Wyoming LLC: The Complete 2026 Guide
By {AUTHOR_OPS_NAME}, Director of Filing Operations | Published June 2025 | Updated May 15, 2026
Wyoming passed the first LLC statute in the United States in 1977. This guide covers everything you need to know about forming, operating, and maintaining a Wyoming LLC in 2026, with Wyoming Statute citations throughout.
What Is a Wyoming LLC?
A Wyoming LLC is a limited liability company formed under the Wyoming LLC Act, codified at Wyoming Statute Title 17, Chapter 29. Wyoming enacted LLC legislation in 1977, fourteen years before Delaware followed in 1991. The Wyoming LLC combines limited liability protection for its members with pass-through federal tax treatment by default. The entity is governed by an operating agreement among its members, not by a board of directors. Wyoming Statute § 17-29-110 gives the operating agreement broad authority to govern internal affairs, overriding most default statutory provisions. A Wyoming LLC can be managed by members or by designated managers. Single-member and multi-member structures are both permitted. The Wyoming Secretary of State maintains the public filing record but does not require disclosure of members or managers on the Articles of Organization.
History of the Wyoming LLC Act (1977)
Wyoming created the LLC entity type in 1977 at the request of the Hamilton Brothers Oil Company, which needed a domestic business structure combining partnership tax treatment with corporate-style liability protection. The original Wyoming LLC Act was the first of its kind in any US state. The IRS initially refused to classify Wyoming LLCs as partnerships, issuing Revenue Ruling 88-76 in 1988 to confirm partnership treatment. That ruling triggered a wave of LLC legislation across all 50 states. Wyoming revised its LLC Act substantially in 2010, adopting the Revised Uniform Limited Liability Company Act with Wyoming-specific modifications under § 17-29-101 through § 17-29-1106. The 2010 revision strengthened charging order protections, authorized Series LLCs, and clarified operating agreement supremacy. Wyoming continues to refine its LLC statute, most recently addressing digital asset custody and DAO LLCs under § 17-31-101 et seq.
Benefits of a Wyoming LLC
Wyoming offers a combination of advantages that no other US state matches for LLC formation. There is no state personal income tax and no state corporate income tax. There is no franchise tax, no gross receipts tax, and no inventory tax. The annual report fee is $60, the lowest meaningful recurring obligation of any LLC-friendly state. Wyoming Statute § 17-29-503(a) provides charging order protection that extends to single-member LLCs, a protection most states limit to multi-member entities. Articles of Organization do not require listing members or managers, providing operational privacy at the formation level. Wyoming also permits Series LLCs under § 17-29-1101, lifetime trusts (Wyoming DAPT) that pair with LLC structures, and DAO LLCs. The state has no minimum capital requirement and no publication requirement. Combined, these features make Wyoming the jurisdiction of choice for asset protection, holding structures, and privacy-conscious business owners.
Wyoming LLC Formation Process
Forming a Wyoming LLC involves filing Articles of Organization with the Wyoming Secretary of State under § 17-29-201. The Articles must include the LLC name (compliant with § 17-29-108), the registered agent name and Wyoming street address, the organizer name and address, and the mailing address of the LLC. No members or managers need to be listed. The filing fee is $100. After acceptance, the LLC obtains an EIN from the IRS using Form SS-4. An operating agreement is drafted to govern internal affairs, allocations, and management structure. Bank account applications are then submitted. At Cowboy State Filings, the complete process runs 5-10 days from form submission. State filing is submitted within 24-48 hours of payment. EIN issuance typically takes 5-7 business days. Bank applications go to 4-5 banks concurrently for maximum approval probability. See the full Wyoming LLC formation step-by-step guide for details.
Wyoming LLC Cost Breakdown ($497)
Cowboy State Filings charges $497 total for Wyoming LLC formation. Every dollar is accounted for in a line-item breakdown: $100 goes to the Wyoming Secretary of State as the Articles of Organization filing fee. $100 covers the first year of registered agent service with a Wyoming physical address, as required by § 17-28-101. $297 is the CSF service fee covering filing preparation, operating agreement drafting, EIN acquisition from the IRS, and bank account applications to 4-5 US banks. There are no hidden fees, no upsells at checkout, and no premium tier required for the operating agreement or EIN. Year 2 and beyond, the recurring cost is $160 per year: $60 for the Wyoming annual report (paid to the state) and $100 for registered agent renewal. This total recurring cost is lower than Delaware ($300 franchise tax alone) and Nevada ($350 business license plus $150 annual list). See full pricing for methodology.
Wyoming LLC Privacy and Anonymity Scope
Wyoming LLC privacy operates through a 4-layer disclosure framework. Layer 1: Articles of Organization filed with the Secretary of State list only the registered agent and organizer, not members or managers. Layer 2: The annual report lists the principal office address and registered agent but not member identities. Layer 3: The operating agreement, which names members and managers, is a private document not filed with the state. Layer 4: Federal disclosures (IRS, FinCEN) may require beneficial ownership reporting depending on current enforcement status. Wyoming does not offer true anonymity. The IRS requires an EIN application naming the responsible party. Banks require beneficial ownership identification under BSA/CIP rules. Cowboy State Filings does not offer nominee member or nominee manager services, and we advise caution with firms that do. Wyoming privacy is structural and statutory, not based on concealment. The privacy advantage is that the public filing record does not connect the LLC to its members unless the members choose to disclose.
Charging Order Protection (§ 17-29-503(a))
Wyoming Statute § 17-29-503(a) provides that a judgment creditor of an LLC member may obtain a charging order against the member’s transferable interest in distributions. The charging order is the exclusive remedy available to the creditor. The creditor cannot seize LLC-owned assets, cannot force distributions, cannot vote or participate in management, and cannot foreclose on the membership interest. Wyoming is one of a small number of states that extends this exclusive-remedy protection to single-member LLCs. In most states, courts have allowed creditors to pierce single-member LLCs or order assignment of the entire membership interest. Wyoming’s statute does not distinguish between single-member and multi-member LLCs for charging order purposes. This makes Wyoming the preferred jurisdiction for asset protection structures, particularly when combined with a Wyoming Domestic Asset Protection Trust. See our asset protection LLC guide for more detail.
Who Should Form a Wyoming LLC?
Wyoming LLCs are well-suited for several categories of business owners and investors. Real estate investors benefit from Series LLC structures that isolate liability across properties. Holding company structures use a Wyoming LLC as the parent entity owning operating subsidiaries in other states. Asset protection clients pair Wyoming LLCs with Wyoming Domestic Asset Protection Trusts for layered protection. Non-US residents forming US entities choose Wyoming for the combination of no state income tax and privacy at the state filing level. Online business operators, SaaS founders, and e-commerce sellers use Wyoming LLCs for favorable tax treatment and operational simplicity. Consultants and professional service providers form Wyoming LLCs for liability separation and pass-through taxation. Wyoming is less optimal for businesses that operate exclusively in a single other state with its own LLC-friendly statute, because foreign qualification in the operating state may reduce the privacy and cost advantages. Cowboy State Filings helps clients evaluate whether Wyoming is the right jurisdiction.
Wyoming Series LLC
Wyoming authorizes Series LLCs under § 17-29-1101 through § 17-29-1106. A Series LLC consists of a master LLC with one or more individual series. Each series can hold its own assets, incur its own liabilities, and have its own members and managers. The debts and obligations of one series do not attach to another series or to the master LLC, provided proper records are maintained and the series are identified in the Articles of Organization or operating agreement. Series LLCs are most commonly used by real estate investors who hold multiple properties. Instead of forming a separate LLC for each property (with separate filing fees and registered agent costs), the investor forms one master LLC and creates a series for each property. The cost at CSF is $497 for the master LLC plus $150 per series setup. Each series obtains its own EIN from the IRS. Not all states recognize Wyoming Series LLCs for foreign qualification purposes, so clients operating in multiple states should confirm recognition in each operating state.
Wyoming LLC Annual Report
Every Wyoming LLC must file an annual report with the Wyoming Secretary of State. The filing fee is $60 for LLCs reporting less than $300,000 in Wyoming-located assets. For LLCs with Wyoming assets exceeding $300,000, the fee is calculated at $0.0002 per dollar of assets with a $60 minimum. The annual report is due on the first day of the anniversary month of the LLC’s formation. For example, an LLC formed on March 15 owes its annual report by March 1 of each subsequent year. Late filing incurs a $50 late penalty. If an LLC fails to file for two consecutive years, the Wyoming Secretary of State may administratively dissolve the entity under § 17-29-709. Reinstatement after administrative dissolution is possible under § 17-29-714 but involves additional fees and paperwork. Cowboy State Filings sends annual report reminders 60 days before the due date. The annual report requires the LLC name, principal office address, registered agent, and a statement of Wyoming-located assets.
Related Guides
Wyoming LLC Formation Guide
Step-by-step process with document requirements and timelines.
Wyoming Registered Agent
Requirements, costs, and how CSF registered agent service works.
Asset Protection LLC
Charging order protection paired with Wyoming DAPT structures.
Pricing
Full line-item breakdown and pricing methodology.
Frequently Asked Questions About Wyoming LLCs
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