Start a nonprofit · Wyoming
How to Start a Nonprofit in Wyoming
Wyoming charges $50 to file nonprofit articles of incorporation under the fee schedule effective July 1, 2026, and the annual report costs $25. Wyoming exempts sales to religious and charitable organizations from sales tax, and the organization gives vendors an exemption certificate.
Every fee and rule on this page was checked against the agency's own publication on November 8, 2026. Sources are linked under each item.
At a glance
The Wyoming requirements in one table.
| Type of entity | A Wyoming nonprofit corporation, formed by filing Articles of Incorporation with the Secretary of State. Online filing is available. Sources: SOS articles instructions, SOS business fees |
|---|---|
| State filing fee | $50, payable by card online or by check or money order on paper. Sources: SOS business fees, SOS articles instructions |
| Registered agent | A Wyoming-resident individual or an entity authorized to do business in Wyoming, with a physical Wyoming address. The agent signs a separate Consent to Appointment. Sources: SOS articles instructions |
| Federal exemption | Form 1023 ($600) or Form 1023-EZ ($275), filed electronically on Pay.gov. Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice |
| Annual report | $25, due on the first day of the formation anniversary month. Sources: SOS business fees, SOS articles instructions |
| Sales tax | Sales to religious or charitable organizations are exempt under W.S. 39-15-105(a)(iv)(B). Sources: Dept. of Revenue review |
The steps
Four steps, in the order they happen.
Name a Wyoming registered agent.
The agent can be a Wyoming-resident individual or a domestic or foreign business entity authorized to do business in Wyoming. The agent needs a physical Wyoming address with any suite number included. A P.O. box is acceptable only when a physical address is also listed, and a drop box is not acceptable. The agent signs a separate Consent to Appointment form.
Sources: SOS articles instructions
File the Articles of Incorporation and pay $50.
Article 9 of the form lists each incorporator's name and address, and the form includes six signature blocks. The instructions do not state a minimum number of incorporators or directors, so confirm those in the Wyoming Nonprofit Corporation Act. Online filers pay by Visa or MasterCard, and paper filers send a check or money order to the Wyoming Secretary of State.
Sources: SOS articles instructions, SOS business fees
Apply to the IRS for 501(c)(3) status.
Forming a corporation does not make it tax-exempt. The federal application is Form 1023, with a $600 user fee, or the shorter Form 1023-EZ, with a $275 user fee, for smaller organizations that pass the eligibility worksheet in the form instructions. Both are filed electronically on Pay.gov, and the IRS returns paper applications. The IRS notes that the amounts can change.
The IRS answers with a determination letter, the written ruling that recognizes the exemption.
Sources: IRS fee page, IRS e-filing notice
Use the sales tax exemption.
The Department of Revenue's review states that sales made to religious or charitable organizations are exempt under W.S. 39-15-105(a)(iv)(B), and that occasional fundraising sales by such organizations are exempt if not made in the course of any regular business. The exemptions are entity-based, so the organization gives the vendor an exemption certificate. The review does not describe the certificate form or the criteria for qualifying, so contact the Department of Revenue to confirm.
Sources: Dept. of Revenue review
Sales tax
What the Wyoming exemption covers.
The Department of Revenue lists three nonprofit-related exemptions.
Purchases.
Sales to religious or charitable organizations, including nonprofits that provide meals or services to senior citizens, are exempt. For senior citizen nonprofits, the Department of Health certifies the organization to the Department of Revenue.
Sources: Dept. of Revenue review
Fundraising sales.
Occasional sales by religious or charitable organizations for fundraising are exempt if not in the course of any regular business.
Sources: Dept. of Revenue review
Intrastate transit.
Intrastate transit of persons by a government, charitable or nonprofit organization is exempt.
Sources: Dept. of Revenue review
After you form
Staying in good standing.
One state filing recurs every year.
File the annual report.
The fee is $25 and the report is due on the first day of the formation anniversary month. If the fee is not paid within 60 days of the due date, the entity is subject to dissolution. This page does not verify any Wyoming charitable solicitation registration, so confirm with the Secretary of State before soliciting donations.
Sources: SOS business fees, SOS articles instructions
Common questions
Quick answers.
How much does it cost to start a nonprofit in Wyoming?
The articles cost $50, plus the IRS user fee of $275 for Form 1023-EZ or $600 for Form 1023. That totals $325 or $650 as of the date this page was verified.
When is the Wyoming nonprofit annual report due?
On the first day of the formation anniversary month, at $25. Not paying within 60 days of the due date can lead to dissolution.
Is a Wyoming nonprofit exempt from sales tax?
Sales to religious and charitable organizations are exempt under W.S. 39-15-105(a)(iv)(B), and the organization gives the vendor an exemption certificate.
After the filing
What comes next for a Wyoming nonprofit.
The state filing is the short part. These are the next four jobs, and the book that handles each.
- Book I
Get the federal application and first-year budget right
The name, bylaws, the IRS application, a founding board and a first-year budget that balances.
- Book X
Start from finished documents
Forty annotated documents, including bylaws, budgets, policies, job descriptions and board papers, as editable Word files.
- Book VII
Build the board on purpose
What a board is for, recruiting for the skills you lack, working with the chair and running meetings that reach decisions.
- Book VIII
Stay in good standing
Charitable solicitation registration, operating in a second state, insurance and annual filings.
The complete set
All ten books and forty documents, $149.
All ten books in PDF and EPUB, plus the forty documents from Book X as editable Word files. The books are not sold separately.
Free when you join the list
Every Document a New Nonprofit Needs
Articles, bylaws, minutes, the exemption application, the policies and the filings: the whole sequence a new organization has to produce, in the order it arrives.
Sources
Where each figure comes from.
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division fee schedule (effective July 1, 2026)
- Wyoming Secretary of State, Nonprofit Corporation Instructions
- Wyoming Department of Revenue, Review of Wyoming Sales/Use Tax Exemptions (August 2025)
- IRS, Form 1023 and 1023-EZ: amount of user fee
- IRS, Changes to the exempt organization determinations process
Last verified November 8, 2026. Fees and rules change, so confirm with the agency before you file. This page is general information and not legal or tax advice.