Formation fees range from $35 (Kentucky) to $500+ (Massachusetts series-LLC). Annual fees range from $0 (NM, others) to $800+ (California's annual franchise tax). This Anonymousllc.co reference compares formation and ongoing fees across all 50 states with the four anonymous states (Wyoming, NM, Delaware, Nevada) highlighted in context.
Wyoming - $100 filing fee. $60 minimum annual license tax. Total year-1 state cost: $160. Total year-2+ state cost: $60. New Mexico - $50 filing fee. NO annual report. NO annual franchise tax. Total year-1 state cost: $50. Total year-2+ state cost: $0. Cheapest US state for LLCs over their lifetime. Delaware - $110 filing fee. $300 annual franchise tax due June 1. Total year-1 state cost: $410. Total year-2+ state cost: $300. Nevada - $75 Articles + $150 Initial List + $200 Business License = $425 at formation. $350 Annual List + $200 Business License = $550 each subsequent year. Most expensive among the four anonymous states. Anonymousllc.co pricing layers $297-$397 fulfillment on top: • Wyoming: $397 total ($297 + $100 state) • NM: $347 total ($297 + $50 state) • Delaware: $407 total ($297 + $110 state) • Nevada: $722 total ($297 + $425 state) • Anonymous LLC (all-in): $397 (Wyoming-fulfilled)
These states are CHEAPER than Wyoming on formation cost but DO require public member listing, so they don't offer the anonymity layer: • Kentucky - $40 filing + $15 annual report = $40 year 1, $15/year ongoing. Cheapest US state for non-anonymous formation. • Missouri - $50 filing + no annual report. $50 year 1, $0 ongoing. • Arkansas - $45 filing + $150 annual franchise tax. $45 year 1, $150/year. • Mississippi - $50 filing + $25 annual report. $50 year 1, $25/year. • Iowa - $50 filing + $30 biennial report. $50 year 1, $15/year average. These states are good cost choices for LLCs that don't need anonymity (e.g., owner-operator in-state businesses where ownership is already disclosed). For anonymous LLCs, NM at $50 + $0 still wins because it adds anonymity.
California - $70 filing + $800 annual franchise tax + $20 Statement of Information biennial. The $800 minimum franchise tax applies regardless of revenue. AVOID for any LLC that doesn't specifically need California presence. Massachusetts - $500 filing + $500 annual report. The most expensive standard formation in the US. Used by buyers who specifically need Massachusetts series-LLC structure. New York - $200 filing + $25 biennial statement + publication requirement ($800-$2,000 in NYC counties). NY's publication requirement alone makes it the most expensive practical formation in the US. Illinois - $150 filing + $75 annual report + state income tax on LLC profits if Illinois nexus. Washington DC - $99 filing + $300 biennial report.
Cheapest 10 (year-1 state cost): Kentucky $40, Missouri $50, Mississippi $50, New Mexico $50, Arizona $50, Iowa $50, Arkansas $45-$195 (with FT), Indiana $95, Michigan $50, Idaho $100. Next 10 (year-1 state cost $100-$200): Wyoming $160, Nebraska $100, Oklahoma $100, Utah $70, Wisconsin $130, Maryland $100, Pennsylvania $125, Virginia $100, Colorado $50, Texas $300. Next 10 ($200-$400): Delaware $410, Florida $125 + $138.75 annual, Georgia $100 + $50 annual, Tennessee $300, Vermont $125 + $35 annual, Connecticut $120 + $80 annual, Minnesota $135 + $0 annual, Hawaii $50 + $15 annual. Expensive ($400+): Nevada $425 (year 1) / $550 (subsequent), California $870 (year 1 with FT) / $820 ongoing, Massachusetts $1,000, New York $200-$2,200 (with publication), Illinois $150-$300. The full breakdown lives in /resources/state-filing-fee-chart/ and /resources/state-annual-fee-chart/ - search-friendly tables you can sort by formation fee, annual fee, or anonymous-state status.
Anonymousllc.co only forms LLCs in the four anonymous states (WY, NM, DE, NV). For buyers who want a non-anonymous state because of in-state operations: 1. Form your operating-state LLC yourself with a state-specific provider (cheaper for low-cost states like Kentucky or Missouri). 2. Form a Wyoming or NM anonymous LLC with Anonymousllc.co to own the operating-state LLC. This is the standard 'parent holding structure' for asset protection - the operating LLC is in your operating state, the anonymous holding LLC is the member of the operating LLC. This layered structure costs $347-$397 (anonymous holding) + $40-$200 (operating state) per year. The holding LLC owns the operating LLC; lawsuits against the operating LLC don't reach the holding LLC's members. For pure anonymity with no in-state operating need, the four anonymous states are sufficient. NM at $347 total + $0 ongoing is the cheapest US anonymous LLC over its lifetime.
After formation, the recurring state cost is $0 in New Mexico, $60 in Wyoming, $300 in Delaware, and roughly $350 and up in Nevada. Add the $100/year registered agent to reach the true annual figure. New Mexico charges no annual report and no annual state fee, so its only recurring cost is the $100 registered agent. Wyoming adds a $60 minimum license tax for $160/year total. Delaware's flat $300 franchise tax is due June 1 for $400/year total. Nevada's annual list plus business license push it highest. The recurring number matters more than the formation fee for any LLC held several years.
New Mexico is cheapest over ten years because its annual state fee is $0 - the only recurring cost is the $100/year registered agent, for about $1,000 across a decade plus the $347 formation. Wyoming totals about $1,600 over ten years, Delaware about $4,000, and Nevada about $4,500 and up. The formation fee is a rounding error against a decade of annual fees, which is why New Mexico's zero recurring cost compounds into the largest lifetime saving. A founder who values Delaware's court system or Nevada's asset-protection statute pays the premium knowingly.
The parent-holding structure pairs a cheap operating-state LLC with an anonymous Wyoming or New Mexico holding LLC that owns it. It keeps the owner anonymous while confining lawsuits to the operating entity. The operating LLC registers where the business actually runs, at a low state fee such as Kentucky's $40. The anonymous holding LLC, formed through Anonymousllc.co at $347-$397, is the member of the operating LLC. Combined cost is $347-$397 plus $40-$200 per year. A judgment against the operating LLC does not reach the holding LLC's members, and the owner's name never appears on the operating-state member list because the holding LLC is the member.
No. State filing and annual fees are identical for residents and non-residents because they attach to the entity, not the owner. A non-resident forming in New Mexico pays the same $50 filing fee and $0 annual fee. The only added costs for non-residents are federal: an EIN by fax at $99 that takes 4 to 6 weeks and an ITIN at $299 where a personal US filing requires one. Neither changes the state fee. Anonymousllc.co runs the non-resident track for founders in 80+ countries at the same all-in state totals.
Anonymousllc.co bundles the state fee into a single all-in total - a flat $297 service fee plus the state fee - so there is no separate government charge at checkout. Wyoming is $397, New Mexico $347, Delaware $407, Nevada $722. The first year of registered agent is included in every package; it renews at $100/year afterward. State annual fees such as Delaware's $300 franchise tax are billed by the state in later years, and Anonymousllc.co sends a 30-day WhatsApp reminder before each deadline. Start on WhatsApp to confirm the all-in total for your chosen state.
Government, regulator, and primary-source documents underpinning this page.
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