To form an LLC in Wyoming, you file Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State, pay a $100 fee, and name a registered agent with a physical Wyoming address. Online filings go through wyobiz.wyo.gov and can be approved within minutes. After the state issues your Certificate of Organization, you get a federal EIN, draft an operating agreement, and mark your calendar for the annual report that keeps the LLC in good standing.
Pick a Name That Meets Wyoming’s Rules
Your LLC name has to include a designator identifying it as a limited liability company. Wyoming accepts “Limited Liability Company,” “LLC,” “L.L.C.,” “Limited Company,” “LC,” and “L.C.,” among a few other variations.1Justia. Wyoming Code 17-29-108 – Name The name cannot be the same as, or deceptively similar to, any business name already on file with the Secretary of State or any registered trademark in the state. Run the name through the Secretary of State’s business entity search before you commit.
If you want to lock in a name while you prepare the rest of the paperwork, Wyoming lets you reserve one for 120 days. The reservation costs $60 and is mail-only, with processing taking up to 15 business days.2Wyoming Secretary of State. Limited Liability Company Application for Reservation of Name
Appoint a Registered Agent
Every Wyoming LLC needs a registered agent authorized to accept legal documents on the company’s behalf. The agent must be either a Wyoming resident at least 18 years old or a business entity authorized to operate in the state, and must keep a physical street address in Wyoming where someone can accept service of process.3Justia. Wyoming Code 17-28-101 – Registered Office and Registered Agent A P.O. box does not qualify.
If you live in Wyoming and have a qualifying address, you can serve as your own agent. Organizers based out of state usually hire a commercial registered agent, who typically charges between $25 and $75 per year. Whoever you choose has to sign a Consent to Appointment form before the state will accept your filing.
Prepare the Articles of Organization
The Articles of Organization is the document that creates your LLC. Wyoming’s statute requires only the LLC’s name and the street address of its initial registered office, together with the name of the registered agent at that address.4Justia. Wyoming Code 17-29-201 – Formation of Limited Liability Company; Articles of Organization You are not required to list members or managers.
The Secretary of State’s form asks for a few additional details. You will indicate whether the LLC is member-managed, meaning the owners handle daily operations, or manager-managed, where designated individuals run the business. The form also collects a mailing address for the company if it differs from the registered office.5Wyoming Secretary of State. Limited Liability Company Articles of Organization One or more organizers must sign.
The signed Consent to Appointment by Registered Agent has to accompany the filing. It carries the agent’s printed name, signature, and a statement that they voluntarily accept the role and will comply with Wyoming’s registered agent statutes.6Legal Information Institute. 002-2 Wyoming Code of Rules 2-4 – Consent to Appointment by Registered Agent Without it, the Secretary of State will reject the submission.
File With the Secretary of State
You can submit online or by mail. The online portal at wyobiz.wyo.gov walks you through verification screens and routes you to a payment page; many filers receive their Certificate of Organization within minutes, though it can take a few business days.5Wyoming Secretary of State. Limited Liability Company Articles of Organization Mail-in filings go to the Secretary of State in Cheyenne and take up to 15 business days from the date the office receives them.
The filing fee is $100.7Justia. Wyoming Code 17-29-210 – Fees; Annual Fee Online filers pay an additional credit card processing fee of 2.4% with a $1 minimum, which works out to roughly $2.40 on top of the $100.8Wyoming Secretary of State. Form or Register a New Business Mailed payments go by check or money order payable to the Wyoming Secretary of State. Once the state accepts the filing, it issues a Certificate of Organization confirming your LLC exists.
Get a Federal EIN
After Wyoming recognizes your LLC, apply to the IRS for a federal Employer Identification Number. Banks require one to open a business account, and you use it on tax returns. The IRS recommends forming the entity with the state first, because applying for an EIN before the LLC exists in state records can cause delays.9Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
The online EIN application is free and issues the number immediately. You will provide the LLC’s legal name, entity type, and the Social Security number or taxpayer ID of the responsible party. The process takes about ten minutes.
Draft an Operating Agreement
An operating agreement is the internal contract that governs how your LLC runs. Wyoming law gives this document broad authority over the relationships between members, voting rights, profit splits, how ownership interests can be transferred, and the process for amending the agreement itself.10Justia. Wyoming Code 17-29-110 – Operating Agreement; Scope, Function and Limitations You do not file it with the state; it stays private among the members.
Single-member LLCs benefit from one too. Without an agreement, Wyoming’s default statutory rules fill the gaps, and those defaults may not match what you want, especially on what happens when a member dies or wants out. The agreement is also where you spell out which decisions sit with members and which sit with managers, building on the management structure you selected in the Articles.
File an Annual Report Every Year
This is the ongoing obligation that catches new owners off guard. Every Wyoming LLC must file an annual report with the Secretary of State on or before the first day of the month in which the LLC was formed. An LLC created on September 15 owes its report by September 1 of every subsequent year.11Wyoming Secretary of State. Annual Report
The report comes with a license tax based on the LLC’s assets located in Wyoming. The minimum is $60, which applies if your Wyoming-based assets are $300,000 or less. Above that threshold, the tax is calculated at two-tenths of one mill per dollar (effectively $0.0002 per dollar of assets), and you pay whichever amount is greater.12Justia. Wyoming Code 17-29-209 – Annual Report for Secretary of State A company with $500,000 in Wyoming assets, for example, would owe $100. The report certifies under penalty of perjury the value of the company’s capital, property, and assets employed in the state.
What Happens If You Miss the Deadline
Missing the annual report or the license tax puts your LLC on a path toward losing its legal status. The Secretary of State sends a notice to the LLC’s last known address. If you don’t come into compliance within 60 days of that notice, the state deems your LLC defunct and forfeits its articles of organization.13Wyoming Secretary of State. Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act – Section 17-29-705
You can reinstate a forfeited LLC within two years by paying all delinquent fees. A successful reinstatement relates back to the date the LLC was deemed defunct, so there is no gap in legal existence. After two years, that opportunity expires and you would need to form a brand-new LLC. Failing to maintain a registered agent adds a $350 penalty on top of the delinquent fees. A calendar reminder a few weeks before your annual due date is cheap insurance.
Privacy and Taxes in Wyoming
Privacy is one reason Wyoming stays popular for LLC formation. The Articles of Organization do not require you to list members or managers; only the LLC name, registered office address, and registered agent appear on the public record.4Justia. Wyoming Code 17-29-201 – Formation of Limited Liability Company; Articles of Organization No secondary filing or annual disclosure forces ownership into public view. If you use a commercial registered agent, the agent’s address is the one on file.
Wyoming imposes no state income tax on LLC earnings. The only recurring state cost is the annual license tax, starting at $60. Federal taxes still apply: the IRS taxes LLC income based on how the company elects to be classified, typically as a sole proprietorship, partnership, or S corporation, and those returns go to the IRS regardless of where the LLC is formed. As of March 2025, entities formed in the United States are exempt from the federal Beneficial Ownership Information reporting requirement originally created by the Corporate Transparency Act, so a newly formed Wyoming LLC does not file a BOI report with FinCEN.14FinCEN.gov. Beneficial Ownership Information Reporting