We form companies in two states, at the same price, and either produces a US LLC that can hold an EIN, open accounts and invoice clients. So which one? This page puts the two states' own numbers and filing requirements side by side — every figure linked to the state's own page with the date we read it — and ends with the honest version of how to choose.
One thing this page will not do is pretend the choice is dramatic. For most non-resident owners the two states differ by a few tens of dollars a year and one disclosure line. Both work. The differences below are real but small, and if you have been agonising over this decision, the most useful sentence on this page may be that you can stop.
The state fees, side by side
These are the states' own charges, which apply whoever forms your company. Both were read on 16 September 2026.
| Wyoming | Colorado | |
|---|---|---|
| State filing fee to form | $100 | $50 |
| Annual/periodic report fee | $60 minimum — or two-tenths of one mill ($0.0002) on assets located in the state, whichever is greater | $25 |
| Late/cure fees | Delinquent, then administratively dissolved 60 days after the due date; reinstatement $100 (or $350 with no registered agent) | Late penalty $50; curing delinquency $100 |
Sources: the Wyoming Secretary of State fee schedule and business FAQ, and the Colorado Secretary of State fee schedule and delinquency FAQ.
Read plainly: Colorado is cheaper on state fees, every year. $50 against $100 once, then $25 against $60 annually. If you file your own reports and want the lowest possible state cost, Colorado wins on arithmetic.
Wyoming's annual figure has a wrinkle worth knowing: it is a licence tax of $0.0002 on assets located in Wyoming, with a $60 floor. A non-resident LLC whose assets are bank balances and receivables outside Wyoming typically pays the $60 minimum — but the tax exists, and a company that actually holds substantial Wyoming assets pays more.
What goes on the public record
Neither state asks for the names of an LLC's members in the formation filing. That is worth stating precisely, because "anonymous LLC" marketing usually overstates it.
Wyoming's Articles of Organization ask for the company name, the registered agent's name and physical address, the company's mailing and principal office addresses, and a contact person. The form does not request the names or addresses of members or owners — the state's own form, read 16 September 2026.
Colorado's Articles of Organization likewise do not require member or owner names — you confirm only that at least one member exists. But Colorado does require "the name and mailing address of the person who is forming the entity" and of the individual delivering the filing — the state's own filing instructions, read 16 September 2026. When a formation company files for you, that is the formation company; if you file yourself, it is you.
So the practical difference: in Colorado, somebody's name and mailing address goes on the public formation record. In Wyoming, the form does not ask. Neither state publishes your ownership — and neither filing keeps you invisible to the IRS or your bank, both of which know exactly who owns the company regardless of state.
What ongoing compliance looks like
Both states require an annual filing to stay in good standing, and both will eventually act against a company that stops filing — Wyoming faster and more terminally than Colorado. Wyoming deems an entity delinquent shortly after its due date and administratively dissolves it 60 days after the missed deadline, with reinstatement possible online for two years and, per the state, not at all after that. Colorado moves through noncompliant and delinquent statuses, protects your name for 400 days, then relabels the company "delinquent" on the record. The full timelines, consequences and cure costs for both states are in what happens when an LLC falls out of good standing.
Either way the practical requirement is identical: one report, once a year, plus a live registered agent at all times.
What it costs through us
The same, deliberately. Complete LLC registration with the EIN is $399 all in for either state, with the state's own filing fee included — so Wyoming's higher state fee does not reach you as a different price. From year two, the registered agent and US business address are $50 a year, and the annual report service is $150 with the state's fee included for either state. The year-two arithmetic, against the rest of the market, is in the real cost of a US LLC in year two.
One consequence of the flat $399 worth stating: since Colorado's underlying state fee is $50 lower, the do-it-yourself saving is bigger in Colorado. If you form and file everything yourself, Colorado is the cheaper state. What you buy from us is the same in both.
So which one?
Choose Wyoming if the formation record matters to you — its form does not ask who is forming the company — or if you simply want the state most associated with non-resident LLCs, which has practical value when banks and platforms see thousands of companies like yours.
Choose Colorado if you want the lowest ongoing state cost, especially if you plan to file your own reports: $25 a year against $60, and $50 less to form if you ever pay state fees directly.
It genuinely does not matter if you buy formation and renewals as a service. Through us the price is identical, the compliance calendar is identical, the EIN is identical, and both states' LLCs are equally real to the IRS, to banks and to your clients.
If you are still stuck, form in Wyoming. Not because Colorado is worse — the fees above say otherwise — but because when the choice is a coin toss, the state with the larger non-resident ecosystem is the smaller regret.
If you are ready to form
Complete LLC Registration + EIN is $399 all in for Wyoming or Colorado, all state and filing fees included, and the EIN in one business day (Mon–Fri) once formation completes. If your company is not formed and your EIN not issued within 72 hours of us having everything we need from you, you get all of your money back — including the state filing fee we have already paid. The one exception is a state office or the IRS being closed or unavailable; full terms. Start at the application or see pricing.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Every state figure links to the state's own page and was read on 16 September 2026. We re-check quarterly; next check 1 December 2026.