WEBVTT 00:00:00.250 --> 00:00:04.810 To start an LLC in Wyoming, you file Articles of Organization with the Wyoming 00:00:04.858 --> 00:00:11.050 Secretary of State, online through WyoBiz, and pay the $100 filing fee, which comes 00:00:11.077 --> 00:00:14.010 to $102.40 if you pay by card. 00:00:14.610 --> 00:00:17.290 Why the extra $2.40? 00:00:17.290 --> 00:00:20.010 That's a 2.4% card processing fee. 00:00:20.150 --> 00:00:22.650 The state fee itself is $100. 00:00:22.650 --> 00:00:25.650 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:25.697 --> 00:00:30.970 Today, Wyoming for 2026, in six steps, with what it all costs and the three best 00:00:31.018 --> 00:00:32.570 ways to have it filed for you. 00:00:32.663 --> 00:00:34.330 First up, the name. 00:00:35.110 --> 00:00:41.750 A Wyoming LLC name can include limited liability company, LLC, L.L.C., 00:00:41.870 --> 00:00:48.470 limited company, or L.C. And it has to be distinguishable on the Secretary of 00:00:48.537 --> 00:00:49.510 State's records. 00:00:49.510 --> 00:00:51.590 How do I check? 00:00:51.590 --> 00:00:54.550 Search WyoBiz first. It's free. 00:00:55.546 --> 00:00:57.749 Anything unusual about the rules? 00:00:57.749 --> 00:01:02.870 One quirk. If your name starts with the letter A, you can't file it online. 00:01:03.003 --> 00:01:06.710 It has to go in on paper, so the state can review it by hand. 00:01:06.710 --> 00:01:09.750 That seems like a strange rule for an online-first state. 00:01:09.750 --> 00:01:13.910 It is, and it catches people who planned on filing online. 00:01:14.177 --> 00:01:19.510 So if you're a business called something like Alpine or Apex, plan on paper. 00:01:20.899 --> 00:01:22.579 Who can be my agent? 00:01:22.579 --> 00:01:27.539 A Wyoming resident, or a business authorized to operate in Wyoming, with a physical 00:01:27.599 --> 00:01:28.739 Wyoming address. 00:01:28.739 --> 00:01:30.419 What counts as physical? 00:01:30.419 --> 00:01:32.739 A drop box isn't accepted. A P.O. 00:01:32.819 --> 00:01:35.379 box works only alongside a physical address. 00:01:35.559 --> 00:01:39.939 The agent also signs a consent, and that consent is filed together with your 00:01:40.001 --> 00:01:40.500 Articles. 00:01:40.500 --> 00:01:43.299 So the agent has to agree on paper. 00:01:43.299 --> 00:01:48.819 Yes. And their details are public, which is why many owners hire a commercial agent. 00:01:49.059 --> 00:01:51.459 Swapping agents later is cheap, though. 00:01:51.619 --> 00:01:54.979 Appointing a new agent and office costs $5. 00:01:56.259 --> 00:01:57.619 Okay, the filing. 00:01:57.619 --> 00:02:04.339 You submit your Articles through WyoBiz and pay $100, or $102.40 by card. 00:02:04.519 --> 00:02:09.779 The form asks for the name, your registered agent, a mailing address, a principal 00:02:09.836 --> 00:02:13.699 office address, an email, and the organizer's signature. 00:02:13.699 --> 00:02:15.379 Does it list the members? 00:02:15.379 --> 00:02:18.019 No. It doesn't list members. 00:02:18.019 --> 00:02:20.259 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:02:20.259 --> 00:02:21.539 Good to have you, Maya. 00:02:22.149 --> 00:02:24.180 How long until the LLC exists? 00:02:24.180 --> 00:02:28.019 Filed online, your LLC is active immediately. 00:02:28.206 --> 00:02:31.379 By mail, it can take up to 15 business days. 00:02:31.379 --> 00:02:33.459 Immediately? That's quick. 00:02:33.459 --> 00:02:35.859 It's one of the reasons people like Wyoming. 00:02:35.979 --> 00:02:37.779 You file, and you're done. 00:02:38.979 --> 00:02:41.139 Do I file the operating agreement too? 00:02:41.139 --> 00:02:43.139 No. It stays with your records. 00:02:43.206 --> 00:02:44.419 There's no state fee. 00:02:44.419 --> 00:02:45.939 Then do I really need one? 00:02:45.939 --> 00:02:51.059 Wyoming law recognizes agreements that are oral, written in a record, or even 00:02:51.129 --> 00:02:54.499 implied. That flexibility cuts both ways. 00:02:54.712 --> 00:02:59.779 If the agreement lives only in your head, a dispute turns into an argument about who 00:02:59.835 --> 00:03:00.659 remembers what. 00:03:00.659 --> 00:03:02.579 So write it down. 00:03:02.579 --> 00:03:08.259 Write down who owns what, how profits are split, who makes decisions, and what 00:03:08.319 --> 00:03:09.779 happens if a member leaves. 00:03:09.779 --> 00:03:12.019 Even for a one-person company? 00:03:12.019 --> 00:03:17.059 Yes. Then it's a short document, but it's still the cleanest answer to the question 00:03:17.112 --> 00:03:18.979 of how your LLC is run. 00:03:21.305 --> 00:03:22.825 And the federal tax number? 00:03:22.825 --> 00:03:28.505 Apply free with the IRS at IRS.gov once the state has filed your Articles. 00:03:28.505 --> 00:03:30.425 Do I get it on the spot? 00:03:30.425 --> 00:03:33.385 If the online application is approved, yes. 00:03:33.497 --> 00:03:37.865 Have the Social Security number or ITIN of the person in charge ready. 00:03:37.865 --> 00:03:41.145 Anything about the beneficial ownership report? 00:03:41.145 --> 00:03:45.225 For U.S. companies, FinCEN dropped that requirement. 00:03:45.285 --> 00:03:46.265 You can skip it. 00:03:47.729 --> 00:03:49.009 What do I owe every year? 00:03:49.009 --> 00:03:52.849 An annual report, filed by the first day of the month you formed. 00:03:52.902 --> 00:03:55.649 It carries a license tax of $60. 00:03:55.649 --> 00:03:58.049 Is that a flat $60 for everyone? 00:03:58.049 --> 00:04:04.449 For most. The tax is $60 or two hundredths of a percent of your Wyoming assets, 00:04:04.481 --> 00:04:09.969 whichever is greater. That only starts to exceed $60 once your Wyoming assets pass 00:04:10.009 --> 00:04:11.809 $300,000. 00:04:12.404 --> 00:04:13.249 And if I'm late? 00:04:13.249 --> 00:04:19.649 If it isn't filed within 60 days, Wyoming administratively dissolves the LLC. 00:04:19.729 --> 00:04:23.249 You can reinstate within two years, but not after that. 00:04:23.249 --> 00:04:27.569 So the deadline is your formation month, not a fixed day for all companies. 00:04:27.569 --> 00:04:31.649 Right. Form in March, and your report is due by March 1. 00:04:31.649 --> 00:04:33.889 And if my assets stay small? 00:04:33.889 --> 00:04:39.969 Then nothing changes. For most LLCs, $60 is the number, year after year. 00:04:39.969 --> 00:04:41.409 And where do I file it? 00:04:41.409 --> 00:04:45.409 Through WyoBiz, the same site where you formed the company. 00:04:46.449 --> 00:04:48.369 So what does the state charge me altogether? 00:04:48.369 --> 00:04:54.209 $100 to form, or $102.40 if you pay by card online. 00:04:54.433 --> 00:04:58.929 Then the $60 annual report. The EIN is free. 00:04:58.929 --> 00:05:00.849 Anything for changing agents? 00:05:00.849 --> 00:05:02.449 Only that $5. 00:05:02.449 --> 00:05:03.809 It's a short list. 00:05:03.809 --> 00:05:10.209 It is. Wyoming's cost story is mostly the filing itself and that yearly license tax. 00:05:10.209 --> 00:05:12.929 And the $5 only matters if I change agents. 00:05:12.929 --> 00:05:18.049 Right. The filing, the agent change, and the annual report are the state-side 00:05:18.109 --> 00:05:18.609 numbers. 00:05:19.655 --> 00:05:21.255 Give me the order of operations. 00:05:21.255 --> 00:05:24.775 Search the name. Line up your agent and get their consent. 00:05:24.935 --> 00:05:27.735 File online, unless your name starts with A. 00:05:27.882 --> 00:05:30.095 Write the operating agreement. 00:05:30.165 --> 00:05:31.975 Get your EIN. 00:05:31.975 --> 00:05:33.095 And then? 00:05:33.095 --> 00:05:36.855 Then put the first day of your formation month on the calendar. 00:05:36.955 --> 00:05:39.695 The 60-day window is the only hard edge. 00:05:40.099 --> 00:05:41.255 Is there a surprise in there? 00:05:41.255 --> 00:05:48.055 The card fee, mostly. If you budget $100 and pay by card, you're $2.40 00:05:48.135 --> 00:05:48.455 over. 00:05:49.210 --> 00:05:51.131 And if I want someone else to handle it? 00:05:51.131 --> 00:05:54.171 Here are the three best ways to file in Wyoming. 00:05:54.251 --> 00:06:01.051 Number one, our pick, is Mainstay Filing, $199 a year plus the state fee. 00:06:01.179 --> 00:06:08.251 With the $102.40 state fee, checkout comes to $301.40. 00:06:08.251 --> 00:06:09.611 What's included? 00:06:09.611 --> 00:06:15.771 Your Articles filed, your EIN application, and your registered agent every year. 00:06:15.984 --> 00:06:22.651 It renews at the same $199. And in Wyoming, it also prepares and files your 00:06:22.708 --> 00:06:24.251 annual report on time. 00:06:24.251 --> 00:06:26.011 What do I still pay? 00:06:26.011 --> 00:06:31.211 Only the state's license tax, $60 for most LLCs. 00:06:31.211 --> 00:06:32.251 Number two? 00:06:32.251 --> 00:06:38.891 WY Reg Agent.com. It prepares and files your Articles for $199 00:06:38.971 --> 00:06:45.051 plus the state fee, with your first year of registered agent service free, then $99 00:06:45.091 --> 00:06:45.851 a year. 00:06:45.851 --> 00:06:47.131 And number three? 00:06:47.131 --> 00:06:54.091 Wyoming Registered Agent.ai. Same offer: $199 plus 00:06:54.131 --> 00:06:59.612 the state fee, a free first year of agent service, then $99 a year. 00:06:59.612 --> 00:07:01.131 How do I pick? 00:07:01.131 --> 00:07:07.691 If you'll file your own annual report, two and three cost less from year two, at $99 00:07:07.731 --> 00:07:12.491 for the agent alone. If you'd rather have the agent and the report handled at one 00:07:12.548 --> 00:07:14.731 steady price, that's Mainstay. 00:07:14.871 --> 00:07:18.331 The $60 license tax is the same either way. 00:07:21.021 --> 00:07:22.541 Put numbers on three years. 00:07:22.541 --> 00:07:27.741 Mainstay is $199 a year, so $597. 00:07:27.881 --> 00:07:34.621 The other two are $199 in year one, then $99 in each of the next two years, for 00:07:34.674 --> 00:07:36.461 $397. 00:07:36.461 --> 00:07:38.461 A $200 gap. 00:07:38.461 --> 00:07:44.221 And in Wyoming, the gap buys you an annual report that somebody else files on time. 00:07:45.484 --> 00:07:47.083 One more time, start to finish. 00:07:47.083 --> 00:07:52.444 Choose a name with LLC in it, name an agent at a physical Wyoming address, file 00:07:52.497 --> 00:07:58.124 Articles of Organization online for $100, write an operating agreement, get your 00:07:58.172 --> 00:08:03.884 free EIN, and file your $60 annual report every year. 00:08:03.884 --> 00:08:07.964 The links to all three services and every official source are in the show notes. 00:08:08.055 --> 00:08:11.884 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast, and good luck with your new 00:08:11.954 --> 00:08:13.164 Wyoming LLC.