Delaware is the most expensive anonymous LLC state to maintain. Here is exactly what you pay and why some founders choose it anyway.
By Shafwan Ahmed, Operations & Fulfillment Lead, Anonymousllc.co
Anonymousllc.co charges $297 for Delaware LLC formation. The Delaware state filing fee of $110 is paid separately to the Delaware Division of Corporations. Total year 1 cost: $407. This includes formation filing, registered agent year 1, custom operating agreement (required under Delaware law), EIN from the IRS, and applications to 4-5 US banks.
Delaware imposes a $300 annual franchise tax on all LLCs, due June 1 each year. This is not based on income - it is a flat fee every Delaware LLC pays regardless of revenue. Miss the deadline and Delaware charges a $200 late penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest. The franchise tax is paid directly to Delaware, not to Anonymousllc.co.
This $300/year is the key cost difference between Delaware and other anonymous states. Wyoming charges $60/year (annual report). New Mexico charges $0/year. Nevada charges $350/year (Business License + Annual List). Over 5 years, Delaware costs approximately $1,767 total vs Wyoming at $797.
| Timeframe | Delaware | Wyoming | New Mexico | Nevada |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year 1 | $407 | $397 | $347 | $722 |
| Year 2 | $340 | $100 | $40 | $390 |
| 3-Year Total | $1,087 | $597 | $427 | $1,177 |
| 5-Year Total | $1,767 | $797 | $507 | $1,957 |
| 10-Year Total | $3,467 | $1,297 | $707 | $3,907 |
Assumes $40/year RA renewal for all states.
The $300/year franchise tax buys access to the Court of Chancery - specialized business law judges with no juries. Venture capital attorneys default to Delaware. Investors expect Delaware. If you are building a startup that will raise institutional capital, the franchise tax is effectively the cost of entry into the VC ecosystem. For every other use case, Wyoming provides equivalent anonymity at $240/year less.
The $407 Delaware year-one total is the $297 Anonymousllc.co service plus the $110 state filing fee, and it is genuinely all-in for the work of standing up the entity. It covers filing the Certificate of Formation with the Delaware Division of Corporations, registered agent service for the first year, a custom operating agreement drafted for Delaware law, EIN retrieval from the IRS, and applications to four or five US banks. There is no separate charge for the operating agreement or the EIN, which competitors frequently bill as add-ons.
The number to plan around is not year one. It is the $300 franchise tax that repeats every June 1 for the life of the entity. That recurring line is what makes Delaware the most expensive anonymous state to hold, and it is the single figure a founder should weigh before choosing Delaware over Wyoming.
Delaware LLCs pay a flat $300 franchise tax, not a graduated one. Unlike the corporate franchise tax, which scales with shares or assets, the LLC tax is the same $300 whether the entity earned nothing or millions. There is no separate annual report to file for an LLC, so the tax payment is the entire annual obligation. The deadline is June 1, and it does not move with your formation date.
Missing the deadline is expensive relative to the tax itself. Delaware adds a $200 late penalty and charges 1.5% interest per month on the unpaid balance. An entity that ignores the tax long enough loses good standing, which blocks financing, banking changes, and any eventual conversion to a C-corp. Because the penalty can exceed the tax, setting a June 1 reminder is the cheapest compliance step a Delaware owner can take.
$407 total: the $297 Anonymousllc.co service plus the $110 Delaware state filing fee. That price includes the filing, registered agent for year one, a custom operating agreement, EIN retrieval, and bank applications.
A flat $300 owed every June 1 by every Delaware LLC, regardless of income. It is paid directly to Delaware, not to Anonymousllc.co. Late payment adds a $200 penalty plus 1.5% monthly interest.
Yes, and the gap grows over time. Delaware runs about $1,767 over five years against Wyoming at roughly $797, driven almost entirely by the $300 franchise tax versus Wyoming's $60 annual report.
BOI reporting is a separate service at $150 per report when filed through Anonymousllc.co. It is a federal FinCEN obligation, distinct from the Delaware state filing, and applies regardless of which state you form in.
Only when you are raising venture capital or need Court of Chancery jurisdiction. For every other use case, Wyoming delivers identical anonymity for about $240 a year less.
$297 Anonymousllc.co + $110 state fee. Court of Chancery jurisdiction.
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