Answers before you set up your U.S. LLC.

US LLC Light is built for non-U.S. solo founders running online, consulting, freelance, digital service, or other location-flexible businesses, who want a foreign-owned single-member U.S. LLC set up cleanly and maintained year over year. It is intentionally narrow in scope: one foreign owner, one U.S. LLC, no U.S. physical operations.

Sometimes. U.S. customers do not automatically make your case unsupported, but they can create extra U.S. tax questions depending on what you sell and how you deliver it. If you have substantial U.S. customer activity, we recommend reviewing the relevant guide and confirming with a CPA whether your situation needs specialist tax handling beyond the standard service.

US LLC Light is built for non-U.S. founders. You should not be a U.S. citizen, green card holder, or tax resident of the United States. If you split time between countries and aren't sure where you're tax-resident, that's a question for a tax advisor in your country before forming the LLC.

Not through this service. US LLC Light is scoped to single-member LLCs (one owner). Multi-member LLCs default to partnership tax treatment, which adds reporting complexity that's outside the standard package. If you need a multi-owner structure, you'll want a setup tailored by a CPA or attorney.

Entity-owned LLCs (where a non-U.S. company is the LLC member, instead of an individual) are supported in some cases. They require a director-confirmation step at signup. Pricing is the same as for individual-owned LLCs — the annual service fee is flat for every state and owner type. If the ownership setup isn't supported, checkout tells you before you continue.

Guided LLC formation in your chosen supported state, registered agent coordination, tax setup support, optional business address, operating agreement workflow, and onboarding into the yearly support cycle for the first compliance year.

Wyoming and Florida. Both are common picks for non-U.S. solo founders. The guides cover what to compare; pricing shows the relevant state fees for each.

State filing usually takes a few business days once we submit. The federal tax setup typically takes about 2 weeks for non-resident applicants, depending on processing times at the tax authorities. The full setup (formation + tax setup + documents ready for banking) usually completes within 2-3 weeks. We can't guarantee timing because the tax authorities control that side.

No. Formation, the tax setup, and most banking workflows can be completed remotely. Some banks may require a U.S. visit for in-person account opening, but fintech alternatives often don't. You can run the full setup from outside the U.S.

Yes. Your LLC's federal tax setup, including the EIN and its confirmation letter, is part of every package. The EIN itself carries no application fee: what you pay us for is the guided setup, the company documents, and the first-year support. Processing times on the federal side are not guaranteed.

You receive your filed Articles of Organization (the state-issued formation document), your tax confirmation letter (issued once approved), and your Operating Agreement (single-member version). These are the core documents most banks and counterparties will ask for. All are stored in your client dashboard.

Yes. A single-member Operating Agreement is included in the standard package. It documents the LLC's structure, the owner's role, and standard operating rules. Banks and counterparties commonly ask for it. If your situation needs custom terms (e.g., complex management arrangements), an attorney-drafted version is outside our scope.

Yes. Registered agent service in your formation state is included in the annual service fee. While your support is active, we coordinate the registered-agent renewal with the provider for you.

The registered agent address is where the state sends official legal notices (lawsuits, state filings). The business address is what you put on contracts, invoices, and banking forms. They can be different. We provide a registered agent in your formation state by default; the business address is your choice (your own, or our shared or dedicated business address).

Yes. If you have an address suitable for business correspondence, you can use it. Many founders prefer our included shared business address (3 mail scans per year) to keep their home address off public records, or the dedicated business address (state-specific unique suite number + 25 mail scans) if they expect more mail. Both options use a staffed office location operated by our registered-agent provider.

Mail to the registered agent address is scanned and forwarded electronically. If you use our business address option, scans are included (3 with the shared business address, 25 with the dedicated business address). Mail forwarding (physical reshipment) is not included; extra scans beyond your allowance are billed per scan. Spam or junk mail may be discarded.

Your first-year compliance cycle is included. We send reminders, run an annual questionnaire, prepare the supported state maintenance information, and coordinate the supported federal workflows (Form 5472 / pro-forma 1120 where applicable). You review and approve before anything is submitted.

For supported foreign-owned disregarded single-member LLC cases, yes — we organize the information needed and support preparation of the supported workflow. If your questionnaire reveals a more complex situation (multi-owner, U.S. operations, custom classifications), we flag it and recommend a qualified CPA.

Each year, we send a structured questionnaire covering your LLC's activity (revenue range, related-party transactions, any changes to address or ownership, banking activity, etc.). Your answers drive the year's preparation: state annual report, federal workflows (Form 5472 / pro-forma 1120 where applicable), and any flags for professional review. It typically takes 15-30 minutes to complete.

You sign off first. We prepare the supported state and federal workflows based on your questionnaire responses, then send them to you for review. After you approve, we coordinate the submission. Nothing is filed in your name without your explicit approval.

No. US LLC Light is a guided setup and lifecycle-support service. It is not a law firm or CPA firm. The standard package does not include personalized legal, tax, accounting, or bookkeeping advice. For specialist questions, plan to engage a qualified professional in addition to using the service.

Yes. Forming a U.S. LLC does not remove tax or reporting obligations in your country of personal tax residence. The LLC has its own U.S. obligations; you remain subject to your local rules. This is one of the most commonly misunderstood points and a good reason to check with a local advisor when planning.

No. Bookkeeping (tracking your transactions) and accounting (preparing financial statements) are outside our scope. If you have meaningful revenue or related-party transactions, you'll want a bookkeeper or accountant alongside US LLC Light. We focus on formation, state maintenance, and the supported federal compliance workflows.

Often, yes. It depends on your situation. The standard package covers the supported foreign-owned single-member LLC workflows. If your situation involves U.S. customers in volume, U.S. operations, complex tax planning, or unusual structures, a CPA familiar with non-resident foreign-owned entities is a worthwhile addition. We flag cases that look like they need CPA review during the annual questionnaire.

No. Approval is always decided by the bank or fintech provider. We help you start with the formation, tax setup, and core documents banks commonly ask for, but providers run their own KYC, may request additional documents, and may decline without explanation. The Banking guide covers realistic expectations.

Most institutions ask for: your Articles of Organization, your tax confirmation letter, the Operating Agreement, government-issued ID for the owner, proof of address for the owner, and a clear description of the LLC's business activity. Some also ask for expected transaction volume and source-of-funds documentation. Every institution has its own checklist; ours is a starting point.

Many payment providers accept U.S. LLCs with foreign owners, but approval is decided by each provider. They run their own checks on the business model, risk profile, and owner identity. We can't guarantee approval with any specific provider. The Banking guide covers what providers typically ask for.

Banks and payment providers can request anything they think they need. Common follow-ups: revenue forecasts, sample invoices, website screenshots, more detailed source-of-funds evidence, or local-country ID documents. If the request relates to your core LLC documents, we can help you locate the right artifact from your dashboard. We can't intervene in the provider's decision.

The formation fee for your chosen state (Wyoming or Florida) plus the prepaid first-cycle state maintenance amount are added on top of the annual service fee and shown transparently in pricing. They are paid on your behalf to the state.

You pay online by card — Visa, Mastercard, or American Express — through Stripe, our payment provider. Prices are in U.S. dollars. You don't need a U.S. bank account, and there's no wire transfer: the card you already have works. Annual renewal invoices are paid the same way.

Annual renewal invoices are sent around November 15 for the next supported maintenance cycle. The renewal covers the annual service fee plus the state maintenance amount. You receive the invoice with time to review before payment.

Yes. The pricing page shows the full first-cycle total, including the annual service fee plus the formation fee and the prepaid first-cycle state maintenance amount. The state portion is shown as a separate line so you can see where your money goes. We pay the state on your behalf.

You can choose not to renew at any annual invoice. If you cancel, we hand back your LLC documents and notify you of the upcoming state maintenance you'll need to handle yourself or through another provider. The LLC itself isn't dissolved; you can manage it independently or move to a different service.

The state filing is only one part of the service. Before choosing a provider, it helps to compare:

• The complete cost: look beyond the advertised formation fee and check state fees, address services, registered agent costs, and later annual costs.
• What happens after formation: check whether tax setup support, company documents, organized records, and first-year steps are included or left to you.
• The tax setup process: what the provider prepares, what you review and sign yourself, and what happens while the application is being processed.
• The business address: what type of address you receive, where it is located, how mail is handled, and whether a dedicated suite is available.
• Ongoing support: what happens during the first year and what support continues for annual state and federal requirements.

A useful comparison is less about who calls themselves the best provider and more about whether you can see what is included, what it costs, and what happens next before you buy.

If the annual questionnaire reveals something outside scope (multi-owner, U.S. operations, complex tax planning, regulated activity), we flag it, explain what changed, and recommend either a CPA referral or a path forward. We do not silently push out-of-scope work through the standard workflow.

The LLC stays in place — it's tied to its state of formation, not to your country of residence. But your personal tax situation may change with the move (your new country's tax rules apply to you). We don't track or advise on personal tax residence. If you move, flag it in the next annual questionnaire so we can update your records, and check with a local tax advisor on the personal-tax side.