There is a good overview of the popular states here:
https://wyomingllcattorney.com/Form-a-Wyoming-LLC/vs-Nevada-Delaware-New-Mexico
Wyoming is cheapest and often chosen because Wyoming has no corporate taxes. Nevada is their competitor.
New Mexico is best for a bit more anonymity and lower carrying cost.
Delaware has extensive case law and is thus chosen for companies you later want to sell (mainly intransparent ones) as investors prefer having clear case law as it eliminates the need for lenghty court disputes as you can settle things mutually given previous decisions.
For the filings, I think you need upon incorporation in Wyoming:
and then annually
- 1120, 5472 (that is the form which has the 25k penalty, however upon calling the IRS can grant you a first time abatement every three years)
- 1065 (only for multi-member LLC)
- FBAR (if you have bank accounts outside the US which at any time during the year hold over 10k USD)
- annual renewal in Wyoming (Warning: Your corporate address and email address is on this form, you may want to use something else than your personal email address (but ensure that you can receive emails there as Wyoming only sends communication there, separate email addresses with a ; if you want to enter more than one). Also a name is there, you may want to use an agent to file for you.)
The cheap ones are
www.wycra.com,
www.wyomingagents.com,
www.wyregisteredagent.net,
www.wyomingllcattorney.com. Cost is less than $100 for incorporation, less than $60 per year with about 5 letters scanning and annual renewal filing in Wyoming is less than $100 per year. You can do the state filings yourself.
No annual audit is needed, no book keeping needed.
I do not know what you mean by name reg fee. Afaik, there are no such fees in Wyoming etc.
[Edit: Thanks
@Cloudbanck, I fixed it. Your help is much appreciated here!]