The short answer
No LLC is fully anonymous. In a handful of states the members do not have to be listed on the public filing, so a business search will not show them. That is real, and useful against casual look-ups. It does not hide you from the IRS, your bank, courts, or the state where you actually run the business.
For most people the privacy that matters is keeping a home address off the record, and that works in every state.
What is on the public record
| Item | Public? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| LLC name | Yes, every state | Searchable on the state's business database |
| Registered agent and address | Yes, every state | Use an agent service to keep your home address off |
| Organizer or signer | Yes, every state | The person who signs the formation filing |
| Members or managers | In most states | Not required on the filing in a few states |
| Principal or mailing address | In most states | Can usually be a business address, not your home |
| Owners for tax | No | Reported to the IRS, not published |
Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware and Nevada
These are the states usually called "anonymous LLC states" because their formation filings do not have to name members.
- Wyoming and Delaware: members are not listed on the formation filing. The organizer and registered agent are.
- New Mexico: members are not listed, and there is no annual report that would list them later.
- Nevada: the yearly list names the LLC's managers or managing members, so it is less private than its reputation.
Each state's page lists what its filings ask for, with links to the state's own guidance.
Where your name appears anyway
- The organizer line. Someone signs the formation document. If that is you, your name is on it.
- Your home state. An LLC run from where you live is doing business there and must register there as a foreign LLC. That filing is public and may ask for members or managers.
- The IRS. Tax returns report the owners.
- Banks. A business account requires identifying the owners and anyone who controls the LLC.
- Courts. In a lawsuit, a court can order the LLC to say who owns it.
- Property records. Deeds and leases signed for the LLC show who signed.
What actually protects your privacy
- Use a registered agent service so the agent address on the record is not your home.
- Use a business mailing address for the LLC's principal and mailing address where your state allows it.
- Form in the state where you operate. An out-of-state LLC adds a second public filing, not less information.
- Keep personal and business separate: a business bank account, phone number and email.
Forming with StartGlobal
We are straightforward about this: when you form through StartGlobal, you are named as the organizer on the public filing in every state. We act as your registered agent for the first year, so our address is the agent address on the record, not your home. We do not offer nominee organizers or nominee managers.
Form your LLC in any state for $399, state fee included, or read which state to form in.
Frequently asked questions
Can you form an anonymous LLC?
Partly. A few states do not ask for the names of members or managers on the formation filing, so they do not appear in that state’s business search. Someone is still named: the organizer who signs the filing, and the registered agent. Your bank, the IRS and any state you register in also know who owns the LLC.
Which states allow anonymous LLCs?
The states usually named are Wyoming, New Mexico, Delaware and Nevada, because their LLC filings do not have to list members. Each still names an organizer or other signer and a registered agent, and Nevada lists managers or managing members in its annual list.
Does an anonymous LLC hide me from the IRS?
No. The LLC’s tax returns report its owners. Anonymity on a state business search has no effect on tax reporting.
If I live in California, can a Wyoming LLC keep me private?
Not much. An LLC run from California is doing business there and must register in California as a foreign LLC, and that filing is public. You would also pay and file in two states every year.
Is my name public if I form an LLC with StartGlobal?
Yes. You are named as the organizer on the formation filing in every state. We act as your registered agent, so our address, not your home address, is the agent address on the record.
How do I keep my home address off public records?
Use a registered agent service instead of acting as your own agent, and use a business mailing address for the LLC’s principal and mailing address where the state allows it. Those two steps keep your home address off most filings.
