowed to operate there. A post office box counts only alongside a physical address, and a drop box does not count at all.
The agent signs a written consent filed with your Articles, certifying compliance with W.S. 17-28-101 through 17-28-111. Those sections carry a duty most owners never read about, explained below. Our registered agent guide has it.
Acting as your own agent is legal. It also puts your name and street address on the public record, and someone has to be at that address in business hours. FormationHub can hold the role for you.
Step 3: File the Articles of Organization
Wyoming LLC registration happens at wyobiz.wyo.gov. The form asks for six things:
- The name of the limited liability company.
- Whether you are electing close limited liability company status, which most owners skip.
- Your registered agent's name and physical Wyoming address.
- The company's mailing address.
- The principal office address.
- An organizer's signature, plus a contact person, phone number and email.
The statute asks for even less. W.S. 17-29-201 wants the name plus the street address and name of the initial registered agent. You state no purpose and no duration, because W.S. 17-29-104 gives every company here perpetual duration by default.
Online filing costs $100 plus the card fee, and the office reviews new registrations the following business day. Paper filing costs $100. Processing then takes up to 15 business days from the date the office gets your papers. There is no faster lane. The instructions say Wyoming statutes do not allow for expedited filing at this time. Our Articles of Organization guide goes further.
Step 4: Write an Operating Agreement
The state does not file this one. It stays in your records and sets out who owns what, who can sign, and how money moves. Skip it and the Limited Liability Company Act fills the gaps: where your agreement is silent, the statute governs the matter. See our operating agreement guide.
Step 5: Get Your EIN
Your EIN, the federal Employer Identification Number, is free. The IRS says it plainly: "You never have to pay a fee for an EIN." Apply online and the number is issued on the spot. You can also apply by phone, fax or mail. You need it before a business bank account opens, and our EIN guide has the form.
What the State Puts on the Public Record
Wyoming LLC privacy is real, but narrower than the advertising suggests. Forming a company puts personal information on a public file. Members and managers are not named on the Articles of Organization. Every other field on that form is public. That means the company name, the organizer who signs it by name, and the agent's name and Wyoming address. It also means your mailing address, your principal office address, and a contact person with a phone number and email. File alone and act as your own agent, and every one of those is you and your home address. That is the part the marketing leaves out.
There is a second layer. Under W.S. 17-28-107 your agent has to keep, at the registered office, the "Names and addresses of each entity's directors, officers, limited liability company managers, managing partners, trustees or persons serving in a similar capacity", current within sixty days of any change and producible on demand. So the Wyoming anonymous LLC you see advertised is a gap in what the state publishes, not a hole in what the state can reach.
Wyoming LLC Non Resident Owners
You do not have to live in the state to own one. There is no residency or citizenship test for members. The state wants a registered agent with a physical address there, plus an email it can reach you at.
The catch sits elsewhere. Forming here does not excuse you from registering where you actually trade. A Wyoming LLC doing business in California still answers to California. The Franchise Tax Board is blunt about it: every LLC doing business or organized in California must pay an annual tax of $800. That is eight times the filing fee, every year, on top of your $60 report. If that is you, price California's rules in before you settle on Wyoming.
Wyoming LLC Tax Filing Requirements
Start with the federal side, because that is where the returns are. The IRS treats a single member company as a disregarded entity. A two member company is a partnership. Either way you can file Form 8832 and elect corporate treatment instead. This state changes none of that.
At state level, the annual report is the only filing most owners have. If you sell something, a sales tax license is a separate question. The Department of Revenue answers it directly: "Simply creating a business entity in Wyoming doesn't automatically mean your company needs a Wyoming sales tax license." It turns on what you sell, and on whether you have a real connection there.
Beneficial ownership reporting used to be the next item on this list, and for most owners it is not anymore. Under FinCEN's final rule, effective August 14, 2026, companies created in the United States are exempt from beneficial ownership information reporting. Entities formed under foreign law and then registered in a US state still report. These rules have moved more than once, so check the FinCEN page the day you file.
Wyoming LLC Pros and Cons
Here is the honest ledger.
In Favor:
- The Wyoming LLC advantages that hold up are the ones you can price: $100 in, $60 a year after.
- No owner names on the formation filing.
- Perpetual duration by statute, so nothing expires but the annual report.
Against:
- A registered agent is a permanent line item, whether you pay a service or tie yourself to an address.
- Wyoming LLC asset protection comes from the LLC form itself, which any state gives you.
- Miss the report by 60 days and the state can dissolve the company.
- Trading in another state can mean registering there too, at that state's prices.
Starting a business in Wyoming is cheap to begin and cheap to keep. That is the real draw. A Wyoming LLC attorney or a CPA can tell you whether a second registration cancels it out.
FormationHub files your Articles, serves as your registered agent and handles the annual report. Start your business with FormationHub.
Disclaimer: FormationHub is not a law firm or an accounting firm, and this article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Filing fees, processing times, and state requirements change. Confirm the current requirements with your state's filing office or the IRS before you file, and talk to a licensed attorney or CPA about your specific situation.