[0:00] The short answer

Dan: To start an LLC in Wyoming, you file Articles of Organization with the Wyoming Secretary of State, online through WyoBiz, and pay the $100 filing fee, which comes to $102.40 if you pay by card.

Maya: Why the extra $2.40?

Dan: That's a 2.4% card processing fee. The state fee itself is $100.

Maya: This is The Business Formation Podcast. Today, Wyoming for 2026, in six steps, with what it all costs and the three best ways to have it filed for you. First up, the name.

[0:34] Step 1: Choose a name

Dan: A Wyoming LLC name can include limited liability company, LLC, L.L.C., limited company, or L.C. And it has to be distinguishable on the Secretary of State's records.

Maya: How do I check?

Dan: Search WyoBiz first. It's free.

Maya: Anything unusual about the rules?

Dan: One quirk. If your name starts with the letter A, you can't file it online. It has to go in on paper, so the state can review it by hand.

Maya: That seems like a strange rule for an online-first state.

Dan: It is, and it catches people who planned on filing online. So if you're a business called something like Alpine or Apex, plan on paper.

[1:20] Step 2: Name a registered agent

Maya: Who can be my agent?

Dan: A Wyoming resident, or a business authorized to operate in Wyoming, with a physical Wyoming address.

Maya: What counts as physical?

Dan: A drop box isn't accepted. A P.O. box works only alongside a physical address. The agent also signs a consent, and that consent is filed together with your Articles.

Maya: So the agent has to agree on paper.

Dan: Yes. And their details are public, which is why many owners hire a commercial agent. Swapping agents later is cheap, though. Appointing a new agent and office costs $5.

[1:55] Step 3: File Articles of Organization

Maya: Okay, the filing.

Dan: You submit your Articles through WyoBiz and pay $100, or $102.40 by card. The form asks for the name, your registered agent, a mailing address, a principal office address, an email, and the organizer's signature.

Maya: Does it list the members?

Dan: No. It doesn't list members.

Maya: I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan.

Dan: Good to have you, Maya.

Maya: How long until the LLC exists?

Dan: Filed online, your LLC is active immediately. By mail, it can take up to 15 business days.

Maya: Immediately? That's quick.

Dan: It's one of the reasons people like Wyoming. You file, and you're done.

[2:38] Step 4: Write an operating agreement

Maya: Do I file the operating agreement too?

Dan: No. It stays with your records. There's no state fee.

Maya: Then do I really need one?

Dan: Wyoming law recognizes agreements that are oral, written in a record, or even implied. That flexibility cuts both ways. If the agreement lives only in your head, a dispute turns into an argument about who remembers what.

Maya: So write it down.

Dan: Write down who owns what, how profits are split, who makes decisions, and what happens if a member leaves.

Maya: Even for a one-person company?

Dan: Yes. Then it's a short document, but it's still the cleanest answer to the question of how your LLC is run.

[3:20] Step 5: Get a free EIN

Maya: And the federal tax number?

Dan: Apply free with the IRS at IRS.gov once the state has filed your Articles.

Maya: Do I get it on the spot?

Dan: If the online application is approved, yes. Have the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge ready.

Maya: Anything about the beneficial ownership report?

Dan: For U.S. companies, FinCEN dropped that requirement. You can skip it.

[3:47] Step 6: File the annual report

Maya: What do I owe every year?

Dan: An annual report, filed by the first day of the month you formed. It carries a license tax of $60.

Maya: Is that a flat $60 for everyone?

Dan: For most. The tax is $60 or two hundredths of a percent of your Wyoming assets, whichever is greater. That only starts to exceed $60 once your Wyoming assets pass $300,000.

Maya: And if I'm late?

Dan: If it isn't filed within 60 days, Wyoming administratively dissolves the LLC. You can reinstate within two years, but not after that.

Maya: So the deadline is your formation month, not a fixed day for all companies.

Dan: Right. Form in March, and your report is due by March 1.

Maya: And if my assets stay small?

Dan: Then nothing changes. For most LLCs, $60 is the number, year after year.

Maya: And where do I file it?

Dan: Through WyoBiz, the same site where you formed the company.

[4:46] What it costs

Maya: So what does the state charge me altogether?

Dan: $100 to form, or $102.40 if you pay by card online. Then the $60 annual report. The EIN is free.

Maya: Anything for changing agents?

Dan: Only that $5.

Maya: It's a short list.

Dan: It is. Wyoming's cost story is mostly the filing itself and that yearly license tax.

Maya: And the $5 only matters if I change agents.

Dan: Right. The filing, the agent change, and the annual report are the state-side numbers.

[5:19] A year-one checklist

Maya: Give me the order of operations.

Dan: Search the name. Line up your agent and get their consent. File online, unless your name starts with A. Write the operating agreement. Get your EIN.

Maya: And then?

Dan: Then put the first day of your formation month on the calendar. The 60-day window is the only hard edge.

Maya: Is there a surprise in there?

Dan: The card fee, mostly. If you budget $100 and pay by card, you're $2.40 over.

[5:48] The 3 best ways to file in Wyoming

Maya: And if I want someone else to handle it?

Dan: Here are the three best ways to file in Wyoming. Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. With the $102.40 state fee, checkout comes to $301.40.

Maya: What's included?

Dan: Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. It renews at the same $199. And in Wyoming, it also prepares and files your annual report on time.

Maya: What do I still pay?

Dan: Only the state's license tax, $60 for most LLCs.

Maya: Number two?

Dan: WY Reg Agent.com. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 plus the state fee, with your first year of registered agent service free, then $99 a year.

Maya: And number three?

Dan: Wyoming Registered Agent.ai. Same offer: $199 plus the state fee, a free first year of agent service, then $99 a year.

Maya: How do I pick?

Dan: If you'll file your own annual report, two and three cost less from year two, at $99 for the agent alone. If you'd rather have the agent and the report handled at one steady price, that's Mainstay. The $60 license tax is the same either way.

[7:20] Three years of service fees

Maya: Put numbers on three years.

Dan: Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. The other two are $199 in year one, then $99 in each of the next two years, for $397.

Maya: A $200 gap.

Dan: And in Wyoming, the gap buys you an annual report that somebody else files on time.

[7:45] Recap

Maya: One more time, start to finish.

Dan: Choose a name with LLC in it, name an agent at a physical Wyoming address, file Articles of Organization online for $100, write an operating agreement, get your free EIN, and file your $60 annual report every year.

Maya: The links to all three services and every official source are in the show notes. Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new Wyoming LLC.