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Kayla Jacobson

If I live in Florida but create an LLC in Nevada or Wyoming, where do I actually pay my taxes?

I currently live in Florida and I'm thinking about starting a business. I've been doing some research and discovered that Nevada and Wyoming offer more privacy protections for LLC owners. The anonymity aspect really appeals to me since I value keeping my personal information private. But I'm confused about how taxes would work in this situation. If I physically live and operate my business from Florida, but register my LLC in either Nevada or Wyoming, which state would I end up paying taxes to? Would I need to file in multiple states? Are there specific tax advantages or disadvantages to setting up an out-of-state LLC while living in Florida? I'm just starting to learn about business structures and tax obligations, so any guidance would be really helpful before I make any decisions. Thanks in advance!

This is actually a common question with a somewhat complex answer. The short version is: you'll likely need to pay taxes in both states. When you form an LLC in one state but operate in another, you create what's called a "foreign LLC" situation. Even though Florida doesn't have state income tax (which is nice!), you'd still need to register your out-of-state LLC as a foreign LLC in Florida since that's where you're physically conducting business. For tax purposes, an LLC is typically a "pass-through" entity, meaning the profits pass through to your personal taxes. You'll need to pay taxes wherever you have "nexus" - basically anywhere you have a significant business presence. Since you live and operate in Florida, you definitely have nexus there. You might also have nexus in Nevada or Wyoming depending on if you have any actual operations there. The privacy benefits of Wyoming and Nevada are real, but just be aware that registering there doesn't eliminate your Florida tax obligations or filing requirements. You'll face additional costs like registered agent fees in those states plus foreign LLC registration in Florida.

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Thanks for the explanation. Does this mean I'd end up paying MORE in taxes and fees by having a Wyoming LLC while living in Florida compared to just registering in Florida directly? Also, would I need to file separate tax returns for each state?

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You wouldn't necessarily pay more in state income taxes since Florida doesn't have a personal income tax, and LLCs typically pass profits through to your personal return. However, you will definitely pay more in fees - you'll have the Nevada/Wyoming formation fees, annual fees to maintain the LLC there, registered agent fees (since you need a physical address in that state), plus the foreign LLC registration and annual fees in Florida. For tax filings, your LLC itself doesn't typically file a separate tax return (unless you elect to be taxed as a corporation). Instead, you report business income on your personal return using Schedule C or other appropriate forms. You may need to file a state tax return in Wyoming or Nevada if they require it, even if there's no income tax due.

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After struggling with a similar situation, I found an amazing solution with taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). I was operating from Georgia but had formed an LLC in Delaware, and was totally confused about my multi-state tax obligations. I uploaded my formation documents and some basic info about where I was physically working, and taxr.ai's system analyzed everything and gave me a clear breakdown of exactly which states I needed to register in, what tax forms I needed to file in each, and even estimated my likely tax obligations. It saved me from making some costly mistakes about where I thought I did (and didn't) have tax nexus. The best part was they explained the "economic nexus" rules that applied to my specific situation that my regular accountant had completely missed. Worth checking out if you're dealing with multi-state LLC questions.

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How does taxr.ai handle the registered agent requirements? I'm curious because I know you need physical addresses in states where you're registered, and that's always been a headache for me.

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I'm skeptical about these online services. How accurate is their advice compared to a CPA who specializes in multi-state taxation? Those nexus rules can get incredibly complicated.

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They don't actually provide registered agent services themselves, but they did give me recommendations for affordable registered agent services in each state where I needed one. They explained that registered agents are required in any state where your LLC is registered, and they provided a comparison of options with different price points. Their accuracy has been solid in my experience. What makes them different is they use tax professionals to review the AI-generated analysis, so you get both the consistency of advanced tax software and the judgment of experienced CPAs. They were able to point out specific court cases that affected my situation regarding economic nexus that my previous accountant hadn't mentioned. I've had my regular CPA review their recommendations and he was impressed with how thorough they were.

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I have to admit I was skeptical about taxr.ai when I first saw it mentioned here, but I gave it a try after getting conflicting advice from two different accountants about my Florida/Wyoming LLC situation. What impressed me was how they broke down the concept of "tax home" versus "legal domicile" for my LLC, which cleared up my confusion. They explained exactly which state activities would trigger tax obligations and provided actual state statutes that applied to my situation. Their analysis showed me that while Wyoming registration gave me the privacy benefits I wanted, I still had clear tax nexus in Florida and needed to handle my filings accordingly. I'm not a tax professional, but their explanation made the complex issues understandable, and they provided proper documentation I could share with my accountant to get everything filed correctly.

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If your main concern is dealing with the IRS, just wanted to share my experience with Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a nightmare situation where I needed to speak with the IRS about a multi-state LLC issue that was causing problems with my federal filing, but couldn't get through on their phone lines after trying for WEEKS. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes when I'd been trying unsuccessfully for days. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c In my case, I needed clarification about how to properly report my Wyoming LLC income on my federal return since I was operating in multiple states. The IRS agent I spoke with was actually really helpful once I explained my situation, and they walked me through the proper way to document everything.

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Wait, how does this actually work? Does Claimyr just keep calling the IRS until they get through? I'm confused about how they can get you to the front of the line when the IRS phone system is so backed up.

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This sounds like complete BS. Nobody can magically get through to the IRS faster. They must be using some kind of scam or charging ridiculous fees. How much did this "service" cost you?

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They use an automated system that calls the IRS and navigates the phone tree for you, then when a human IRS agent actually answers, it calls your phone and connects you directly. You don't have to sit on hold for hours - you just get a call when an actual agent is on the line. It basically does the waiting for you. I was skeptical too at first. It's not a scam - they don't ask for any sensitive information or pretend to be the IRS. They're just a service that handles the frustrating hold time. They don't claim to get you to "the front of the line" - they just automate the waiting process so you don't have to do it yourself. I found it completely legitimate and it saved me hours of frustration when I really needed to speak to someone about my LLC tax situation.

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I'm actually embarrassed to admit this, but I need to share my experience. After posting that skeptical comment about Claimyr, I decided to try it myself because I've been getting nowhere with the IRS about my multi-state LLC filing issue. I was absolutely convinced it wouldn't work, but I was desperate after spending over 3 hours on hold yesterday only to have the call drop. To my complete surprise, I got a call back in about 20 minutes with an actual IRS representative on the line. They answered my questions about how to handle my foreign LLC registration for federal tax purposes and helped clear up the confusion about my EIN application. I still can't believe it worked so well. Definitely eating my words on this one - it actually did exactly what it claimed to do and saved me hours of frustration.

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One thing nobody's mentioned yet - if you're the only member of your LLC (single-member LLC), the IRS treats it as a "disregarded entity" for federal tax purposes anyway, meaning it's basically just a sole proprietorship on your federal taxes regardless of which state it's formed in. But state-level tax treatment can vary significantly. Remember that Wyoming and Nevada don't have state income taxes, but they DO have other fees and taxes on businesses. Florida has no state income tax, but it does have an annual report fee for LLCs ($138.75) plus potentially sales tax if you're selling taxable goods/services.

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What about if you elect to have your LLC taxed as an S-corporation? Does that change the multi-state situation? I've heard that can save on self-employment taxes.

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If you elect to have your LLC taxed as an S-corporation, you'll still need to deal with the multi-state issues, but now with some additional complexity. The S-corporation election is primarily for federal tax purposes, allowing you to potentially save on self-employment taxes by taking part of your income as salary (subject to employment taxes) and part as distributions (not subject to SE tax). On the state level, most states respect the federal S-corporation election, but not all treat S-corporations the same way. You'd still need to register your out-of-state LLC as a foreign LLC in Florida, and you'd still need to determine where you have tax nexus. The S-corp election doesn't eliminate the need to comply with state-level requirements in each state where you have a business presence.

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Don't forget about sales tax! This was a huge issue for me with my Wyoming LLC. If you're selling products to customers in Florida, you'll need to collect and remit Florida sales tax regardless of where your LLC is formed. After the South Dakota v. Wayfair Supreme Court decision in 2018, states can require you to collect sales tax even without a physical presence if you meet certain economic thresholds in that state. Florida's threshold is $100,000 in sales or 200 separate transactions.

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Does anyone know if services are taxable in Florida? I do consulting work and I'm not sure if I need to collect sales tax from my clients.

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Something else to consider - banking can be more complicated with an out-of-state LLC. Some banks want to see your physical presence in the state where the LLC is registered, or they'll require additional documentation. I ran into this issue with my Wyoming LLC while living in Texas. I ended up having to use an online bank that was more flexible with out-of-state business formations. Just another thing to think about beyond the tax implications.

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Thanks everyone for all this great information! It's really helping me understand the complexity involved. Regarding the banking issue - do online banks generally have the same protections as traditional banks? And has anyone had issues with payment processors like Stripe or PayPal when using an out-of-state LLC?

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Most legitimate online banks have the same FDIC protections as traditional brick-and-mortar banks, so your deposits would be insured up to $250,000. Just make sure you're using an actual bank or credit union and not some kind of financial technology platform that isn't technically a bank. As for payment processors, I haven't had any issues using Stripe or PayPal with my out-of-state LLC. They're primarily concerned that you have a legitimate business entity and proper tax documentation (like your EIN). They don't typically care which state your LLC is registered in. The most important thing is making sure your business name and tax information match across all your accounts and documentation.

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Just to add another perspective on this - I've been through this exact situation and ended up keeping things simple by just forming my LLC in Florida where I actually live and operate. After researching the privacy benefits of Wyoming and Nevada, I realized that for most small businesses, the additional complexity and costs often outweigh the benefits. You're looking at: - Wyoming/Nevada formation fees (~$100-150) - Annual fees in those states (~$50-60/year) - Registered agent fees (~$100-300/year) - Foreign LLC registration in Florida (~$25) - Florida annual report fees (~$138.75) Plus the administrative headache of maintaining compliance in multiple states. The privacy protection is nice in theory, but if you're doing business locally in Florida (which it sounds like you are), your information will likely become public through other channels anyway - business licenses, permits, professional registrations, etc. Unless you have specific reasons for needing that level of privacy protection, or you're planning to operate in multiple states anyway, a Florida LLC might be the simpler and more cost-effective route. You can always convert or form a new entity later if your business grows and your needs change.

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