What to know about your US company, before and after you order.

3 MIN

Wyoming or Delaware for a founder abroad: the choice that sets your yearly cost

Wyoming or Delaware from abroad: $102.40 or $110 to file, $60 or $400 a year, what the public record shows, and which one investors expect.

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4 MIN

How to start a US LLC as a non-resident, step by step

Every step for a founder outside the US, in order: state, name, agent, filing, an EIN without an SSN, the operating agreement, bank account and yearly dates.

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3 MIN

LLC or C-Corporation for a founder outside the United States

How an LLC and a C-Corporation differ for a founder abroad: tax, what each can issue, yearly cost, what investors expect, and when the usual answer is wrong.

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3 MIN

The best state for a non-resident's LLC, with every state's figures

Which state a founder abroad should form an LLC in, judged on the yearly cost, whether owners are public, and whether banks know the state.

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2 MIN

Do you need a US visa, or to visit, to own and run a US company?

No visa or visit is needed to form, own or run a US company from abroad. What owning one does and doesn't do for your immigration status, and business trips.

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3 MIN

How to name your LLC: suffixes, restricted words and checking the register

What Wyoming and Delaware require of an LLC name: accepted suffixes, words that need approval, searching the register first, and why a name isn't a trademark.

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2 MIN

The documents you get after formation, and what each one is for

The documents a new US company has once it's formed, what each one is for, and the certificates and apostilles to get when a bank abroad asks.

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2 MIN

How long a US company takes to form from abroad, step by step

How long each step takes when you form a US company from abroad: state approval in Wyoming and Delaware, the EIN, the bank account, and what speeds it up.

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3 MIN

What a US company costs a founder abroad in year one, and every year after

Every cost of a Wyoming LLC for a founder abroad, from the state fee and renewals to the yearly filings and the extras plan cards leave out.

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3 MIN

Single-member or multi-member LLC: what changes when there are two of you

What changes when an LLC has several owners instead of one: tax, yearly filings, what the operating agreement must settle, and adding a member later.

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2 MIN

Member-managed or manager-managed: who runs the LLC, and why a bank cares

The two ways to run an LLC, who signs and decides under each, which suits a single owner, and how Wyoming and Delaware treat the choice.

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4 MIN

How to get an EIN without a Social Security Number

Why the IRS online EIN application is closed to founders without an SSN, how the fax and phone routes work, how long each takes, and what arrives at the end.

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4 MIN

Form 5472 and the pro forma 1120, explained for a foreign-owned LLC

The filing a foreign-owned single-member LLC owes every year, income or not: who files it, what it reports, how and when it's filed, and the $25,000 penalty.

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4 MIN

Do non-resident LLC owners pay US tax? The trade-or-business test, plainly

When a foreign-owned US LLC owes US income tax: the trade or business test, effectively connected income, withholding, treaties, and what's filed.

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2 MIN

Do you need an ITIN? Usually not, and here's when you do

What an ITIN is, why forming a company and getting an EIN don't need one, the situations that do, and how to apply when the time comes.

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3 MIN

US tax treaties and your LLC: what a treaty changes, and who claims it

How a US tax treaty lowers withholding, limits US tax on business profits and relieves double tax, why the LLC's owner claims it, and royalty rates by country.

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3 MIN

Form W-8BEN, W-8BEN-E and W-9: which one your company gives, and how to fill it

Which tax form a foreign-owned US company gives a client or platform, why a single-member LLC's owner gives a W-8BEN, not a W-9, and mistakes that cost 30%.

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2 MIN

Multi-member LLC taxes: Form 1065, the K-1, and what changes with two owners

How a US LLC with two or more owners is taxed: the partnership return and K-1s, withholding on foreign partners, and why it doesn't file Form 5472.

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3 MIN

Form SS-4, line by line, for a company with a foreign owner

Every line of the IRS EIN application for a company whose owner has no SSN: the responsible party, line 7b, the entity type and where to send it.

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2 MIN

How long an EIN takes without an SSN, by route, and what to do at thirty days

Realistic EIN timelines without an SSN: fax, phone and post, why the IRS's four-day figure rarely applies, and how to chase a quiet application.

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2 MIN

CP 575 and 147C: the two letters that prove your EIN, and how to get the second one

What the IRS's CP 575 notice is, why it's issued only once, how to get a 147C letter when it's lost, and what banks accept as proof of an EIN.

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3 MIN

How a foreign-owned Delaware C-Corp is taxed: Form 1120, franchise tax and dividends

What a C-Corporation owned from abroad files and pays each year: Form 1120, Form 5472, Delaware franchise tax by 1 March, estimated tax, and tax on dividends.

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3 MIN

State income tax and your LLC: why forming in Wyoming isn't what keeps you out of it

How US states tax a company's income, why a foreign-owned LLC with no presence in any state usually owes none, and what creates a presence.

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3 MIN

The tax and filing calendar for a foreign-owned US company

Every federal and state date a foreign-owned US company may face in a year, from January's 1099s to April's Form 5472 and June's Delaware LLC tax.

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4 MIN

A US bank account for a non-resident's LLC: who opens one, and what they ask for

Which banks and fintechs open accounts remotely for a foreign-owned US LLC, the countries some refuse, the documents they all want, and what to do after a no.

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3 MIN

Stripe for non-residents: what a US LLC gets you, and what Stripe can still refuse

Why Stripe may not serve your country, how a US LLC applies on Stripe's US terms, what the application asks, what gets accounts closed, and the alternatives.

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2 MIN

PayPal Business for a US LLC: what it asks for, what it limits, and how to keep it open

How a founder abroad opens a US PayPal Business account for a US LLC, the US address and phone it wants, why new accounts get limited, and how to keep one open.

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3 MIN

Getting paid by US clients through a US LLC: invoices, the tax form, and the rails

How a foreign-owned US LLC invoices a US client, which tax form their accounts team needs, and how the money moves: ACH, wires, Stripe invoicing and Wise.

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3 MIN

Mercury for non-US founders: who it takes, what it asks for, and how to keep the account

How Mercury opens an account remotely for a US company with a foreign owner: the countries it serves, the documents, the review, the fees and keeping it open.

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2 MIN

Wise Business for a US LLC: US account details, other currencies, and bringing money home

How a Wise Business account gives a US company US account details, holds other currencies and converts near the mid-market rate, and who it may not serve.

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3 MIN

Payoneer and the alternatives: accounts for founders the banks turn away

The providers that give a US company US account details when Mercury and Wise won't: Payoneer, Grey, Raenest, Airwallex and others, and who each one serves.

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2 MIN

Keeping the company's money separate from yours: why it matters and how to do it

Why an LLC's liability protection depends on separate money, how to pay yourself and put money in, and what to do if early costs went on a personal card.

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2 MIN

A US address and phone number for a foreign-owned company: who actually needs them

The addresses a US company has, which services want a US mailing address or phone number, how a virtual mailbox works, and what never to do with one.

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3 MIN

KYC, reviews and chargebacks: what banks and processors will ask, and how to answer

The identity checks a foreign-owned US company faces at a bank or processor, what triggers a later review, how chargebacks work, and the records to keep.

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2 MIN

Beneficial ownership reporting in 2026: what a US-formed company owes FinCEN

FinCEN ended beneficial ownership reporting for US-formed companies on 14 August 2026. What that means for a new Wyoming or Delaware company, and who still files.

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2 MIN

Wyoming's annual report: what it asks, what it costs, and what if it's late

Wyoming's yearly LLC filing: the $60 licence tax, the due date, what the report asks and doesn't, how to file it, and what happens if you miss it.

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2 MIN

The Delaware annual LLC tax: $400 by 1 June, and the penalty for missing it

Delaware's yearly charge for an LLC: the flat $400 tax, raised from $300 in 2026, the 1 June due date, why there's no annual report, and the late penalties.

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3 MIN

When a US company misses a filing: good standing, dissolution and reinstatement

What a state and the IRS do when a company misses its annual report, state tax or federal return: lost good standing, penalties, dissolution and reinstatement.

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2 MIN

Changing your registered agent: how, what it costs, and what to check first

How a Wyoming or Delaware company moves to a new registered agent: the filing, the state's fee, the new agent's consent, and the address updates that follow.

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2 MIN

Amending your articles: changing a company's name, address or structure after formation

What needs an amendment filed with the state and what doesn't, the fees in Wyoming and Delaware, and who to tell after a change of company name.

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2 MIN

Foreign qualification: when a Wyoming company has to register in another state, and how

When an LLC is doing business in a second state, what registering there involves and costs, and why it's a reason to form where the business will be.

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2 MIN

Closing a US LLC properly: the state filing, the final tax forms and the EIN

How to close a Wyoming or Delaware LLC so nothing keeps building up: the dissolution filing and fee, the final Form 5472, closing accounts, and telling the IRS.

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3 MIN

Converting a Wyoming LLC to a Delaware C-Corporation when an investor asks

What happens when an LLC has to become a Delaware corporation: the conversion filings, the tax treatment, the new EIN, issuing stock, and the cost and time.

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3 MIN

Sales tax for non-resident sellers: nexus, marketplaces, and when you actually register

How US sales tax works for a foreign-owned company selling to Americans: nexus, inventory, marketplace collection, resale certificates and states with none.

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3 MIN

Hiring US contractors from abroad: the W-9, the 1099-NEC, and the line you must not cross

How a foreign-owned US company pays US contractors: contractor or employee, the W-9, the 1099-NEC at $2,000 from 2026, and when you need an employee.

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3 MIN

A US trademark for a foreign-owned company: protection, cost, and the attorney rule

How a trademark differs from a company name, what a USPTO application costs and takes, why applicants abroad need a US attorney, and Brand Registry.

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2 MIN

Business licences for a US company run from abroad: what you need, which is usually nothing

Why there's no general federal business licence, when state and city licences apply, what a seller's permit is, and the industries where licensing matters.

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3 MIN

The 83(b) election: thirty days, no extension, and filing without an SSN

What an 83(b) election is, why founders with vesting stock file one within 30 days, how to file Form 15620 from abroad, and what happens if you miss it.

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2 MIN

SAFEs explained: how startups raise before a priced round, and why they need a corporation

What a SAFE is, how a post-money SAFE converts, what a valuation cap and discount do, why an LLC can't cleanly issue one, and what founders abroad should watch.

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3 MIN

Cap table basics for founders abroad: shares, vesting, the option pool and dilution

What a cap table records, how a new Delaware corporation's shares are set up, why founders' stock vests, what an option pool is, and how dilution works.

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