With modern technology making it easier by the day for your business information to be searched, business owners like you want a business entity that is more secure from prying eyes.

What is an Anonymous LLC?

An Anonymous LLC is defined as a limited liability company whose owners are not publicly identifiable by the state. An Anonymous LLC is created by being careful where and how an LLC is formed.

L4SB was the first law firm to provide an Anonymous LLC service to the public, by avoiding public disclosure of ownership information (i.e. members) of the LLC in the state in which the LLC is registered. This is accomplished by the firm acting as the organizer and registered agent for the new LLC in select states, as well as utilizing its status as a law firm to convey attorney-client privilege and confidentiality.

Form My Anonymous LLC Today

Your privacy is important. Let us help you form your Anonymous LLC properly.

Starting at $199 + state fees

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Why L4SB?

Forming your Anonymous LLC with L4SB puts experienced business lawyers on your side. They ensure your business is properly registered in the state that offers the best privacy and anonymity for you and your business. It also means you have licensed attorneys acting as your registered agent, unlike the other guys across the wire. This means your LLC benefits from attorney-client privilege, and you can rely on the advice and counsel of competent business lawyers to advise you in all phases and aspects of your business!

Why is it Critical to Have an Attorney Set Up an Anonymous LLC?

While there are a few Internet companies and individuals offering “Anonymous LLC” services, the problem is anonymity is only as strong as the weakest link. One problem, and anonymity is destroyed.

Therefore, it’s critical to have an attorney setup your Anonymous LLC. Only attorneys can provide attorney-client privilege, attorney-client confidentiality, and make sure things are done correctly. Attorney-client privilege makes it difficult to identify ownership information even through a subpoena. Attorney-client confidentiality means you’re not relying on someone’s promise to maintain your confidence — an attorney has an ethical duty and obligation to maintain your confidence.

Do You Live in Alabama (AL), Colorado (CO), Delaware (DE), Georgia (GA), Iowa (IA), Missouri (MO), New Mexico (NM), Ohio (OH), Virginia (VA) or Wyoming (WY)?

You can form an Anonymous LLC if any of these states is your home state, by doing things carefully. Get started now!

Do You Live in California (CA)?

If you live in California (CA), you need to form two companies, as follows:

(1) An Anonymous LLC in New Mexico (NM) as a Management Company. You (and if any partners) will own this Management Company, in New Mexico, which will be the Manager for one or more Operating Companies located in California (CA). We recommend New Mexico, simply because it’s the least expensive to setup, maintain and take down. There are no other legal advantages using an Anonymous LLC from another state in this setup, because the Management company is not handling or processing money, not paying taxes and shouldn’t have any liabilities to worry about, provided you’ve set everything up as we’ve advised.

(2) A regular LLC in California (CA) as the Operating Company. This Operating Company will be owned by you (and if any partners), but managed by the Anonymous LLC as a Management Company.

There are two reasons why you need things setup this way: First, the State of California (CA) requires disclosure of Members or Managers but not both — so by doing things this way, we have a Manager who is anonymous to protect your personal identity. Second, the Management Company should not be handling any money or revenue, therefore should bypass the California Franchise Tax Board’s requirements on “doing business in the State of California” (See California Franchise Tax Board, Doing Business in California).

Do You Live in Oregon (OR)?

If you live in Oregon (OR), you must either (1) already own a physical address in Oregon (OR) that doesn’t trace back to you or (2) obtain a virtual office with an actual lease in OR.

If you can meet this difficult address requirements, then you can form a “parent/child setup” as we’ve defined above, under “Do You Live in Another State Not Mentioned Above.”

Do You Live in Another State Not Mentioned Above?

If you live in another state not mentioned above, then your home state discloses ownership information. Therefore, it’s important to form two companies, in what we call a “parent/child setup”:

(1) An Anonymous LLC as a Holding Company (This is the “parent”). You (and if any partners) will own this Holding Company, in an Anonymous state, which in turn will own one or more Operating Companies.

(2) A regular LLC in your Home State as the Operating Company (This is the “child”). This Operating Company will be owned by the Anonymous LLC as a Holding Company, and you will own the Holding Company. In this way, ownership information is disclosed in your Home State as the Anonymous LLC Holding Company, instead of you personally.

What You Need to Start an Anonymous LLC

Starting an Anonymous LLC is easy, provided you hire the right company to help you. You only need three things to get started:
  1. Consult a local attorney and tax professional, to make sure you are setting things up that best meet your needs.
  2. A name for your Operating Company.
  3. Some “physical mailing address” (which cannot be a PO Box). This mailing address can be located anywhere in the world, although we strongly recommend the address not be associated with you. A common mail option is the Virtual Mailbox Service provided by Law 4 Small Business.

States that permit anonymous LLCs include Delaware, New Mexico and Wyoming. Each state has advantages and disadvantages which may influence your state choice depending on your needs.

Delaware is business friendly

Delaware is the only state to have the renowned Court of Chancery that is dedicated and streamlined for business. Their laws provide additional protections from personal liability, and they are progressive about keeping fraudulent LLCs out of their state. Delaware also does not require any corporate income tax however a yearly $300 franchise tax is required. Therefore, Delaware may be a good Anonymous LLC choice for those who prefer very business friendly laws and no corporate income tax.

New Mexico Anonymous LLCs have the strongest privacy

New Mexico is the only state that does not require disclosure of the owners of an Anonymous LLC to the state. The other states do require identification of owners to the state, which means if their laws change, they could potentially publish ownership information without your knowledge or consent. New Mexico does require filing corporate income taxes. Therefore, New Mexico is viewed as the best state for Anonymous LLCs if privacy and confidentiality are your overriding concerns.

Wyoming is among the most tax-friendly for anonymous LLCs

Wyoming requires no corporate income tax for LLCs in their state. The only annual fees required by the State of Wyoming for your Anonymous LLC is an Annual Report which is typically $50 but depends on assets within the state. If keeping taxes low is a concern, a Wyoming Anonymous LLC may be a good consideration.

Nevada is NOT anonymous

If you read somewhere that Nevada is an Anonymous state, then that information is really outdated. Nevada (NV) changed its requirements over five (5) years ago, requiring disclosure of ownership information in the initial and annual reports. Therefore, while it’s possible to form a NV LLC without disclosing ownership information, it’s not possible to maintain a NV LLC without disclosing ownership information.

Help Me Decide

We know there are many options and factors to consider. Let our expert system Business Entity Selector Tool find the perfect entity for you.

Not sure which state is the right state to form your Anonymous LLC? Use the following chart to help you decide. The answer depends on where you live, as well as your tax and privacy concerns.

 Your State of
Residence
DelawareNew MexicoNevadaWyomingAny Other State?
If “transacting business”, do you need to register a company in the state?Yes, all other states
Great for Asset Protection / Charging Order Protection? (Passed the RULLCA) Uses Old LLC ActUses Old LLC ActAL, AZ, AR, CA, CT, DC, FL, IA, ID, IL, MN, ND, NE,
NJ, PA, SD, UT, VT, WA
Doesn’t disclose ownership information on the Internet? Not AnonymousAL, CO, GA, IA, VA
Doesn’t require disclosure of ownership information to the State at all? Must DiscloseMust DiscloseMust DiscloseIA, GA, CO
No Need to File Annual Reports / Pay Annual Fees? Expensive Annual FeesExpensive Annual FeesAnnual Reports Required 
No corporate income tax?  * **NV, OH, SD, TX, WA
* You don’t pay taxes with a LLC taxed as a passthrough entity (i.e. disregarded, partnership or S-Corp), although you do need to file if not disregarded.
** Nevada (NV) does levy Gross Receipts Tax on businesses

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REAL LAWYERS REAL ADVICE

With over 200 years of combined business law experience, you can count on getting sound advice and solid representation.

Form My Anonymous LLC Today

Your privacy is important. Let us help you form your Anonymous LLC properly.

Starting at $199 + state fees

Get Started Now