Kentucky LLC vs Wyoming LLC (2026)
Written for owners based in Kentucky.
Verdict: for most owners, form where the business is based
Wyoming's $60 annual report is a minimum rather than a flat fee: it is the greater of $60 or two-tenths of one mill on assets located and employed in Wyoming, so it holds only while in-state assets stay at or below $300,000, and $1,000,000 of Wyoming assets produces $200. Formation is $100 against Kentucky's $40, and Kentucky's $190 is a floor of a different kind, a $15 report plus the $175 minimum entity tax. Wyoming's anonymity is real, but a Kentucky-run business still pays $90 to bring that LLC back into Kentucky.
Based in Wyoming? Read Wyoming LLC vs Kentucky LLC →
Compare Kentucky LLC vs Wyoming LLC on filing fees, taxes, privacy laws, and annual costs. Find out which state is actually better for your business.
By Edmond Hui · Last updated: September 23, 2026
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| Factor | Kentucky | Wyoming |
|---|---|---|
| Filing Fee | $40 | $100 |
| Processing Time | Same day to 3 business days | Instant online; up to 15 business days paper |
| Annual Report Fee | $15 | $60 |
| Annual Report Due | June 30 | First day of anniversary month |
| State Income Tax | Yes | No |
| Anonymous LLC | No | Yes |
| Publication Requirement | No | No |
| Foreign LLC Cost (if forming out-of-state) | N/A, you're in your home state | $90 + registered agent ~$150/yr |
Full fee breakdown for either state: Kentucky LLC cost and Wyoming LLC cost. Owner privacy options for either state: Kentucky anonymous LLC guide and Wyoming anonymous LLC guide.
Business Climate: Kentucky vs Wyoming
| Factor | Kentucky | Wyoming |
|---|---|---|
| 5-year business survival rate | 54.1% (#11 of 51) | 47.5% (#42 of 51) |
| Business application growth (2026 YTD (Jan to Jul) vs 2025 YTD (same months)) | +34.1% YoY (#26 of 51 by volume) | +13.3% YoY (#22 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: Kentucky vs Wyoming
Kentucky
Wyoming
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
Kentucky charges $40 to form an LLC, while Wyoming charges $100. Kentucky is $60 cheaper upfront. The cost that usually gets overlooked: if you form in Wyoming but operate in Kentucky, you must also register as a foreign LLC in Kentucky (a $90 filing) and maintain a registered agent in Wyoming (typically around $150 per year). That puts the realistic first-year cost of the Wyoming route at roughly $340, versus $40 for simply forming in Kentucky. Both states publish a standard turnaround, Kentucky (same day to 3 business days) and Wyoming (instant online; up to 15 business days paper), though a published figure is a norm, not a guarantee.
Taxes: Kentucky vs Wyoming
Wyoming has no personal income tax while Kentucky does, but forming your LLC in Wyoming won't change that. LLC profits pass through to you and are taxed where you live and operate (in Kentucky), not where the LLC is registered, so a Wyoming LLC offers no income-tax savings for a Kentucky-based business. Kentucky levies a flat 4% personal income tax. Kentucky imposes the Limited Liability Entity Tax (LLET), $175 minimum per year. 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 allows anonymous LLC formation. Member and manager names don't appear on routine public filings. Neither the Articles nor the annual report requires listing members or managers; only an organizer/signer appears, so ownership stays off public filings. Kentucky doesn't offer that same privacy. Kentucky's annual report confirms the names and addresses of members/managers. 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 law makes the charging order a creditor's exclusive remedy (including for single-member LLCs) and is widely regarded as the strongest in the country. One important caveat: if you register your Wyoming LLC as a foreign LLC in Kentucky, that Kentucky registration is itself a public record, which can undercut much of the privacy benefit for a business that operates in Kentucky.
Annual Maintenance Costs
Kentucky LLCs file an annual report ($15, due June 30), and Wyoming LLCs file an annual report (at least $60, due in the anniversary month). If you form in Wyoming while operating in Kentucky, you maintain filings in both states, Wyoming's report plus Kentucky's equivalent for your foreign registration, and pay a Wyoming registered agent roughly $150 per year. Counting report fees, the agent and any entity-level tax, that brings the Wyoming route to roughly $225 a year, versus at least $190 to keep a domestic Kentucky LLC in good standing. The taxes inside those totals: Kentucky imposes the Limited Liability Entity Tax (LLET), $175 minimum per year. 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 Wyoming Actually Makes Sense
Forming in Wyoming makes sense in a few specific situations: you need anonymous ownership. Kentucky puts owner or manager information on public filings and Wyoming doesn't (usually via a holding company, since operating in Kentucky still requires a public foreign registration there), your business genuinely operates in Wyoming, with a real office, employees, or property there, or you're relocating to Wyoming in the near future, which would also move you out of Kentucky's personal income tax. For a typical small business based in Kentucky, none of these usually apply. Registering a Wyoming LLC to do business back home means $90 in Kentucky foreign-registration fees, on top of Wyoming's $100 formation fee, while Kentucky's own annual report runs $15 a year and is due June 30. When in doubt, form where you actually do business.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Start your LLC with ZenBusiness →Affiliate link. We may earn a commission at no cost to you. MyStateLLC is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice.
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Sources
Each entry below is a document recorded in our verified sources, and each entry says what the document is. Some statutory text is read from an accurate mirror rather than from the state's own host, and those say so. Where we hold the citation but no stable public link, the citation is printed on its own rather than pointed at a guessed address.
- Wyoming statute: W.S. 17-29-503 (charging order remedy)
- sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/OnlineServices/Pages/default.aspxKentucky Secretary of State: business entity filings
- sos.ky.gov/bus/business-filings/Pages/Fees.aspxKentucky LLC filing fees
- sos.wyo.gov/Business/Default.aspxWyoming Secretary of State: business entity filings
- sos.wyo.gov/Business/docs/BusinessFees.pdfWyoming LLC filing fees
Edmond Hui · Founder, MyStateLLC
Edmond Hui is a software engineer and serial entrepreneur based in New York who has founded multiple online businesses across e-commerce, media, and information publishing. Before transitioning into tech, he spent years as a commercial real estate professional closing deals totaling over 100,000 square feet, giving him firsthand experience with business formation and entity structuring. He built MyStateLLC to provide the free, state-specific LLC guidance he wished existed when forming his own companies.