Wyoming LLC vs Vermont LLC (2026)
Written for owners based in Wyoming.
Based in Vermont? Read Vermont LLC vs Wyoming LLC →
Compare Wyoming LLC vs Vermont LLC on filing fees, taxes, privacy laws, and annual costs. Find out which state is actually better for your business.
Last updated: September 23, 2026
Verdict: for most owners, form where the business is based
Vermont costs $155 to form and $45 a year for its annual report, due within three months of the company's fiscal year end rather than on a formation anniversary. Sitting outside that $45 is a $250 minimum business entity tax under 32 V.S.A. 5921, owed by an LLC taxed as a partnership even in a loss year, though a single-member disregarded entity does not owe it. Wyoming charges $100 and an annual report license tax with a $60 minimum. Missing one Vermont report terminates the LLC outright; a Wyoming registration costs $150.
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| Factor | Wyoming | Vermont |
|---|---|---|
| Filing Fee | $100 | $155 |
| Processing Time | Instant online; up to 15 business days paper | Under 1 business day online; 7 to 10 by mail |
| Annual Report Fee | $60 | $45 |
| Annual Report Due | First day of anniversary month | Within 3 months of fiscal year end |
| State Income Tax | No | Yes |
| Anonymous LLC | Yes | No |
| Publication Requirement | No | No |
| Foreign LLC Cost (if forming out-of-state) | N/A, you're in your home state | $150 + registered agent ~$150/yr |
Full fee breakdown for either state: Wyoming LLC cost and Vermont LLC cost.
Business Climate: Wyoming vs Vermont
| Factor | Wyoming | Vermont |
|---|---|---|
| 5-year business survival rate | 47.5% (#42 of 51) | 46.6% (#44 of 51) |
| Business application growth (2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months)) | +13.3% YoY (#22 of 51 by volume) | +15.4% YoY (#51 of 51 by volume) |
Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Business Employment Dynamics · U.S. Census Bureau, Business Formation Statistics (BFS)
Compare LLC Costs: Wyoming vs Vermont
Wyoming
Vermont
A figure shown as "from" is the least the state can charge, not a price. Tennessee's report is $300 for up to six members and $50 for each member above six, its franchise tax is the greater of $100 or 0.25% of Tennessee net worth, Wyoming's report is the greater of $60 or $.0002 per dollar of in-state assets, Kentucky's entity tax is $175 up to $3 million of gross receipts and graduated above it, and New York's annual filing fee is graduated on New York source gross income. A total that contains one of those is shown as "from" for the same reason. Costs include every mandatory state charge: the filing fee, the report fee (annualised where a state files biennially), any state entity-level tax shown in its own row above, a one-time publication cost where the state publishes a rate for it, and any one-time registration charge a state requires before the LLC may trade. Two exclusions follow from that wording. Arizona and Nebraska require publication and publish no rate, so no newspaper cost is carried for either and their totals are not the whole cost. Alaska's $50 annual state business licence is a separate charge from the Secretary of State fees and is not carried here either. Annualising makes the 1, 3 and 5 year rows a cost of ownership rather than a payment schedule: a biennial state charges its whole report fee in the years it falls due and nothing in between. Entity-level taxes that only apply after a corporate election, or above an owner or income threshold, are excluded and flagged on the state's own cost page. New York's publication cost is carried at a $250 floor, roughly $200 of newspaper cost in a low-cost county plus the $50 Certificate of Publication fee. No county-clerk-designated New York City newspaper publishes a rate card, so the four-figure NYC estimates in wide circulation cannot be traced to a primary source and are not asserted here; budget for materially more than the floor if you file in a NYC county. Every fee was verified against the state's own fee schedule, statute, or revenue authority on 29 July 2026. Excludes registered agent and legal fees. For informational purposes only, not legal or tax advice.
Filing Fees & Formation Costs
Wyoming charges $100 to form an LLC, while Vermont charges $155. Wyoming is $55 cheaper upfront. The cost that usually gets overlooked: if you form in Vermont but operate in Wyoming, you must also register as a foreign LLC in Wyoming (a $150 filing) and maintain a registered agent in Vermont (typically around $150 per year). That puts the realistic first-year cost of the Vermont route at roughly $455, versus $100 for simply forming in Wyoming. Both states publish a turnaround, which is unusual, Wyoming at instant online, up to 15 business days paper, and Vermont at under 1 business day online, 7-10 by mail.
Taxes: Wyoming vs Vermont
Wyoming has no personal income tax, while Vermont taxes individual income. Since pass-through LLC profits are taxed where you live and operate, a Wyoming-based owner keeps Wyoming's no-income-tax benefit either way. Forming in Vermont adds no tax advantage. Wyoming charges an annual report license tax of $60 minimum ($62 filed online), based on in-state assets; no franchise or privilege tax otherwise.
Privacy & Asset Protection
Wyoming, your home state, actually offers more formation privacy than Vermont: Wyoming allows anonymous LLC formation, while Vermont requires owner or manager information on public filings. Vermont's annual report must state only the company name, designated office and registered agent (11 V.S.A. § 4033(a)), and the articles and foreign application make owner or principal names optional (§ 4023(b)(2), § 4112(b)(2)), but the Secretary of State treats up-to-date principal personnel as part of good standing and its public business record displays the principals on file, so whether an LLC can keep member and manager names off its filings in practice isn't confirmed. Both states provide charging-order protection for LLC members, and for most small businesses the practical difference in asset protection between the two is minimal. Wyoming's charging-order statute (W.S. 17-29-503) makes the charging order a creditor's exclusive remedy (including for single-member LLCs) and is widely regarded as the strongest in the country. From a privacy standpoint there's no reason for a Wyoming-based business to form in Vermont.
Annual Maintenance Costs
Wyoming LLCs file an annual report (at least $60, due in the anniversary month), and Vermont LLCs file an annual report ($45, due within 3 months of fiscal year end). If you form in Vermont while operating in Wyoming, you maintain filings in both states, Vermont's report plus Wyoming's equivalent for your foreign registration, and pay a Vermont registered agent roughly $150 per year. Counting report fees, the agent and any entity-level tax, that brings the Vermont route to roughly $255 a year, versus at least $60 to keep a domestic Wyoming LLC in good standing. The tax inside those totals: Wyoming charges an annual report license tax of $60 minimum ($62 filed online), based on in-state assets; no franchise or privilege tax otherwise.
When Vermont Actually Makes Sense
Forming in Vermont makes sense in a few specific situations: your business genuinely operates in Vermont, with a real office, employees, or property there, or you're relocating to Vermont in the near future and accept taking on Vermont's personal income tax, which Wyoming doesn't levy. For a typical small business based in Wyoming, none of these usually apply. Registering a Vermont LLC to do business back home means $150 in Wyoming foreign-registration fees, on top of Vermont's $155 formation fee, while Wyoming's own annual report runs at least $60 a year and is due in the anniversary month. Wyoming already allows anonymous formation, so the privacy argument for Vermont doesn't apply to a Wyoming-based owner. When in doubt, form where you actually do business.
Frequently Asked Questions
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