Nevada vs Wyoming: asset protection case law vs cost efficiency, $350/yr vs $60/yr ongoing, side-by-side analysis.
By Shafwan Ahmed, Operations & Fulfillment Lead, Anonymousllc.co
Nevada and Wyoming are the two premier asset protection LLC states. Both offer strong single-member charging order protection. Both have no state income tax. The difference: Nevada costs $290/year more in ongoing state fees and has deeper case law. Wyoming costs less and has stronger DAPT statutes. Which matters more to you?
\nFormation: Wyoming $397 total vs Nevada $722 total ($325 difference). Annual: Wyoming $100/year vs Nevada $390/year ($290/year difference). Over 5 years: Wyoming $797 vs Nevada $1,957. Over 10 years: Wyoming $1,297 vs Nevada $3,907. The gap is substantial and compounds over time.
\nNevada\\\'s advantage is case law depth - more reported decisions interpreting charging orders. Wyoming\\\'s advantage is statutory clarity - § 17-29-503(a) explicitly states charging order is the exclusive remedy for single-member LLCs. Both approaches are strong. The question is whether you or your attorney value judicial precedent (Nevada) over statutory text (Wyoming).
\nWyoming: fully anonymous - no member or manager disclosure on any filing, ever. Nevada: near-anonymous - manager disclosed on Initial List (first year only), then RA can be substituted on Annual Lists. For absolute privacy on all filings, Wyoming wins.
\nWyoming for 95% of buyers. Nevada only when your asset protection attorney specifically cites Nevada case law as relevant to your situation. The $1,260 5-year cost difference and Wyoming\\\'s full anonymity (vs Nevada\\\'s Initial List disclosure) tip the scale for most use cases.
| Dimension | Wyoming | Nevada |
|---|---|---|
| Formation total | $397 all-in | $722 total |
| Annual state cost | $100/year | $390/year |
| 5-year total cost | $797 | $1,957 |
| Member/manager anonymity | Full - no disclosure ever | Manager on year-1 Initial List |
| Single-member protection | Explicit (§ 17-29-503(a)) | Strong via case law |
| Case law depth | Solid statute, less precedent | Deep precedent |
| State income tax | None | None |
| Best for | Most buyers | Attorney-cited case law needs |
Nevada earns its higher price in a narrow set of cases. If an asset protection attorney is structuring your holdings and points to specific Nevada charging order decisions as relevant, the depth of reported case law is a genuine benefit that statutory text alone does not provide. High-net-worth clients whose plans are likely to be litigated sometimes prefer a state where judges have already ruled on the exact question at issue. In those situations the extra $290 per year is a rounding error against the value being protected, and the one-year manager disclosure on the Initial List is an acceptable tradeoff.
For nearly everyone else, an online business, a single rental property, a holding entity, or a founder who simply wants privacy and a clean bank account, Wyoming delivers the same tax treatment and comparable protection at less than half the lifetime cost.
The formation price gap is real but modest: $722 in Nevada against $397 all-in in Wyoming, a difference of $325 paid once. The gap that matters is the annual one. Nevada charges roughly $390 every year for the State Business License and Annual List, while Wyoming charges roughly $100. That $290 annual difference compounds. Over five years the totals land near $1,957 for Nevada and $797 for Wyoming. Over ten years the spread widens to roughly $3,907 versus $1,297. For a long-held entity, choosing Nevada without a specific legal reason means paying an extra $2,600 across a decade for protection that Wyoming already provides by statute.
None of that argues against Nevada when the case law genuinely matters. It simply frames the decision honestly: you are buying judicial precedent, and precedent has a recurring price tag. If your attorney is not pointing to Nevada decisions by name, that price is hard to justify.
No. Wyoming is more anonymous. Wyoming never publishes a member or manager name on any filing. Nevada requires one manager name on the first-year Initial List before you can substitute the registered agent. For maximum privacy, Wyoming wins.
Both are strong. Nevada leans on deeper case law; Wyoming leans on an explicit statute that names the charging order as the exclusive remedy even for single-member LLCs. The right answer depends on whether your attorney values judicial precedent over statutory clarity.
Yes, through a domestication or by forming a new Wyoming entity and transferring assets, but both add cost and paperwork. It is cheaper to choose the right state at formation, which is why we talk through your use case on WhatsApp before you pay.
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