Wyoming, Delaware, New Mexico or Florida?

The state you choose is a recurring cost and a compliance calendar, not a badge. For a European-owned LLC with no US office, Wyoming and New Mexico usually win on total cost. Delaware wins when you are building a venture-backed C-Corp or need the familiar Delaware toolkit. Florida wins when the business is actually in Florida.

The comparison that matters

Formation fees are state filing fees only. A registered agent is a separate cost in every state. Sources: Wyoming Secretary of State fee schedule, Delaware Code, Florida Division of Corporations, Northwest's New Mexico cost guide. Checked 22 October 2026.

Wyoming: the default for a low-maintenance LLC

Wyoming charges $100 to file articles of organization and a minimum $60 annual report license tax. The annual report is due on the first day of the anniversary month of formation, so a company formed in May files by 1 May each year. The state fee schedule is unusually clear, and the annual amount is low enough that a dormant or slowly growing LLC does not bleed cash.

The privacy story is real but often oversold. Wyoming does not require you to list members in the articles, and using a commercial registered agent keeps your home address off the public filing. It does not make you anonymous to banks, the IRS, or your own tax authority. If you need a US bank account, the bank will ask who owns the company.

Wyoming also has no state corporate income tax. That does not mean your LLC is tax-free: federal rules and your country of residence still apply. The annual report must be filed even if the LLC had no activity, and failing to file can lead to administrative dissolution and reinstatement fees.

Delaware: read the 2026 numbers before you copy an old guide

Delaware's current LLC certificate of formation fee is $70, and the annual franchise tax is $400, due by 1 June. Those figures come from the Delaware Code, not a blog. Many popular articles still say $110 to form and $300 a year; those were the old numbers. The annual tax is the highest of the four states in this guide, and it is due whether or not the LLC earned anything.

Delaware is the standard for venture-backed startups because investors, lawyers and US acquirers know it, and because its corporate law is deep. That logic applies most strongly to a C-Corp raising US venture capital. For a one-person consultancy or e-commerce LLC owned from Europe, Delaware often adds $400 a year without adding a benefit you can use.

Two exceptions are worth considering. First, some payment processors, platforms or partners are more familiar with Delaware entities. Second, if you plan to convert to a Delaware C-Corp later, starting as a Delaware LLC can simplify the conversion — but ask a US lawyer whether the saving is real in your case. Do not choose Delaware just because a provider's checkout defaults to it.

New Mexico: the cheapest long-term home

New Mexico's statutory LLC filing fee is $50; the state's online portal may add about $2 in processing, and Northwest's 2026 cost guide quotes $52 all-in. The bigger advantage is what does not exist: New Mexico LLCs have no annual report and no annual state fee. If you want a US LLC that can sit quietly for years, the three-year maths is hard to beat.

The trade-offs are practical, not legal. Fewer providers put New Mexico in their cheapest package, and some banks and platforms are less familiar with it than Wyoming or Delaware. New Mexico also has a gross receipts tax that can apply to business conducted in the state; if you have customers, employees or a physical presence there, get local advice. For a European consultant with no New Mexico operations, the state filing itself is simple.

New Mexico does not require you to list members in the articles, and a registered agent is required. The state moved business filings to its online portal, so paper forms are no longer accepted for most filings.

Florida: only if the business is really in Florida

Florida costs $125 to form an LLC: a $100 filing fee plus a $25 registered-agent designation. The annual report is $138.75, due by 1 May. If it is late, Florida adds a $400 late fee, and the report is still due; the state can administratively dissolve the company if you ignore it. Those numbers are published by the Florida Division of Corporations.

Florida makes sense if you have a US address, customers, staff or a physical operation there. It has no state personal income tax, which is attractive if you actually live or work in Florida — but a European resident does not become a Florida taxpayer by forming an LLC there. If you are running a remote business from Europe, you are usually paying for a more expensive annual report without a corresponding benefit.

“Doing business” in another state

Forming in Wyoming does not give you a licence to operate everywhere in the US. If you have an office, employees, inventory or significant physical presence in another state, that state may require you to register as a foreign LLC and pay its fees. This is called foreign qualification. A warehouse in New Jersey, staff in Texas or a Florida store can trigger it. Remote work from Europe usually does not.

The same logic applies to taxes. A US LLC may create US federal filing obligations, and a state may claim sales-tax nexus based on where customers, inventory or staff are. Formation state and tax state are different questions. If you sell physical goods into the US, talk to a US accountant before you choose a warehouse or a fulfilment centre.

A simple decision rule

What about the other 46 states?

They can be right if you have a specific reason: a US office, a partner, a state grant, or a platform that requires a particular jurisdiction. For a European-owned LLC with no US physical presence, the four states above cover most of the legitimate reasons. Avoid choosing a state only because a provider's $0 plan happens to include it; the state fee and the annual obligation follow you, not the provider.

What you pay in year one and year three

Take a Wyoming LLC formed through a $39 service with a $125 registered agent and a $50 EIN service: year one is roughly $314 before any add-ons ($100 state + $39 + $125 + $50). Year two is about $185 ($60 state + $125 agent). A New Mexico LLC with the same service is roughly $264 in year one ($50 + $39 + $125 + $50) and $125 a year after that. Delaware adds $400 a year instead of $60, which is the single biggest difference in this table.

Use the cost calculator to change the provider, state and add-ons. The defaults are editable because provider prices and state fees change, and because your own quote may include mail forwarding or a notarisation fee that is not in any list price.