Best States Summary: Quick-Reference Card - Anonymousllc.co's 2026 reference. Covers the rule, the controlling statute or regulation, common questions, and how Anonymousllc.co handles it in practice. Primary-source citations linked throughout.
Wyoming is the best state for most anonymous LLCs at $397 all-in, balancing the strongest single-member asset protection with the lowest maintenance among the protection-strong states. New Mexico wins on pure cost, Delaware on VC-friendly law, Nevada on reputation. All four states - Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware, and Nevada - keep members and managers off the public record, so the choice is about cost, asset protection, and use case, not about anonymity itself. Wyoming is the default Anonymousllc.co recommends. New Mexico is the cheapest at $347 with zero annual maintenance. Delaware at $407 suits startups raising institutional capital. Nevada at $722 carries a strong asset-protection reputation and the highest recurring cost. This quick-reference card summarizes each state's price, annual cost, and best-fit buyer so a decision takes minutes. The detailed fee charts are linked in Related Resources. Coverage is current as of the last-updated stamp at the top of the page.
Wyoming is the flagship because it pairs the strongest single-member charging-order protection in the US with a low $60 annual report and no state income tax, all at $397 all-in. Wyo. Stat. § 17-29-503 makes the charging order the exclusive remedy and extends full protection to single-member LLCs, which most states do not. That is the decisive asset-protection advantage for a solo owner. Wyoming also has no state income tax, a $60 minimum annual report, and established banking familiarity that makes account approval smoother than in less common states. Wyoming is the backend state for the $397 all-in Anonymous LLC SKU and the state-framed Wyoming SKU ($297 + $100 = $397). Year-two maintenance is $160 ($60 report + $100 registered agent). Anonymousllc.co defaults new buyers to Wyoming unless they have a specific reason to choose New Mexico, Delaware, or Nevada.
Choose New Mexico when cost is the priority: at $347 all-in with no annual report and no franchise tax, it is the cheapest US anonymous LLC to form and to maintain. New Mexico charges a $50 state filing fee ($297 + $50 = $347) and, under NMSA § 53-19, requires no annual report and no annual franchise tax. The only recurring cost is the $100/year registered agent, making the year-two total $100 - the lowest of the four states. There is no anniversary deadline to track and no state penalty clock. The trade-off is banking familiarity: New Mexico is less common than Wyoming, so underwriters are less accustomed to it and approval can run slower. It also lacks Wyoming's single-member charging-order exclusivity. New Mexico fits a budget-first holding LLC where the owner values the lowest possible cost over maximum asset protection.
Choose Delaware when the LLC will raise institutional capital: at $407 all-in it brings the Court of Chancery and the VC-preferred structure investors expect, with a flat $300/year franchise tax. Delaware charges a $110 state filing fee ($297 + $110 = $407) plus a $300 flat franchise tax due June 1 every year under 6 Del. C. § 18-1107. Its Court of Chancery is a dedicated business court with deep case law, which is why venture-backed startups and funds standardize on Delaware entities. Year-two maintenance is $400 ($300 franchise tax + $100 registered agent). Delaware provides anonymity but is weaker than Wyoming on single-member charging-order protection, so it is a governance-and-fundraising choice rather than an asset-protection choice. A founder planning a priced equity round or institutional investment picks Delaware; a solo owner focused on protecting personal assets picks Wyoming.
Choose Nevada when its asset-protection reputation or an existing Nevada footprint justifies the cost: at $722 all-in and $650/year to maintain, it is the most expensive of the four states. Nevada charges a $425 state fee ($297 + $425 = $722), bundling $75 Articles, a $200 business license, and a $150 initial Annual List. Recurring cost is $550/year (a $350 Annual List under NRS § 86.263 plus a $200 business license under NRS § 76.100) plus the $100 registered agent, for $650 a year. Nevada also has no state income tax and a strong charging-order statute (NRS § 86.401). Nevada's Annual List names managers, so anonymity is preserved by forming manager-managed with an LLC or nominee manager. Nevada fits a buyer who specifically wants Nevada's protection reputation or who already operates there. Buyers without that specific reason get comparable protection at lower cost in Wyoming.
Formation cost ranks New Mexico $347, Wyoming $397, Delaware $407, Nevada $722. Annual maintenance ranks New Mexico $100, Wyoming $160, Delaware $400, Nevada $650 - the same order. The formation math is a flat $297 service fee plus the state fee: New Mexico $50, Wyoming $100, Delaware $110, Nevada $425. Maintenance is the state's recurring charge plus the $100 registered agent: New Mexico $0 + $100, Wyoming $60 + $100, Delaware $300 + $100, Nevada $550 + $100. Over five years the maintenance gap widens to $500 for New Mexico versus $3,250 for Nevada. Because both rankings move together, a purely cost-driven buyer chooses New Mexico and a reputation-or-fundraising-driven buyer accepts Delaware or Nevada's premium. Wyoming sits where most buyers land: modest formation cost, low maintenance, and the strongest asset protection of the four.
Wyoming offers the strongest single-member charging-order protection, Nevada is close behind, and Delaware and New Mexico recognize charging orders without Wyoming's single-member exclusivity. Wyoming (Wyo. Stat. § 17-29-503) and Nevada (NRS § 86.401) make the charging order the exclusive remedy, and Wyoming extends that strength to single-member LLCs - the decisive factor for a solo owner. Delaware recognizes charging orders but is weaker on single-member protection, positioning it as a governance choice rather than an asset-protection one. New Mexico recognizes charging-order protection and adds the lowest cost, without Wyoming's single-member exclusivity. All four deliver the same public-record anonymity, which is a targeting defense rather than the protection mechanism itself. For an owner whose main goal is shielding personal assets, Wyoming's exclusive-remedy statute is the reason it leads. See the Charging Order Protection State Matrix in Related Resources for the full breakdown.
Wyoming and Delaware are the most common non-resident choices - Wyoming for asset protection and cost, Delaware for fundraising. None of the four states require US residency, an SSN, or a visa. A non-resident forms in any of the four at the same price a US resident pays, obtains an EIN by fax in 4-6 weeks without an SSN, and pursues US banking through Mercury, Relay, and Bluevine. Wyoming is the default for non-residents because it combines the strongest protection with banking familiarity, which matters more for non-resident approval odds. Delaware fits non-resident founders building a venture-backed company. New Mexico works for a non-resident holding LLC on the tightest budget, accepting slower banking for the lowest cost. Nevada fits a non-resident with a specific Nevada reason. Anonymousllc.co runs the same WhatsApp intake for residents and non-residents and recommends the state based on the buyer's goal, not a one-size default.
Decide by the primary goal: Wyoming for the best all-round protection at $397, New Mexico for lowest cost at $347, Delaware for raising capital at $407, Nevada for reputation at $722. Start with the reason for forming. A solo owner protecting personal assets picks Wyoming. A budget-first holding LLC picks New Mexico. A startup heading for a priced equity round picks Delaware. A buyer who specifically wants Nevada's protection reputation or who already operates there picks Nevada. When there is no specific reason pulling toward another state, Wyoming is the default because it wins on the combination of protection, cost, and banking. Anonymousllc.co confirms the recommendation during the 5-minute WhatsApp intake, sends a one-page quote, and begins filing the same business day. The four sister fee charts linked in Related Resources give the line-by-line detail behind this summary card.
Government, regulator, and primary-source documents underpinning this page.
5-minute WhatsApp intake. 5-10 day turnaround.