How to Start an LLC in Wyoming

A Wyoming LLC is one of the most simple, cost-effective, and quick business structures to form. Even so, navigating the formation process can seem daunting without clear guidance and an actionable plan.

In this How to Start an LLC in Wyoming guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know to form your LLC, from the steps you’ll need to take to get started to maintaining your business structure.

Wyoming LLC

In order to form an LLC in Wyoming, you’ll need to complete the following steps:

1. Name Your Wyoming LLC
2. Pick a Wyoming Registered Agent
3. Submit a Articles of Organization
4. Create a Wyoming LLC Operating Agreement
5. Get an EIN
6. File Your BOI Report

In the sections below, we’ve broken down each of these steps in more detail.

Step 1: Name Your Wyoming LLC

The first thing you’ll need to do before getting started is picking the right name for your LLC. This is important because your business’s name will need to represent your brand accurately, as well as be as memorable as possible.

In Wyoming, all LLC names need to abide by the following statutory guidelines in order to be accepted by the Secretary of State:

• Must include the term “limited liability company” or any acceptable abbreviation (e.g., “LLC”, “L.L.C.”, “Ltd”, etc.)
• Cannot state or imply a connection between your LLC and any government agency (e.g., by containing words such as “State Department”, “FBI”, or “Secretary of State”)
• Must be sufficiently distinguishable from the names of any limited liability companies (LLCs), limited liability partnerships (LLPs), limited partnerships (LP), and corporations in Wyoming. The following rules apply for the purpose of determining distinguishability:
• Adding common words and characters (e.g., “Inc.,” “Corporation,” “LLC,” punctuation, and special characters) to a name that is already being used is not considered distinguishable
• Singular and plural forms of words used for entity names are not distinguishable (e.g., “goose” and “geese” or “child” and “children” are considered the same)
• Differences in spacing (e.g., “Wildwood” vs. “Wild Wood”) and capitalization (e.g., “Jack” vs. “jack”) do not make a name unique
• Names containing terms such as “Education”, “Institute”, “School”, and “University” will need approval from the Department of Education
• Names containing terms such as “Bank”, “Banker”, and “Private Trust Company” require approval from the Department of Banking

These regulations are covered in more detail in the Wyoming Secretary of State’s How to Choose a Company Name document.

Keep in mind that even though picking an LLC name in itself has no cost, there are certain fees that can be associated with the overall process.

Reserve an LLC Name

If you’re not yet ready to launch your business and still need a little more time, you can choose to reserve your desired LLC name for later by submitting an Application for Reservation of Name with the Secretary of State ($60 fee). This will keep anyone from being able to take the name you plan to use for 120 days.

It typically takes up to 15 business days for name reservations to be processed once the application is received at the Secretary of State’s office. To submit this form, you’ll need to mail it along with payment to the following address:

Wyoming Secretary of State
Herschler Building East, Suite 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020

Note: It’s recommended to check the name you want to use for your LLC is not already taken by conducting a Business Entity Search on the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website.

Register a Trade Name

Another potential cost associated with naming your LLC is obtaining a “trade name”. Also known as a “doing business as” (or DBA) name. This is essentially a nickname that you can choose to register for your business to operate under — particularly if you’re not content with your LLC’s legal name.

Registering a trade name can be done by filing an Application for Registration of Trade Name with the Secretary of State and paying a $100 fee.

Note: In Wyoming, trade names cannot be applied for unless an LLC is already registered and in good standing with the Secretary of State — which means you’ll have to wait until you’ve formed your LLC to obtain one.

Buy a Domain Name

Finally, you’ll want to focus on securing a good domain name (which is your website’s URL address) for your business. For this, try to focus on choosing one that’s easy for customers to remember, relevant to your business, and accurately reflects your brand.

After confirming the domain name you want to use is actually available, you can purchase it through a trusted registrar.

Step 2: Pick a Registered Agent

The next step you’ll need to take toward forming your LLC is to pick a registered agent (RA).

This is an individual or business entity that accepts legal correspondence on behalf of your business, such as service of process, notice of lawsuits, and official government communications; you’re required to continuously maintain one as long as your LLC is active.

Your registered agent can be an individual or business entity, but will need to satisfy the following requirements:

• Must have a physical address in Wyoming (i.e., not a mail forwarding service, UPS store, or PO box etc.)
• If an individual, must be at least 18 years old and reside in Wyoming
• If a business entity, must be authorized to conduct business in Wyoming

After appointing a registered agent you’re content with, you’ll need to ask them to sign the Consent to Appointment by a Registered Agent form and include it alongside the submission of your LLC’s Articles of Organization (see below).

For filings made online, you’ll instead need to confirm that you’ve obtained similar written consent and make sure to keep it in your personal records for the future.

You can act as your own registered agent if you’re looking to save money — though we don’t typically recommend this as you’re much more likely to suffer fines and penalties due to non-compliance than if you just hire an affordable professional service.

You’ll also lose any anonymity your LLC would have given you since your name, address, and contact information will be publicly available.

Note: To have a look at some of our other top recommendations, you can also check out our Best Registered Agent Service of 2024 guide.

Step 3: Submit Your Articles of Organization

In Wyoming, the Articles of Organization is the filing document that you’ll need to submit with the Secretary of State in order to officially register your LLC (this is also referred to as the Certificate of Formation in other states).

This costs $100 to file with the Wyoming Secretary of State, regardless of whether you’ll be forming a domestic LLC or a foreign one.

To complete your Wyoming LLC Articles of Organization, you’ll need to have the following on-hand:

• The legal name your LLC will be registered as
• Your LLC’s mailing address and principal business address
• The name and address of your LLC’s registered agent
• Your registered agent consent to the duties of this role
• Your full name, address, and contact information

In the sections below, we’ve explored the two most common ways of submitting your LLC’s formation document in more detail.

Online Filings

The quickest and easiest way to submit your LLC’s Articles of Organization is online through the Wyoming Secretary of State’s Business Center.

In order to be able to submit your Articles of Organization in this way, you’ll need to:

1. Conduct a name availability search to make sure you’re compliant with Wyoming Statutes 17-16-401 (f)(v)
2. Confirm that you’ve read the relevant statutes for business entity filings and are in compliance with them (these are included at the top of the Business Center page linked above)
3. Not be forming a business entity with a name beginning with the letter “A” (e.g., A Flying Kite LLC) — in this case, paper applications made to the Secretary of State’s Office are required instead

Note: Online filing also carries an additional convenience fee of $2.00, which applies on top of the base filing fee.

Mail Filings

Alternatively, you’re also able to submit your Articles of Organization by mail if you prefer.

To do so, you’ll need print out, complete, and submit to the form to the following address:

Wyoming Secretary of State
2020 Carey Ave.
Suite 700
Cheyenne, WY 82002

Alongside your mail application, you’ll also be required to include either a check or money order payable to the Wyoming Secretary of State for the $100 filing fee.

Step 4: Create a Wyoming LLC Operating Agreement

Once this is completed, the next step you’ll need to take is to create an operating agreement.

This is an internal document that clearly outlines the ownership and management structure of your company in order to reduce potential future conflict.

While this document isn’t legally mandated in Wyoming, all LLCs are recommended to have one as it can help maintain both: smooth operations and your LLC’s corporate veil.

A number of companies provide drafting services for operating agreements online, typically for a fee of around a few hundred dollars. However, it’s quite easy to sort this out by yourself if you want to save money, and you can even find a number of free templates online to help with this.

Step 5: Get an EIN

Even though it’s not a legal requirement (unless your LLC has employees or multiple members), all Wyoming LLCs should apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN).

This is a free, nine-digit number used by the IRS to identify your business and keep track of its tax reporting — much like a Social Security Number (SSN) for individuals.

You’ll need an EIN to be able to:

• Hire employees
• Open a business bank account
• Apply for some business licenses/permits
• Establish a line of credit

On top of this, using an EIN instead of a Social Security Number (SSN) helps to protect your personal information and safeguard your anonymity as the business owner of your LLC.

You can quickly apply for an EIN (which may also be called a Federal Employer Identification Number) for your LLC online through the IRS website. You’re also able to submit a paper application using Form SS-4 either via fax to (855) 641-6935, or by mailing it to the following address:

Internal Revenue Service
Attn: EIN Operation
Cincinnati, OH 45999

Note: Don’t worry if you don’t already have an SSN, it’s not necessary to have one in order to apply for an EIN — instead, you can just leave Section 7b of the application blank and call the IRS on (267) 941-1099.

Step 6: File a BOI Report

Starting January 2024, the vast majority of LLC owners will be required to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) Report with the US Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).

This is part of an initiative by the U.S. government to stop individuals and entities engaging in illegal or unethical activities from being able to conceal this using “opaque ownership structures”, like shell companies, to hide their true identities.

Existing LLCs will be able to file this report anytime between January 1, 2024, and January 1, 2025, while new LLCs will have up to 90 days after the date they were initially formed to do so (30 days for LLCs formed after the start of 2025).

Keep in mind that failure to file your LLC’s BOI report on time can result in exorbitantly high fines (i.e., $591 per day) or even jail time (up to two years).

Note: Not every LLC owner is required to file a BOI report. For example, companies with more than 20 full-time employees, accounting firms, and banks are exempt. For a full list of filing exemptions, you can have a look at FinCEN’s website.

How to Maintain Your Wyoming LLC

In order to keep operating legally in the state of Wyoming, you’ll need to file an annual report with the Secretary of State each year.

Don’t worry if you’re not sure how to complete this step, as we’ve detailed all the information you’ll need to know in the sections below.

File an Annual Report

To keep your Wyoming LLC in good standing, you must file an annual report and pay an annual license tax by the first day of your LLC’s formation month each year.

This statement ensures that the state has the most current information about your business, including its registered agent, principal office address, and the names and addresses of its members or managers.

For the annual license tax, you’ll be expected to pay either $60 or 0.0002% of the asset value of your Wyoming LLC (whichever is higher from the two). This is typically done online through the Wyoming Secretary of State’s website.

You’ll need a Secretary of State Filing ID in order to file your annual report online. If you don’t have one of these, you’ll need to use the Business Center’s Search option instead.

Note: If you owe more than $500 for your annual report fee, you won’t be able to file online.

Wyoming vs Other States

Wyoming is an incredibly popular option for single member LLC and multiple member LLC formation, and for good reason.

One of the key reasons for its attractiveness to entrepreneurs is the reduced tax burden it offers businesses due to the lack of personal income and corporate income tax.

On top of this, many LLC owners are drawn by the state’s strict privacy laws — which do not require the names of an LLC’s members or managers to be included in the business’s Articles of Organization. Additionally, the state cannot access an LLC’s members personal details through tax filings since there’s no personal income tax.

Finally, Wyoming is one of a handful of states (alongside Alaska, Delaware, Nevada, and South Dakota) to provide charging order protection for LLCs. This protection prevents creditors from being able to force your LLC’s members to sell company assets or their stake in the company to satisfy the debt.

Regardless, keep in mind that the best state to form your LLC is almost always the state that you will be operating in; this is because otherwise you’ll likely be required to register as a foreign LLC in your home state, meaning that you’ll need to pay registration and maintenance fees twice.

Wyoming Secretary of State Contact Information

Mailing Address:
Herschler Building East, Suite 100 and 101
122 W 25th Street
Cheyenne, WY 82002-0020
Monday – Friday, 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Contact Information:

Email: business@wyo.gov
Phone: (307) 777-7311