Single-Member LLC in Wyoming: $100 Cost & Taxes (2026)
A single-member LLC in Wyoming costs $100 to form and owes an annual report license tax of $60 or $.0002 of Wyoming assets, whichever is greater. Federally it is a disregarded entity reported on Schedule C with 15.3% self-employment tax.
Quick Answer
- What it is
- A one-owner Wyoming LLC formed with standard Articles of Organization
- Formation fee
- $100
- Annual report license tax
- $60 minimum, or $.0002 of Wyoming assets if greater
- Certificate of Good Standing
- Free online
- Federal tax status
- Disregarded entity by default (Schedule C)
- Self-employment tax
- 15.3%; Schedule SE required at $400+ net earnings
- Registered agent
- Required; $350 reinstatement if it lapses
- EIN
- Free from the IRS
What a Single-Member LLC Is in Wyoming
A Wyoming single-member LLC is an ordinary limited liability company with one owner, formed under the Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act by filing Articles of Organization with the Wyoming Secretary of State. Wyoming does not use a different form or a different statute for one-owner companies.
Wyoming was the first state to authorize the LLC, and its statute is still one of the most owner-friendly in the country. That reputation draws a lot of out-of-state formation traffic - much of it accompanied by claims about privacy and taxes that do not survive contact with the rules of the state where the owner actually works.
Federally, a one-member LLC is a disregarded entity under 26 CFR 301.7701-3 unless it elects otherwise. The entity exists for liability purposes and disappears for income tax purposes, which is exactly the combination most solo owners want.
What It Costs
The Wyoming Secretary of State's filing fee schedule sets Articles of Organization at $100 for a domestic LLC, with an additional $10 per series designated or established under a series LLC. Amendment, dissolution, or any other filing costs $60.
The recurring charge is the annual report license tax: $60, or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar ($.0002) of the company's assets located and employed in Wyoming, whichever is greater. For a company with few or no Wyoming assets, that is $60 a year. Wyoming provides Certificates of Good Standing at no cost through its online business portal - a fee many states charge for.
Two penalty numbers are worth knowing before you cut corners. Reinstatement after being dissolved for tax is $100; reinstatement after losing your registered agent is $350. Letting an agent lapse is the single most expensive avoidable mistake in Wyoming.
| Item | Fee | When |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of Organization | $100 | One-time, at formation |
| Series designated under a Series LLC | $10 per series | One-time, per series |
| Annual report license tax | $60 minimum ($.0002 of Wyoming assets if greater) | Every year |
| Amendment / dissolution / other filing | $60 | As needed |
| Reinstatement for tax | $100 | After dissolution for nonpayment |
| Reinstatement for no registered agent | $350 | After agent lapse |
| Certificate of Good Standing (online) | $0 | On request |
| Federal EIN | $0 | One-time |
How to Form One
Choose a distinguishable name with an LLC designator, appoint a Wyoming registered agent with a physical in-state street address, and file the Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State's Business Division. Wyoming accepts most LLC filings electronically. The step-by-step version is in how to form an LLC in Wyoming.
After the filing is accepted, get a free EIN, adopt a written operating agreement, and open a bank account in the LLC's exact registered name. Wyoming does not file operating agreements, and it does not require you to list members publicly - but a bank will still ask who owns and controls the account.
The Registered Agent Requirement
Wyoming requires continuous maintenance of a registered agent with a physical Wyoming street address. Because most single-member Wyoming LLCs are owned by people who do not live in Wyoming, a commercial agent is usually mandatory rather than optional - see Wyoming registered agent requirements and the national registered agent guide.
Treat the agent relationship as a hard obligation. The Secretary of State's own fee schedule prices reinstatement after an agent lapse at $350 - more than three times the cost of forming the company in the first place - which tells you how seriously the state takes it.
Federal Tax Treatment and the Home-State Question
A Wyoming single-member LLC reports profit on the owner's Schedule C and pays self-employment tax at 15.3% computed on Schedule SE, required once net earnings reach $400. Quarterly estimated payments to the IRS are expected because nobody withholds for you.
Wyoming imposes no corporate or individual income tax, which is why the state is marketed so heavily. The part the marketing omits: you are taxed where you live and work, not where you filed. If you run the business from another state, that state generally treats your Wyoming LLC as doing business there and expects foreign registration, its own fees, and its own income tax.
For a genuinely location-independent or Wyoming-based owner, the arithmetic is attractive. For someone operating out of California, New York, or Texas, a Wyoming LLC often means paying two states instead of one. Read foreign LLC registration before assuming otherwise.
S-Corp Election and Growth
A Wyoming single-member LLC can file IRS Form 2553 to be taxed under Subchapter S, splitting profit into W-2 wages subject to employment tax and distributions that are not. The election costs nothing and is due two months and 15 days into the tax year.
Weigh it against the overhead: payroll registration, quarterly employment tax returns, a separate Form 1120-S, and a documented reasonable salary. Compare structures with S-corp vs LLC and estimate the impact with the self-employment tax calculator.
Keeping the Shield Intact
Wyoming's statute is protective, but no statute saves an owner who runs the LLC as a personal checkbook. Keep a dedicated business account, sign contracts as "Member" or "Manager" of the LLC rather than in your own name, document capital contributions and distributions, and file the annual report every year.
Adopt an operating agreement even as a sole owner. It is the document that shows a court the LLC was intended and operated as a separate entity, and it controls what happens to the company if you become incapacitated or die - a question single-member LLCs answer badly by default.
Common Mistakes
The two costliest are letting the registered agent lapse, which carries a $350 reinstatement fee, and forming in Wyoming while operating elsewhere without registering as a foreign LLC in the home state. The second exposes you to back fees, penalties, and sometimes an inability to bring suit in the state where your customers are.
Smaller but common: skipping the annual report license tax, believing an LLC eliminates self-employment tax without an S election, using a mail-drop address as if it were a registered office, and assuming Wyoming privacy rules keep your ownership hidden from banks, the IRS, or beneficial-ownership reporting.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a single-member LLC cost in Wyoming?
The Wyoming Secretary of State charges $100 to file Articles of Organization. The recurring cost is the annual report license tax of $60, or two-tenths of one mill ($.0002) on Wyoming assets if that is greater. Certificates of good standing are free online, and a federal EIN is free from the IRS.
Is a Wyoming single-member LLC disregarded for taxes?
For federal income tax, yes. Under 26 CFR 301.7701-3 a domestic one-member LLC is a disregarded entity by default, so profit is reported on Schedule C of the owner's Form 1040 and self-employment tax is computed on Schedule SE. The LLC remains a separate legal entity under Wyoming law.
Can I form a Wyoming LLC if I live in another state?
Yes, but it rarely avoids your home state's taxes. You are generally taxed where you live and work. Most states treat a Wyoming LLC run from within their borders as doing business there, requiring foreign registration, state fees, and state income tax on the same profit - so you may end up paying two states.
What is the Wyoming annual report license tax?
It is Wyoming's yearly filing for LLCs: $60, or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar ($.0002) of the company's assets located and employed in Wyoming, whichever is greater. Most small out-of-state-owned LLCs pay the $60 minimum. Missing it can lead to administrative dissolution and a $100 reinstatement fee.
Does a Wyoming single-member LLC need a registered agent?
Yes, continuously, and the agent must have a physical Wyoming street address. Because most owners live elsewhere, a commercial agent is usually required. Losing your agent is expensive: the Secretary of State's fee schedule prices reinstatement for no registered agent at $350, versus $100 to form the LLC.
Does Wyoming tax LLC income?
Wyoming does not impose a corporate or individual income tax, so there is no Wyoming return on pass-through profit. That does not eliminate federal tax: the owner still pays federal income tax and 15.3% self-employment tax, and any state where the owner actually conducts business may tax the same income.
Related
- How to form an LLC in Wyoming
- Wyoming registered agent
- Foreign LLC registration
- Self-employment tax calculator
- What is a DBA?
- How to dissolve an LLC
- How to form an LLC
- How to get an EIN
- S-corp vs LLC
- Business license overview
- Registered agent requirements
Sources
- Wyoming Secretary of State - Business Division Filing Fee Schedule (LLC Articles of Organization $100; series $10; annual report license tax $60 minimum or $.0002 of Wyoming assets; amendment/dissolution $60; reinstatement $100 / $350).
- Wyoming Secretary of State - Start a Business (filing options and free certificates of good standing).
- IRS - Single Member Limited Liability Companies (disregarded entity; when an EIN is required).
- IRS - Limited Liability Company (LLC) (federal classification).
- IRS - Get an Employer Identification Number (EIN is free).
- IRS - About Form SS-4 (EIN application).
- IRS - About Schedule C (Form 1040) (reporting a disregarded LLC).
- IRS - About Schedule SE (Form 1040) (self-employment tax computation).
- IRS - Self-Employment Tax (15.3% rate; $400 threshold).
- IRS - Estimated Taxes (quarterly payment requirement).
- IRS - About Form 2553 (S corporation election).
- Legal Information Institute (Cornell) - 26 CFR 301.7701-3 (entity classification election).
- Legal Information Institute (Cornell) - 26 U.S.C. 1402 (net earnings from self-employment).
LegalGlass provides general information for educational purposes and is not legal advice, is not a law firm, and is not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or tax professional. Laws, fees, and thresholds change; verify current amounts with the Wyoming Secretary of State before acting.