Set up your LLC without the hassle.
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if your business name is available in Wyoming!
Wyoming was the first state to allow LLCs, and it is one of the best states for forming an LLC now.
Fees are low. You’ll pay only $102 to register your LLC, and the annual fee, for most LLCs, is only $60. You’ll also save a lot on your taxes because Wyoming has no personal or corporate state income tax.
If you like convenience, you’ll love having a Wyoming LLC. Many businesses in Wyoming don’t need a business license. Filing articles of incorporation to form your LLC is simple. And if you already have an LLC in another state, it’s easy to transfer it to Wyoming.
Wyoming is great at protecting the privacy of LLC members. It strongly protects members’ limited liability as well.
If you want to start your LLC in Wyoming, you should feel confident that you made a good choice.
You can set up your Wyoming LLC in 6 easy steps:
Below, you’ll find a detailed explanation to walk you through each step.
Choose state &
business name
Answer a few
easy questions
We’ll submit your
LLC application
This includes all of the documentation you need to get your LLC formalized.
We’ll check federal trademark records in relation to your business name.
Our dedicated business formation team is here to help with your LLC application!
Is an essential contact between an LLC and the state it's registered in, and helps take care of all the formal processes.
It helps you file tax returns for your business and reduces your personal liability. It's necessary to open a business bank account.
We've got your back with all the official annual compliance for your state so that you can operate legally.
You'll receive this key document, which outlines your business's structure and other information.
Every Wyoming LLC must have a name that is different from the names of all other LLCs in Wyoming. The Wyoming Secretary of State has a search tool you can use to see if the name that you want is available.
When checking to see if your LLC name is unique, you need to ignore certain words, including the various abbreviations meaning “LLC.” For example, if you want to name your LLC “Truly Fantastic Name Limited Liability Company,” and there’s already an LLC in Wyoming named “Truly Fantastic Name LLC,” then your proposed name is not considered unique and you can’t use it.
The same is true if a word in your proposed name is a singular, plural, or possessive form of a word in someone else’s LLC name. So, if you want to name your LLC “River Cafe LLC,” you can’t use the name if there is already an LLC named “Rivers Cafe LLC” or “River’s Cafe LLC.”
Other words to ignore when evaluating uniqueness include “and,” “the,” and “a.” You should also ignore punctuation and spacing. For example, these names are all considered duplicates according to Wyoming’s rules: “Grapefruit Delight LLC,” The Grapefruit Delight LLC,” “A Grapefruit Delight LLC,” and “Grape, Fruit, and Delight LLC.”
Your Wyoming LLC name must include the words “Limited Liability Corporation” or one of these approved abbreviations or short forms: LLC, L.L.C., LC, L.C., Limited Company, Ltd. Liability Company, Limited Liability Co., or Ltd. Liability Co.
After choosing a name, you need to register it with the Wyoming Secretary of State.
You can reserve a name and register your business at the same time using Wyoming’s online business registration system. If you use the online system, you should use Wyoming’s name search tool before you start. Once you begin using the online system, you will have only 30 minutes to complete your application. You can also apply by mail instead of using the online system.
Some LLC names, though, can’t be reserved online. For those, you have to apply by mail. The Wyoming Secretary of State’s office, the Department of Education, or the Division of Banking will manually review your proposed name if the name:
If you can’t use the online registration system because you need a manual review of your proposed LLC name, or if you’d just prefer not to apply online, you can apply by mail. If you are filing your articles of organization now, you don’t have to apply separately to reserve the LLC’s name. You can do it all on the same form. See Step 2 below for a deeper dive into how to file the articles of organization.
If you are not ready to file the articles of organization, but you want to apply now to reserve the name, then print out the “Limited Liability Application for Reservation of Name” form on the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website, fill it out, and mail it in to reserve the name for 120 days.
You must use snail mail to send in the form. The Wyoming Secretary of State won’t accept it if you send it in email. When you mail it in, enclose a check or money order payable to Wyoming Secretary of State for $60 to cover the filing fee. You should have your name reservation within 15 days after the office receives it unless you need a manual review of your name, in which case it could take longer.
Mail the completed form and fee to:
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
Some business owners want to conduct business using a business name that is different from the name of the LLC. This business name is referred to as DBA, which stands for “doing business as.” Sometimes it’s known as the fictitious business name.
Getting a DBA is completely optional. You are free to use the name of your LLC as the name you use to conduct business. Business owners opt to use a DBA if they think it will help strengthen their brand, for example, if their LLC name is just the owner’s name and doesn’t describe the business.
In Wisconsin, unlike in some other states, you are not required to file a DBA with the state. But if you want, you can register the DBA by filing an “Application for Registration of Trade Name,” which will put the name in the public record.
You must already be using the trade name before you can register it. To fill out the registration application, you provide contact information, including an email address and a short description of your business. The application must be signed and notarized.
Your trade name will be registered for 10 years. You can renew the registration, but not earlier than 6 months before it expires.
Mail the trade name application along with a check or money order made out to the Wyoming Secretary of State for the $100 filing fee. Send to:
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
Allow 15 days for processing.
If you have a unique business name, phrase, or symbol, you can protect it by registering it with the Wyoming Secretary of State.
When you file a trademark registration application, the Secretary of State’s office will check that your proposed trademark is not similar to any of the trademarks that are already registered in Wyoming. To see if your trademark is unique in Wyoming, you can search the state’s database of Wyoming trademarks.
To file the registration application, fill out the “Application for Registration of Trademark or Service Mark” form. You must give a complete description of the trademark and describe how it will be used.
You must already be using the trademark before you can register it. You must include the dates when the trademark was first used in Wyoming and first used anywhere. Include a photocopy of the trademark as it is being used.
You must also include the name and number of the class of goods or services for which the trademark will be used. You can find this information on the application form. You must file a separate registration application form for each class number.
If you’ve already filed an application to register the trademark with the U.S. Patent and Trademark office, include the federal filing date, serial number, and application status on your Wyoming application.
Send the completed application with a check or money order for the $100 filing fee to:
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
You will hear back within 10 days. If the registration is approved, it will be good for 5 years. After that, you can renew the registration starting 6 months before it expires.
You need to file a form called “Articles of Organization” with the state to register your Wyoming LLC. You can provide the required information online or by mail.
If you haven’t already reserved a name for your LLC, you can provide the name as part of the registration process. You don’t have to do it separately.
Get all your information ready before you start filling out the application. You will need to know:
You will also need:
The cost to form an LLC in Wyoming is $100, plus an extra $2 convenience fee if you file online. For online filing, you can pay with Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards.
If you file by mail, you don’t have to pay the convenience fee. When filing by mail, you must pay by check or money order.
You must have a registered agent who has a physical address in Wyoming. The address cannot be a dropbox. You must provide the agent’s mailing address and principal office address when you file. You must also provide your email address.
You can file online using Wyoming’s online registration system, or you can file a “Limited Liability Company Articles of Organization” form on paper and send it in through the mail.
If filing on paper, print out the form, fill it out completely, and mail the form and a check or money order made out to Wyoming Secretary of State for the $100 filing fee to:
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
When you start a business, you probably don’t expect that your business will be sued. But it could happen, and Wyoming requires that you have someone available to accept service of process if it does.
That person (or business) is called a registered agent. It is absolutely essential that you have a valid registered agent at all times. If you don’t, the state can invalidate your LLC.
The registered agent can be either a person living in Wyoming who is at least 18 years old or a business that is authorized to conduct business in Wyoming. The registered agent must have a physical address in Wyoming. A P.O. Box, dropbox, UPS store, or anything else that is not a real physical address doesn’t count.
The registered agent has several responsibilities:
When choosing a registered agent, you may:
An operating agreement is a formal, internal written document that tells how your business will be run. It provides the rules that guide the LLC’s actions and decisions. When signed by all the members of the LLC, it becomes a binding contract.
In Wyoming, you are not legally required to create an operating agreement, but it’s a great idea to have one.
An operating agreement gives you the freedom to choose your own rules for how you will run your business. You get to create the rules that best suit your needs or, in multi-member LLCs, the needs of all of the LLC’s members. If you don’t have an operating agreement, then the operation of your LLC is governed by the default rules of the state, and you lose the chance to tailor the rules to your needs.
An operating agreement is especially important for a multi-member LLC. The agreement should cover all aspects of the conduct of your business. Having a written, binding document to refer to will go a long way to prevent disputes and misunderstandings between the members.
A good operating agreement covers all the essential aspects of operating your business. These may include:
By having all of these issues worked out in advance, agreed upon, and put into writing, you help prevent problems between the members down the road, including potential lawsuits.
An operating agreement is also a good idea for a single-member LLC. Like having a separate bank account for your business, having an operating agreement helps strengthen the separation between you as an individual and your business. The more you and your business are perceived as truly separate, the better protected you are from personal liability for actions against the LLC.
Wyoming does not require an LLC to have an operating agreement
An EIN is an Employer Identification Number, sometimes also called a Federal Tax Identification Number. It’s what businesses use instead of Social Security numbers when filing their tax returns.
The IRS requires that an LLC have an EIN, with some exceptions for LLCs that have only one member, no employees, and are not taxed as corporations.
Even if you are not required to have an EIN for your LLC, it’s a good idea to get one. The benefits include:
You can apply for an EIN online, by mail, or by fax.
To apply for an EIN online, use the Internet EIN application. Try to have enough time to complete the application in one sitting without taking a long break. If you’re inactive in the middle of a session for 15 minutes, the session will expire, and you will have to start over.
You can use the Internet EIN application only between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Monday through Friday. When your application is validated, you will get your EIN immediately.
To apply for an EIN by mail, fill out Form SS-4 “Application for Employer Identification Number.” You can print out the form and fill it out manually, or you can type the information into the PDF online and then print it out. Mail the form to:
Internal Revenue Service
Attn: EIN Operation
Cincinnati, OH 45999
You will get your EIN in the mail in about four weeks.
To apply for an EIN by fax, you fax a completed Form SS-4 to (855) 641-6935. You should get your EIN faxed back to you within four days.
If you use Tailor Brands to form your LLC, we will get your EIN for you. That’s one less thing to worry about!
How you file your LLC taxes depends on how you choose to structure the LLC. An LLC may be taxed as a C corporation, an S corporation, a partnership, or a single-member LLC.
If you form a Wyoming LLC, you’re in luck. Wyoming does not have any personal or corporate income tax. So, there will generally be no state tax on Wyoming LLCs.
You will probably still have to pay federal income tax. Federal taxes are “passed through” to the members of the LLC, unless the LLC is organized as a C Corporation.
When income is passed through, that means that if you are the only owner of the LLC, you report the LLC’s income and pay taxes on it on your personal income tax return. If the LLC has more than one member, then the LLC’s income gets passed through proportionately to each member, who will pay personal income taxes on their share of the LLC’s income.
If your business sells products to people within Wyoming, you need to register with Wyoming’s Department of Revenue to get a sales tax license. You will pay sales tax returns to the Department.
Because members of an LLC are business owners, not employees, they don’t have Social Security and Medicare taxes deducted from their pay. Instead, LLC members pay these taxes directly to the IRS on their personal income tax forms. The amount LLC members pay is twice what employees pay (less some deductions) because business owners must pay both the employer’s and the employee’s portions of the tax.
These taxes, when paid by LLC members, are called “self-employment taxes.” Active members of an LLC are usually required to pay self-employment taxes to the IRS. Inactive members, who invest money in the LLC but don’t work in or manage the business, may not have to.
If your LLC has employees, you will have to collect and pay unemployment insurance, Workers’ Compensation, Social Security, and Medicare taxes.
You must pay a license tax every year when you file your Annual Report. The amount of the license tax is the greater of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of the LLC’s Wyoming assets.
It’s important to separate your personal finances from your business finances. By establishing a bank account for your business, you put distance between yourself and the business and demonstrate the business is not just an extension of you, even if you are the only member of the LLC.
This separation is important to help prevent the courts from “piercing the corporate veil,” which is a legal term meaning that you and the LLC are considered essentially the same entity. If that happens, you could lose your protection against personal liability for actions taken against the LLC. Protect yourself by giving your business its own bank account.
A separate business bank account has other benefits too:
You must pay an Annual Report License tax, which is either $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of the LLC’s assets located and used in Wyoming, whichever is larger. You may pay the tax and create your Annual Report online using the Wyoming Annual Report Wizard. If you pay online, Wyoming accepts Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards to pay the license tax.
There is also an additional convenience fee if you choose to file online, which ranges from $2.00 to $8.95, depending on the amount of your license tax. If your license tax is $60, your convenience fee will be $2.00.
If you don’t want to pay online, you can pay through the mail. You will still need to use the Annual Report Wizard, but when you get to the confirmation page, you can print out the Annual Report. Sign it, and mail it along with a check or money order for the Annual Report License tax to:
Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
The Annual Report is due on the first day of the month of your LLC’s original filing date. For example, if your LLC was originally filed on April 7, you must file your Annual Report and pay your license tax every year on April 1.
To file your Annual Report and pay your annual license tax, you need a Wyoming Secretary of State Filing ID. If you don’t know your ID, you can look it up using the Wyoming Filing Search tool.
You may also have to pay fees if you need to reinstate your LLC because of tax delinquency or not having a registered agent or for amendments, cancellations, withdrawals, and any other filings.
You will need to set up an accounting system to keep track of income and expenses. You will also need to make good decisions about how you handle your finances. Hiring a good CPA or tax lawyer will be very valuable to help minimize the taxes your LLC owes, file your tax returns, and represent you if the IRS questions or audits your returns.
Most businesses don’t require licenses or permits in Wyoming. This is another reason why Wyoming is such a convenient place to start a business.
Whether you need a business license or permit in Wyoming will depend on the type of business you own. For example, you may need a license if you are a general contractor, make or sell food, or use commercial vehicles. Contact [email protected] to find out about licensing requirements in more detail.
This portion of our website is for informational purposes only. Tailor Brands is not a law firm, and none of the information on this website constitutes or is intended to convey legal advice. All statements, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions are solely the expression of the author and provided on an as-is basis. Accordingly, Tailor Brands is not responsible for the information and/or its accuracy or completeness.
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