Professional licensing adds complexity. Here is how to preserve privacy while meeting regulatory requirements.
By Shafwan Ahmed, Operations & Fulfillment Lead, Anonymousllc.co
For regulated professionals (doctors, lawyers, CPAs, architects), most states require a Professional LLC (PLLC) in the state where you practice. A PLLC requires disclosure of the licensed professional. The privacy solution: form a Wyoming anonymous LLC as a holding company that owns the non-practice assets (real estate, investments, IP), while the PLLC handles the regulated practice. For consultants and non-licensed professionals, a standard Wyoming anonymous LLC works directly.
Professionals face unique privacy risks: disgruntled patients/clients searching for assets, malpractice plaintiffs investigating net worth, and competitive intelligence from peers. An anonymous LLC shields personal assets from passive discovery. The practice entity (PLLC) is visible, but the holding company protecting non-practice wealth stays private.
PLLC must be in the state of licensure - this is non-negotiable. The Wyoming holding company provides anonymous ownership of everything else: investment accounts, rental properties, savings, IP rights. Wyoming charging order protection prevents personal creditors from reaching assets in the holding company.
| State | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming holding LLC | $397 | Holds non-practice assets anonymously |
| State PLLC | Varies | Required in state of licensure. $100-500 in most states. |
A PLLC in your state of licensure holds the regulated practice and names you as the licensed professional, while a Wyoming anonymous LLC holds everything outside the practice - investments, rental property, savings, and IP - without your name on public record. State boards require the practice entity to disclose the licensed owner, so the PLLC can never be anonymous. The Wyoming holding company solves the other half: it keeps non-practice wealth off searchable filings, so a malpractice plaintiff or disgruntled patient investigating your net worth finds the visible practice but not the assets behind it.
A single-member Wyoming holding LLC is a pass-through: investment income, rents, and royalties it holds flow to your personal 1040, and Wyoming levies no state income tax on the entity. The holding company does not change how your practice income is taxed - that stays with the PLLC and its S-corp or partnership election. The holding LLC owns passive assets. Rental income runs on Schedule E, investment gains on Schedule D, and the entity files no separate Wyoming income tax return. The $60 annual report is the only recurring Wyoming state cost.
Put non-practice wealth in the Wyoming holding company: brokerage and investment accounts, rental real estate, intellectual property, domain names, long-term savings, and equity in other ventures. Keep active practice income, malpractice-exposed operations, and anything requiring your license inside the PLLC. The separation matters because a claim against the practice reaches PLLC assets, not the holding company, and a personal creditor pursuing the holding company runs into Wyoming charging order protection. Document every transfer with proper valuations so the IRS and state regulators see arm's-length moves, not disguised income shifting.
No. The holding company protects non-practice assets from personal and business creditors; it does not stop a malpractice claim arising from your own treatment of a patient. A practicing professional stays personally liable for personal malpractice regardless of entity structure - that is what malpractice insurance answers. What the holding company does is put a barrier between a malpractice judgment and the wealth you have moved outside the practice. Carry the professional liability coverage your board and specialty require, and use the holding company to shield the assets that coverage limits do not reach.
Yes. Consultants and other non-licensed professionals form a standard Wyoming anonymous LLC at $397 and contract, invoice, and bank through it directly, with no PLLC required. The PLLC rule applies only to state-licensed professions such as medicine, law, and accounting. A management consultant, IT advisor, marketing strategist, or coach is not practicing a licensed profession, so a single Wyoming LLC handles engagements with full anonymity. Your name stays off the Articles of Organization and annual report, and the registered agent address replaces your home on every public filing.
The Wyoming holding LLC costs $397 all-in and forms in 5-10 business days end to end, while the state PLLC is a separate filing running about $100 to $500 depending on the state. The $397 covers the Wyoming state filing, registered agent for year one, operating agreement, EIN, and 4-5 US bank applications to Mercury, Relay, and Bluevine. Wyoming accepts the filing in 1-3 business days, the EIN follows 5-7 days after, and the bank account opens about 8-10 days after the EIN. New Mexico at $347 is cheaper and files no annual report, but its banking acceptance is weaker, which is why Wyoming is the recommended holding state. After the holding LLC is formed and banked, move investment accounts, rental property, and IP into it, keeping practice income in the separate PLLC account. Wyoming's $60 annual report is the only recurring state cost on the holding entity, and the $100-a-year registered agent keeps your home address off the public record. The two-entity structure - visible PLLC, private holding company - is fully in place once both are filed and each has its own bank account.
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