Privacy-focused state comparison
Anonymous LLC & Privacy Shield Simulator
Choose cost, public-record privacy, or venture-funding readiness to compare four states commonly marketed for anonymous LLCs. The simulator separates mandatory fees from privacy claims and explains exactly which names and addresses can still enter public records.
Reviewed August 26, 2026
Compare privacy-focused LLC states
Select the outcome that matters most. The simulator reorders the matrix, identifies a winner, and explains the tradeoff behind the recommendation.
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Which states allow you to form an anonymous LLC?
Wyoming, Delaware, Nevada, and New Mexico are commonly used for privacy-focused LLCs, but none creates total anonymity. Wyoming, Delaware, and New Mexico generally omit owner names from basic formation records; Nevada requires public manager or managing-member disclosures, so its privacy is more limited.
- Wyoming and New Mexico: basic LLC formation records generally omit member names; both still require registered agents and public address-related fields.
- Delaware: the statutory Certificate of Formation requires the LLC name and registered agent or office, not member or manager names.
- Nevada: Articles and recurring lists require managers or managing members and addresses, so privacy is narrower than common marketing claims suggest.
Anonymous LLC state fees and public-record comparison
| State | Required setup | Annual state fee | Registered agent | Public record | Privacy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | $100 — $100 state filing fee; online card processing is additional. | From $60 — Greater of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of assets located and employed in Wyoming. | Required continuously, with a physical Wyoming address. | Routine LLC filings can omit members and managers. Entity, registered-agent, address, status, and filed-document data remain public; the agent privately retains control-person details. | Strong public-record privacy (5/5). Wyoming Secretary of State business FAQs |
| Delaware | $110 — $110 Certificate of Formation filing fee. | $400 — $400 annual LLC tax due by June 1; no Delaware LLC annual report. | Required continuously, with a Delaware registered office. | The statutory Certificate of Formation requires the LLC name and registered agent or office, not member or manager names. The filed certificate remains public. | Strong certificate privacy (4/5). Delaware Division of Corporations tax instructions |
| Nevada | $425 — $75 Articles + $150 initial list + $200 State Business License. | $350 — $150 annual list plus $200 State Business License renewal. | Required, with a Nevada street address and agent acceptance. | Articles and recurring lists disclose managers or managing members and addresses. The organizer also appears, making public-record privacy materially narrower. | Limited management privacy (2/5). Nevada Secretary of State LLC formation packet |
| New Mexico | $50 — $50 Articles of Organization filing fee. | $0 — No recurring Secretary of State annual or triennial report fee for domestic LLCs. | Required continuously, with a registered office in New Mexico. | Statutory Articles do not require member or manager names. Registered-agent and address fields plus management and single-member indicators remain public. | Strong public owner-name privacy (5/5). New Mexico Secretary of State business forms |
State charges shown are mandatory Secretary of State or state-license amounts for a standard domestic LLC as of August 26, 2026. Registered-agent, local, tax, professional, expedited, and foreign-qualification costs are separate.
Privacy means controlling routine public records, not becoming invisible
An anonymous LLC is a marketing label rather than a separate legal entity type. The practical question is whether routine formation documents and recurring state filings require a member, manager, organizer, or control person to appear in the public record.
Even when owner names are absent from a Secretary of State filing, the registered agent, tax authorities, banks, courts, licensing bodies, and regulators may lawfully collect identifying information. Personal guarantees, litigation, property records, and filings in another state can also connect a person to the company.
Wyoming
Routine LLC records can omit members and managers, while the registered agent privately retains control-person details required by Wyoming’s agent framework.
Delaware and New Mexico
Their statutory formation fields do not require member or manager names, but registered-agent, address, signer, and other records remain relevant.
Nevada
Articles and recurring lists require managers or managing members and addresses, so it offers less public management privacy than the other three states.
Compare the mandatory state total, not a headline filing fee
New Mexico has a $50 Articles fee and no recurring Secretary of State report fee for domestic LLCs. Wyoming charges $100 to form and an annual report or license tax starting at $60. Delaware charges $110 to form and a $400 annual LLC tax. Nevada’s $75 Articles fee sits inside a $425 mandatory formation package and a $350 recurring state package.
Registered-agent service, local licenses, tax registrations, foreign qualification, professional advice, and optional expedited processing are separate. The simulator therefore compares mandatory state charges and public-record rules rather than presenting an unrealistically complete operating budget.
The best privacy state can still be the wrong operating state
Forming outside the state where the company actually conducts business can create an additional foreign-qualification layer, another registered agent, and overlapping compliance costs. Physical operations, employees, licensed activity, real property, and recurring local transactions can change that analysis.
Lovie turns the selected priority into an AI-native formation path across all 50 states. Founders can compare the model’s winner, check where the business will operate, and carry the state decision into a guided filing workflow without treating public-record privacy as a promise of secrecy.
Compare the filing paths behind the recommendation
- US company formation — Move from state comparison to Lovie’s AI-native workflow for forming and maintaining a U.S. company.
- registered agent service — Understand the required in-state contact that receives service of process and appears in public formation records.
- anonymous LLC states guide — Read the broader static guide to privacy-focused jurisdictions, then return to the simulator for a fee and disclosure comparison.
Practical questions about this workflow
Which privacy-focused state has the lowest LLC cost?
New Mexico has the lowest mandatory state profile in this comparison: a $50 Articles of Organization fee and no recurring Secretary of State annual or triennial report fee for domestic LLCs. Registered-agent service and business-specific tax, license, or foreign-qualification costs remain separate.
Is Wyoming or New Mexico more private for an LLC?
Both can omit member names from routine formation records. Wyoming pairs that structure with a registered-agent framework that keeps control-person details with the agent, while New Mexico’s statutory Articles omit member and manager names. Neither prevents lawful identification through non-public, court, tax, banking, or regulatory records.
Can I form a privacy-focused LLC outside my home state?
A founder can often organize an LLC in another state, but operating elsewhere may require foreign qualification, a second registered agent, local licenses, and additional reports or taxes. The privacy benefit should be compared with where the business has employees, property, regulated activity, and recurring operations.
Keep formation and operations connected
Lovie connects entity formation with the approvals, records, and follow-on tasks that make the company usable.