Iowa LLC or Wyoming LLC?
If you run your business in Iowa, here's what each route costs in state fees.
The short answer
For a business that operates in Iowa, forming in Wyoming costs about $390 more over five years in state fees alone — before paying for a registered agent in Wyoming.
Form in Iowa
Iowa
Certificate of Organization (Iowa Code 489.201)$50
Biennial Report$45 / 2 yrs
Year one$50
Each year after$22.50
5-year total$140
Form in Wyoming, register in Iowa
Wyoming
Articles of Organization$100
Annual Report (with license tax; see state_taxes)$0
Annual report license tax$60 / yr
Iowa (foreign registration)
Foreign Registration Statement (Iowa Code 489.903)$100
Biennial Report$45 / 2 yrs
Year one$200
Each year after$82.50
5-year total$530
What the fees don't show
- Forming in Wyoming while operating in Iowa means two sets of reports and two sets of deadlines, adding about $60 a year.
- You need a registered agent with a street address in Wyoming. If you don't have one there, that's a paid service every year.
- Out-of-state formation makes the most sense when you raise outside investment, operate in many states, or have a specific legal reason — not as a default.
State fees only, from each state's official fee pages. Not legal or tax advice.