Wyoming is far cheaper and just as private. Nevada carries the older asset-protection brand and deeper case law. Both shield single-member LLCs by statute.
By Shafwan Ahmed, Anonymousllc.co
| Dimension | Wyoming | Nevada |
|---|---|---|
| Anonymousllc.co price | $397 all-in | $722 total ($297 + $425 state) |
| State filing fee | $100 | $425 |
| Annual cost | $60 min license tax | $350 (business license + Annual List) |
| Member disclosure | Not required | Not required |
| Manager disclosure | Not required | Initial List only (year 1) |
| Charging order | Exclusive remedy (§ 17-29-503(a)) | Strong (NRS § 86.501) |
| Case law depth | Established | More extensive |
| State income tax | None | None |
| DAPT | Yes (§ 4-10-510) | Yes (NRS 166) |
| State business license | Not required | $200/year required |
| 5-year total cost | $797 | $1,957 |
Wyoming matches Nevada's statutory asset protection while charging a fraction of the ongoing state cost, which makes it the better value for the large majority of anonymous LLC buyers. Members stay off the public record in both states. Wyoming files for $100 and carries a $60 minimum annual license tax due in your formation-anniversary month, so the all-in Anonymousllc.co price is $397 and the five-year cost is near $797. Nevada's five-year figure runs closer to $1,957 once you add the $425 state formation fee, the $200 annual state business license, and the Annual List filing - a difference of roughly $1,160 over five years for protection that is substantively equivalent. Wyoming's charging order statute (§ 17-29-503(a)) makes the charging order the exclusive creditor remedy and reaches single-member LLCs directly, which is the structure most solo owners actually use. The state also authorizes a domestic asset protection trust under § 4-10-510, so a trust-over-LLC layer is available without leaving the state. There is no state income tax on the entity or the member, and Wyoming does not require a separate state business license, so ongoing administration is a single annual report rather than a license renewal plus a list filing. Banking partners recognize Wyoming filings without friction, EIN issuance for non-residents runs 5-7 days by fax, and a US business account opens 8-10 days after the EIN through partners such as Mercury, Relay, and Bluevine. For real estate, e-commerce, consulting, and holding structures where cost and simplicity matter, Wyoming is the cost-effective default.
Nevada is worth the premium when your attorney specifically recommends it for its deeper charging order case law or when the Nevada brand is central to a documented asset-protection plan. Its protections are well-tested but not stronger on paper than Wyoming's. Nevada's charging order statute, NRS § 86.501, has been litigated more extensively than Wyoming's, and some asset-protection attorneys prefer that longer record of precedent when structuring for a high-risk client. Nevada also offers a domestic asset protection trust under NRS 166. The tradeoff is cost and administration: the Anonymousllc.co price is $722 total (the flat $297 service fee plus the $425 state fee), and ongoing state obligations run about $350 per year between the state business license and the Annual List. Nevada does not require member disclosure, but managers appear on the Initial List in the first year, so the anonymity profile is a step behind Wyoming's manager-free filing. There is no state income tax. For a client whose plan is built specifically around Nevada precedent, or who is placing significant assets behind the entity and treats cost as secondary, Nevada earns its place. For a standard operating business, the extra spend buys reputation rather than measurably stronger protection.
A Wyoming anonymous LLC costs $397 all-in and a Nevada anonymous LLC costs $722 total through Anonymousllc.co, a $325 difference at formation that widens sharply in the annual cost. Nevada is the most expensive of the four anonymous states. Wyoming's price is the flat $297 service fee plus the $100 state filing fee. Nevada's is the same $297 service fee plus a $425 state fee, which bundles the higher formation charges Nevada imposes up front. Both include state filing, year-one registered agent, EIN, custom operating agreement, 4-5 bank applications, and BOI guidance. The recurring gap is larger than the formation gap. Wyoming carries a $60 minimum annual license tax. Nevada requires about $350 per year between the state business license ($200) and the Annual List filing. Over five years Wyoming totals near $797 and Nevada near $1,957, a difference of roughly $1,160 for protection that is substantively equivalent.
No. Nevada's asset protection is not stronger than Wyoming's on paper - both provide a robust charging order and a domestic asset protection trust. Nevada's edge is a longer record of litigated case law, not a stronger statute. Wyoming's § 17-29-503(a) makes the charging order the exclusive creditor remedy and reaches single-member LLCs directly. Nevada's NRS § 86.501 provides comparable charging order protection and has been tested in more disputes, which is the reputation some asset-protection attorneys value. Both states authorize a DAPT - Wyoming under § 4-10-510 and Nevada under NRS 166 - so the trust-over-LLC option exists in either. The practical result is that a client choosing Nevada is buying case-law depth and brand rather than a measurably stronger shield. For the large majority of owners, Wyoming's statutory protection is equivalent at a fraction of the ongoing cost.
Wyoming keeps ownership more private because it requires no disclosure of members or managers on any filing, while Nevada lists managers on the Initial List in the first year. Neither state discloses members. A Wyoming filing names no members and no managers, so the public record shows the registered agent and the entity itself with no individuals attached. Nevada also protects members, but its Initial List and Annual List require the managers to be named, which places a person on the record in year one for a manager-managed LLC. For an owner whose priority is the cleanest possible public footprint, Wyoming's manager-free filing is a step ahead. Both states keep the beneficial owner off the state record for member-managed structures, and federal BOI reporting to FinCEN stays confidential in either case.
Wyoming is better for a non-resident founder because it costs roughly $1,160 less over five years, banks with the same partners, and requires no separate state business license to renew each year. Nevada adds cost and administration without adding banking access. A non-resident forms in either state with members off the record, receives an EIN by fax in 5-7 days without an SSN, and opens a US business account 8-10 days after the EIN through Mercury, Relay, or Bluevine at roughly a 90% approval rate. The banking experience does not improve in Nevada. Nevada's ongoing obligations - the state business license and the Annual List - are extra filings a non-resident must track from abroad, on top of a higher formation cost. Unless an attorney specifically directs a non-resident to Nevada for case-law reasons, Wyoming is the simpler and cheaper base.
Paying more for a Nevada LLC is justified when an asset-protection attorney specifically recommends it for its deeper case law, or when the Nevada brand is central to a documented high-value protection plan and cost is a secondary concern. Some attorneys structuring for a high-risk client prefer the longer litigation record behind NRS § 86.501 and want the Nevada name attached to the strategy. For a client placing significant assets behind the entity, the extra $1,160 over five years is immaterial next to what is being protected, so Nevada's reputation can be worth the premium. For a standard operating business - real estate, e-commerce, consulting, freelancing - the extra spend buys reputation rather than measurably stronger protection, and Wyoming delivers the same exclusive-remedy charging order and DAPT option for far less. Match the state to the advice you have, not to the brand alone.
Wyoming requires one annual report with a $60 minimum license tax, while Nevada requires an Annual List of managers plus a state business license totaling about $350 per year. Both require a registered agent and federal BOI reporting. A Wyoming LLC files a single annual report in the formation-anniversary month, and the $60 minimum license tax covers most holding and operating entities. There is no separate state business license to renew, so the annual obligation is one filing and one small fee. The registered agent Anonymousllc.co provides in year one renews at $100 per year and keeps the owner's address off the public record. Nevada carries a heavier annual load. The state requires an Annual List that names the managers, and a state business license that runs about $200 per year, so the recurring state cost is near $350 before the registered agent. The Annual List is also the point at which a manager-managed Nevada LLC places a person on the public record, which Wyoming avoids entirely. Missing either Nevada filing risks a penalty and eventual revocation of good standing. On the federal side, both states file the same confidential beneficial ownership report with FinCEN, which never appears on the state record. The net effect is that Nevada asks the owner to track two state filings and roughly $350 a year, while Wyoming asks for one filing and $60 - the difference that drives the $1,160 five-year cost gap between them.
A first-time founder should choose Wyoming because it delivers the same anonymity and statutory protection as Nevada with lower cost, simpler annual upkeep, and easier banking, so there is no reason to absorb Nevada's premium without specific attorney guidance. A founder forming a first entity benefits most from a structure that is inexpensive to carry, straightforward to keep compliant, and readily accepted by banks. Wyoming meets all three: $397 all-in, a single $60 annual report, and the best banking acceptance of the four anonymous states, with a US account opening 8-10 days after the EIN through Mercury, Relay, or Bluevine. The exclusive-remedy charging order under § 17-29-503(a) gives a first-time owner strong protection without needing to understand Nevada case law to benefit from it. Nevada's advantages - deeper litigation history and brand - are meaningful to an attorney structuring for a high-risk, high-value client, not to a founder opening a first LLC for a consulting practice, an e-commerce store, or a rental property. Choosing Nevada as a first entity means paying roughly $1,160 more over five years and tracking an extra state filing for protection that is substantively equivalent. The disciplined first move is Wyoming, with Nevada reserved for the specific situation where a professional advisor recommends it in writing.
Wyoming is the better base for an out-of-state real estate investor because its lower cost, Series LLC, and exclusive-remedy charging order fit passive property holding, while Nevada adds annual cost and a manager disclosure without adding protection an investor needs. An investor holding property outside their home state uses the LLC to hold title, limit liability, and keep ownership off the public record, not to raise capital. Wyoming supports a Series LLC, so several properties sit in separate series under one filing, isolating each property's liability from the others without a new entity per parcel. The charging order under § 17-29-503(a) is the exclusive creditor remedy and reaches single-member LLCs, the structure most solo investors use to hold a rental, and Wyoming authorizes a DAPT under § 4-10-510 for layering a trust over the holding company as a portfolio grows. Nevada offers comparable statutory protection and its own DAPT under NRS 166, but the annual cost is the problem for a buy-and-hold investor: roughly $350 per year in state business license and Annual List filings against Wyoming's $60, multiplied across every entity in the portfolio. The Annual List also names the manager, placing a person on the record that Wyoming keeps off. Note that holding property in a state other than where it sits can require foreign qualification of the LLC in the property's state, which applies equally whether the holding entity is Wyoming or Nevada, so that step does not favor either. Weighing cost, privacy, and Series LLC capability, Wyoming is the stronger holding base, with Nevada justified only when an attorney directs it for a specific high-value plan.
Wyoming is the recommended default: the same exclusive-remedy charging order, the same DAPT option, a manager-free filing, and roughly $1,160 lower cost over five years with simpler annual upkeep. Choose Nevada only when your attorney specifically advises it for case-law advantages in your situation or when the Nevada brand is central to a high-value asset-protection plan where cost is secondary.
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