Wyoming has no state income tax, no franchise tax, and no minimum capital requirement, so for a passive holding company with no Wyoming-based income, the total mandatory annual outlay is literally just the $60 annual report fee plus a registered agent.
The Wyoming Annual Report Fee
Wyoming charges a minimum annual report fee of $60, due on the first day of the anniversary month of your formation. That $60 covers LLCs with assets reported at $250,000 or less inside Wyoming. If your Wyoming-located assets exceed that threshold, the fee is $0.0002 per dollar of those assets, so a company reporting $1 million in Wyoming assets pays $200. Most holding companies and out-of-state operators report minimal Wyoming assets and stay at the $60 floor.
Registered Agent Cost
Wyoming requires every LLC to maintain a registered agent with a physical Wyoming address. Budget between $50 and $150 per year for a basic registered agent service. Discount providers like Northwest Registered Agent and Registered Agents Inc. typically come in at $50 to $100 annually. Premium services bundled with compliance alerts, mail forwarding, or document scanning run $100 to $200 per year. If you already have a physical Wyoming address, you can serve as your own registered agent at no cost.
Formation Service or Attorney Annual Fees
Some formation services charge an ongoing annual fee to keep your account active, manage your annual report filing, or handle correspondence. These range from $0 (if you filed directly with the state and maintain your own records) to $150 per year for managed compliance packages. If you use a Wyoming LLC attorney for ongoing advisory work, that is billed separately at hourly rates or a flat retainer, typically $300 to $1,500 per year depending on complexity. For a simple holding structure with no active business disputes, most owners skip the attorney retainer entirely after formation. See Wyoming LLC Attorney: What One Actually Does, What It Costs, and When You Need One for a breakdown of when that spend is actually justified.
Banking and EIN Maintenance Costs
The EIN itself is free and permanent, so there is no annual fee from the IRS to maintain it. Business bank accounts vary: many online banks like Mercury, Relay, or Bluevine charge nothing for basic business checking, while traditional banks often charge $15 to $25 per month in maintenance fees unless you meet a minimum balance. If your Wyoming LLC is a pass-through with no separate bank account, this cost is zero. Factor in roughly $0 to $300 per year depending on your banking choice.
Tax Filing Costs
Wyoming has no state income tax and no franchise tax, so there is no Wyoming-level tax return to file for a single-member LLC treated as a disregarded entity. Federal tax obligations depend entirely on how the LLC is classified. A single-member LLC disregarded for tax purposes files on Schedule C or the owner's personal return, which adds no separate filing fee. A multi-member LLC filing a partnership return (Form 1065) through a CPA typically costs $500 to $1,500 per year in preparation fees. An LLC electing S-corp status adds Form 1120-S preparation, usually $800 to $2,000 annually.
Total Annual Cost: What to Expect at Each Level
A bare-minimum Wyoming LLC with no registered agent service costs (because you use your own address), no attorney, no separate banking, and a disregarded entity tax status runs exactly $60 per year. A typical remote owner using a registered agent service, filing their own annual report, and maintaining a free online bank account pays roughly $110 to $160 per year. Add a CPA for a partnership return and that rises to $650 to $1,700 per year. Add active legal advisory work and you can approach $3,000 annually, though that level of spend only makes sense for multi-layer structures with real assets at risk.
Things people ask first.
What is the minimum annual cost to keep a Wyoming LLC active?
The mandatory minimum is $60, which is the annual report fee. If you use a registered agent service instead of a personal Wyoming address, add $50 to $150 for that. No other fees are required by the state.
Does Wyoming charge a franchise tax or annual franchise fee?
No. Wyoming does not impose a franchise tax on LLCs. The only recurring state fee is the annual report fee, which starts at $60.
When is the Wyoming annual report due?
It is due on the first day of the anniversary month of your LLC's formation. If your LLC was formed in March, your annual report is due March 1 every year.
Can I avoid the registered agent fee entirely?
Yes, if you have a physical Wyoming street address, you can designate yourself as the registered agent at no cost. A P.O. box is not accepted, and a virtual office address may or may not qualify depending on the provider.
Does a single-member Wyoming LLC need to file a separate state tax return?
No. Wyoming has no state income tax, so there is no Wyoming tax return to file. Federal obligations depend on the LLC's tax classification, not the state of formation.
What happens if I miss the annual report deadline?
Wyoming assesses a $25 late fee if the report is filed after the due date but within the same calendar year. Continued non-compliance eventually leads to administrative dissolution, which requires a reinstatement fee to reverse.
Is a Wyoming LLC the right layer for your structure, or is there a better fit?
The Offshore Playbook maps out where Wyoming LLCs fit inside multi-jurisdiction holding structures, when to stack them with a foreign entity, and how to keep the total annual cost under control while maintaining real asset protection.
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