Wyoming's $60 minimum annual report fee applies even to LLCs holding millions in out-of-state or offshore assets, because the 0.0002 rate only applies to Wyoming-sited assets. The privacy and asset protection benefits cost almost nothing to maintain year over year.
State Filing Fee
Wyoming charges a flat $100 to file Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State. Online filing is processed within one to three business days at no additional speed premium. Expedited same-day processing is available for an extra $50 if you file in person or by fax. This is the only mandatory fee the state itself collects at formation.
Registered Agent Cost
Every Wyoming LLC must maintain a registered agent with a physical Wyoming address. If you live outside Wyoming, which describes most people forming one for asset protection or tax purposes, you hire a commercial registered agent. Annual fees run $50 to $150 per year from reputable providers. Discount agents exist at $25 to $30, but they tend to miss forwarding service of process reliably, which defeats the purpose.
Formation Service vs. Attorney Costs
Online formation services like Northwest, ZenBusiness, or Registered Agents Inc. bundle the state filing and first year of registered agent service for $100 to $300 total. A Wyoming LLC attorney charges $500 to $2,500 depending on complexity, and you need one if your structure involves multiple members, an operating agreement with substantive terms, or this LLC sitting inside a larger international holding structure. This breakdown of what a Wyoming LLC attorney actually does and what it costs covers when the fee is justified and when it is not.
Annual Report and License Tax
Wyoming levies an annual report fee, not a franchise tax, calculated as $60 or 0.0002 multiplied by the value of Wyoming-based assets, whichever is greater. For an LLC holding no Wyoming real estate or physical assets, the minimum fee is $60 per year. For holding companies with significant asset values, the 0.0002 rate applies only to in-state assets, so an LLC holding foreign accounts or out-of-state property stays at or near the $60 floor.
Operating Agreement and Optional Documents
A single-member Wyoming LLC does not legally require a written operating agreement, but any bank, brokerage, or counterparty will ask for one before opening accounts. Template operating agreements cost $0 to $100 from formation services. A custom attorney-drafted agreement tailored to charging order protection, membership transfer restrictions, or multi-member governance runs $300 to $1,000 separately from the formation fee. An EIN from the IRS is free and takes minutes online if you have a U.S. Social Security number, or four to six weeks by mail if you use the SS-4 form without one.
Total First-Year Cost and Ongoing Annual Cost
A realistic first-year total using a quality formation service plus a solid registered agent sits at $200 to $400. If you add an attorney-drafted operating agreement, expect $700 to $1,500 in year one. Ongoing annual costs after that are $60 for the state report plus $100 to $150 for the registered agent, so $160 to $210 per year to keep the entity in good standing. Delaware, by comparison, charges a $300 minimum franchise tax annually for LLCs on top of its registered agent fee, making Wyoming materially cheaper to maintain year over year.
Things people ask first.
What is the cheapest way to form a Wyoming LLC?
File directly on the Wyoming Secretary of State's website for the $100 state fee, then hire a budget registered agent at $25 to $50 per year. Total first-year cost lands around $125 to $150. The tradeoff is no custom operating agreement and no legal review.
Does Wyoming charge a franchise tax on LLCs?
No. Wyoming does not have a corporate income tax, a franchise tax on income, or a personal income tax. The only recurring state charge is the annual report fee, which starts at $60 for LLCs with no Wyoming-sited assets.
Can a non-U.S. citizen or non-resident form a Wyoming LLC?
Yes. Wyoming imposes no residency or citizenship requirement on LLC members or managers. Non-U.S. persons can own and manage a Wyoming LLC entirely from abroad, though getting a U.S. bank account without an ITIN or SSN adds friction.
What happens if I miss the annual report deadline?
Wyoming dissolves LLCs that fail to file and pay the annual report after a grace period. Reinstatement is possible within two years for a $25 reinstatement fee plus any back fees owed, but the administrative dissolution creates gaps in good standing that complicate banking and contracts.
Is a Wyoming LLC cheaper to maintain than a Delaware LLC?
Yes, significantly. Delaware charges a minimum $300 annual franchise tax for LLCs plus registered agent fees, while Wyoming's minimum annual total runs $160 to $210. For a holding company or privacy vehicle that generates no Delaware nexus, Wyoming wins on cost every year.
Do I need a Wyoming address or bank account to form a Wyoming LLC?
No physical Wyoming presence is required. Your registered agent's address satisfies the state's address requirement. You can bank anywhere in the world, though most U.S. banks will ask for the registered agent address as the business address on the account application.
Want to know where a Wyoming LLC fits inside a real offshore structure?
The Offshore Playbook maps exactly how a Wyoming LLC connects to foreign holding companies, offshore banking, and trust layers, with real costs and sequencing, not theory. Gramps.chat can answer your specific structure questions directly.
Get the Offshore Playbook