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If you are choosing between Nevada and Wyoming for an LLC, the gap that matters is the yearly bill, and it favours Wyoming. Wyoming's minimum is a $60 license tax. Nevada charges $150 for the annual list plus $200 for the State Business License, $350 in all. Both states set the due date by the month you formed. Each number below links to the page it comes from.
Fees at a glance
| Wyoming | Nevada | |
|---|---|---|
| Articles of organization | $100 (fee schedule) | $75, plus a $150 initial list and the $200 license soon after (NRS chapter 86, SBL FAQ) |
| Yearly filing | Annual report (FAQ) | Annual list, $150 (NRS chapter 86) |
| Yearly tax or license | License tax of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of Wyoming assets, the greater (FAQ) | State Business License, $200 (SBL FAQ) |
| Due | Anniversary month of formation (FAQ) | Last day of the anniversary month (NRS chapter 86) |
| Late | Dissolved after 60 days unfiled (FAQ) | $75 added to a late list (NRS chapter 86); $100 on a late license fee (SBL FAQ) |
| Reserve a name | $60 for 120 days (form) | $25 for 90 days (name reservation) |
| Good standing | Free online, $20 on paper (fee schedule) | $50 (sample certificates) |
| Register an out-of-state LLC | $150 certificate of authority (fee schedule) | $75, plus a $150 initial list (NRS chapter 86) |
Registered agent services charge on top of these in both states.
The first bill
Wyoming charges $100 for articles of organization, and the first annual report comes around a year later. Nevada's statute puts the articles at $75, but the new LLC must also file its initial list, at $150, and buy the $200 State Business License. The Secretary of State says both "are due no later than the last day of the month following the filing of your organizational documents." That makes $425 to get a Nevada LLC up and running against $100 in Wyoming. The Nevada $75 comes from the statute text, so check the current fee schedule before you pay.
Wyoming's license tax in plain terms
The Wyoming Secretary of State's FAQ gives the formula: "The tax is $60 or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar ($.0002), whichever is greater." It is charged on "all assets located and employed in Wyoming." Two tenths of a mill on $300,000 is $60, so an LLC with assets in Wyoming below that level pays the minimum. An LLC whose property and stock sit in another state counts little or nothing here.
There is no late fee as such. The state is blunter: "If the annual report is not filed within sixty (60) days following the due date, the entity will be administratively dissolved." Put the anniversary month in your calendar.
Filing by mail is slower. The FAQ says mailed documents are reviewed in order "with a maximum processing time of fifteen (15) business days."
Nevada's two yearly charges
Nevada's statute sets the list fee: the LLC "shall pay to the Secretary of State a fee of $150." The business license is separate, and the Secretary of State says "The annual renewal fee is $500 for Corporations, and $200 for all other business entity types." An LLC pays the $200.
A late list carries its own charge: "For default there must be added to the amount of the fee a penalty of $75." Late payment of the license adds "a penalty in the amount of $100 in addition to the annual fee." The Nevada guide explains what the status words on a Nevada record mean if a list is missed.
Names and proof of standing
Nevada is cheaper to reserve a name in, at "$25.00" held "for 90 days." Wyoming's LLC reservation form lists a $60 fee for a 120 day period. That figure comes from the form; the current Wyoming fee schedule does not list it, so confirm it before you send money.
Wyoming wins on certificates. "Electronic certificates of good standing are available for free" from the Wyoming site, and a signed paper one is $20. Nevada's Certificate of Existence costs $50. If a bank or another state asks for proof each year, that adds up. Our certificate of good standing guide shows how each state names it.
Before you reserve anything, run the name through our LLC name search.
Registering where you actually work
Low fees in Wyoming or Nevada only help if the LLC does not also have to register at home. A company that trades, hires or keeps an office in another state is normally expected to file there as a foreign LLC, pay that state's registration fee and file its yearly reports too. Then you pay twice. Read our foreign LLC registration guide before you decide, and compare the full set of states in LLC fees by state.
For an owner with no base in any US state, such as a non-resident, the table above is a fair comparison. For anyone else, start with your home state's fees.