Run a Shopify store through an anonymous LLC. Shopify Payments / merchant account in the LLC's name. Multi-store and DTC supported.
By Shafwan Ahmed, Operations & Fulfillment Lead, Anonymousllc.co
Wyoming anonymous LLC for one or multiple Shopify stores. The LLC opens Shopify Payments under EIN, holds the Shopify Plan subscription, manages all merchant relationships. For DTC brands with substantial inventory, foreign-qualify in the warehouse state and register for sales tax wherever economic nexus is crossed.
Shopify store founders run brands that are highly Googleable. Customers and competitors routinely look up the legal entity. State records frequently surface founder names. An anonymous LLC keeps WHOIS, Stripe records, and Secretary of State filings off the search trail.
Standard for ecommerce founders. No state income tax. Best banking acceptance for Shopify Payments. Operating agreement flexibility lets you bring in investors or co-founders later without re-forming.
| State | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Wyoming (recommended) | $397 | Best balance of cost, anonymity, banking acceptance. |
| New Mexico | $347 | Cheapest. No annual report. Banking is harder. |
| Delaware | $407 | Strong for outside-investor setups. $300/yr franchise tax. |
An LLC separates your personal assets from the store, so a product-liability claim, a supplier dispute, or a chargeback lawsuit reaches the company's assets rather than your home and personal savings. Ecommerce brands are highly Googleable, and customers or competitors look up the legal entity behind a store. A Wyoming anonymous LLC keeps your name off the Articles of Organization, holds the Shopify subscription and Shopify Payments merchant account, and puts the registered agent address on public records instead of your home. The shield holds when store revenue flows through the LLC bank account and you sign supplier contracts in the company name.
A single-member Shopify LLC is a pass-through: store profit flows to your personal 1040 on Schedule C, and the LLC pays no separate federal income tax while it remains an LLC. You owe self-employment tax on net profit and pay quarterly estimates. Once net income clears about $60,000 a year, an S-corp election splits income into salary and distributions to reduce self-employment tax. Wyoming charges no state income tax, so a Wyoming ecommerce LLC carries only federal tax. Sales tax is separate and applies in every state where the store crosses economic nexus.
No - only in states where the store crosses economic nexus, which is $100,000 in sales or 200 transactions in most states, or where it has physical presence like inventory. Shopify's Tax tool tracks nexus state by state and flags when the store crosses a threshold. Register with that state's revenue department, collect the tax Shopify calculates at checkout, and file returns on the state's schedule. A DTC brand storing inventory in a fulfillment warehouse also creates physical nexus in that state, so foreign-qualify there and register for its sales tax.
Yes. Shopify Payments is powered by Stripe, and both accept a Wyoming LLC with the standard EIN and business bank account documents, connecting the merchant account to the entity rather than your SSN. Provide the EIN, the formation documents, and the LLC bank account, and route payouts to that account. Stripe collects your identity under KYC, but the merchant account, store subscription, and customer records sit under the LLC name. Switch Shopify Payments off any personal SSN as soon as the LLC is formed so the store operates entirely under the entity.
Set the Wyoming registered agent address as the store's sold-by line, return address, and shipping-label origin, so customers and return packages never surface your home address. Your name stays off the Articles of Organization and annual report - only the registered agent appears on searchable state records. The common leak is return labels and shipping origins printing a personal address, so replace those with the LLC name and registered agent address. Between the private state filing and a business return address, the store's public and shipping trail points to the entity, not to you.
A non-resident forms a Wyoming LLC with no US visit and no SSN, obtains the EIN by IRS fax in 5-7 days, and connects Shopify Payments, which is powered by Stripe, to the LLC's EIN and US business bank account. The LLC becomes the merchant of record, so a founder abroad sells to US and global customers without a personal Social Security number. Mercury and Relay accept non-resident-owned LLCs for the required bank account, though approval takes longer than for US residents. Once the EIN and bank account are in place - about 8-10 days after the EIN in a 5-10 day formation - the store operates entirely under the entity. The $397 Wyoming package covers the state filing, registered agent for year one, operating agreement, EIN, and the bank applications, and Wyoming's $60 annual report is the only recurring state cost. A non-resident still registers for and remits US sales tax in every state where the store crosses economic nexus, and a foreign-owned single-member LLC files Form 5472 with a pro-forma 1120 each year. A tax advisor confirms the federal position for the owner's specific facts.
WhatsApp the founder. 5-minute intake, 5-10 day turnaround.
WhatsApp the founder