Company formation in the USA: registered in 1 to 10 business days
We form your US company, an LLC or a C corporation, in Delaware, Wyoming or the state where you work, and get its EIN with no social security number.
Company type
$110
Delaware state fee
- One member or more, from any country
- No federal income tax on the company by default
- For a consultancy, an agency or an online shop
from $109
Delaware state fee
- Shares to issue to investors and staff
- 21% federal income tax
- For a startup that will raise money from investors
Our fee for the filing, the registered agent and the EIN is fixed in your quote.
Compare an LLC and a C corporation
US company formation for a founder who lives abroad
LLC or C corpOne state, one type of company
Each US company exists under the law of one state. You choose its type and the state, and that state's filing office registers it. The type is an LLC or a C corporation, C corp for short. Most states do not restrict who owns an LLC, notes the IRS, the federal tax authority: individuals, companies and foreign entities qualify.
1 to 10Business days for state registration from abroad
We prepare the documents, file them with the state, arrange the registered agent the law asks for and get the company's EIN, its federal tax number. Registration takes 1 to 10 business days and costs from $100 in state fees. Delaware's registry says that an owner does not have to live in the state.
4 documentsYou receive, after signing in your account
You sign in your account on the Legarithm platform, with no trip to the USA. You receive 4 documents: the filed certificate, the operating agreement or bylaws, the EIN letter and a bank application ready to send. The books and the yearly returns follow: accounting in the USA.
LLC or C corporation for a non-resident: owners, tax and who each suits
An S corporation admits no non-resident alien shareholder, so a founder abroad chooses between these two.
| What differs | LLC | C corporation |
|---|---|---|
| Owners | One member or more: individuals or companies, from any country | One shareholder or more, with shares to issue to investors and staff |
| Filed with the state | Articles of Organization; in Delaware, a Certificate of Formation | Articles of Incorporation; in Delaware, a Certificate of Incorporation |
| Internal rules | Operating agreement | Bylaws |
| Federal income tax | None on the company by default: the members are taxed on its profit | 21% of taxable income |
| Federal return | One foreign member: Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120. Two or more: Form 1065 | Form 1120 |
| Suits | A consultancy, an agency, an online shop, one founder's holding | A startup that will raise money from investors, be sold or go public |
US corporate income tax calculator
The federal tax of a C corporation. State taxes come on top where the company does business.
- Federal income tax
- $42,000
- Share of the profit
- 21%
US federal corporate income tax calculator: 21%, reported on Form 1120.
What clients write about Legarithm
4.8 on Google from 26 reviews.
Delaware, Wyoming or the state where you work: yearly costs and taxes
Each figure is the state's own, as published in October 2026.
| Line | Delaware | Wyoming | State where you work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time at the registry | Extra fee: next business day $50, same day $100, 1 hour $1,000 | At once online, up to 15 business days by post | Set by that state |
| Each year, an LLC pays | $400 by 1 June, with no report | A license tax from $60 with the annual report, by the first day of its anniversary month | In California, $800 |
| Each year, a corporation pays | $50 for the annual report and franchise tax from $175, by 1 March | The same license tax, from $60 | In California, $800 as a minimum |
| State tax on profit | 8.7%, on income from business done in Delaware | None | That state's rate |
| Sales tax | None | 4% state rate | That state's rate |
What company formation in the USA costs
State fees as published in October 2026. Our fee for the documents, the filing, the registered agent and the EIN is fixed in your quote before we start. For the first year, step by step, see the USA services page.
Company formation in the USA, our fee
Fixed in your quoteYou get the figure in writing by the end of the next working day.
Get a quote- Delaware LLC, state fee
- $110
- Delaware corporation, state fee
- from $109
- Wyoming LLC or corporation, state fee online
- $103.75
- Delaware name reservation, 120 days
- $75
- EIN from the IRS
- $0
- Registered agent, each following year
- in your quote
- Accounting and the yearly returns
- in your quote
EIN for a foreign owner: Form SS-4 without a social security number
Form SS-4A founder abroad applies by fax or phone
The EIN, the Employer Identification Number, goes on every return, and the bank asks for it first. The IRS's online application is closed to an owner with no US social security number or ITIN, the IRS's taxpayer number for individuals. A founder abroad applies on Form SS-4, by fax or by phone.
Line 7bTakes the word the IRS prescribes: foreign
Form SS-4 names you as the responsible party, the individual who owns or controls the company. On line 7b, where a social security number would go, we enter the word the IRS prescribes: foreign. You sign the form in your account and name us as third-party designee, so we answer the IRS's questions and receive the number.
4Business days the IRS usually takes for the EIN
The IRS issues the EIN free, after the state has registered the company. We fax the form to the IRS unit for applicants abroad. The EIN comes back by fax, generally within 4 business days. By post it takes about 4 weeks.
How to register a company in the USA: six steps
- day 11
Type and state
We set an LLC against a C corporation, and Delaware against Wyoming and the state where you will work. A company with an office or staff in one state registers there, or it pays two states each year.
- day 12
Name
We check the name against the state's register and reserve it when you ask. We register a trading name of your own as a DBA, a "doing business as" name, where the state asks.
- day 1 to 23
Registered agent
State law asks each company for a registered agent at a street address in the state, to accept legal papers for it. We arrange the agent as part of our service.
- 1 to 10 business days4
Filing with the state
We prepare the articles and the operating agreement or bylaws. You sign in your account, and we file with the Secretary of State.
- 4 business days by fax5
EIN
We send your signed Form SS-4 to the IRS and receive the company's tax number.
- after the EIN6
Bank and state taxes
We send the bank application and register the company for sales tax and payroll in the states where it trades or hires.
US taxes for a foreign-owned company: the federal rules in figures
21%Federal income tax of a C corporation
A C corporation pays federal income tax of 21% on its taxable income, on Form 1120. From a dividend to a shareholder abroad it withholds 30%, or the lower rate of a tax treaty with the shareholder's country.
10% to 37%A single-member LLC with a foreign owner
For income tax the IRS disregards an LLC with one member: its income counts as the member's own. An individual member abroad pays US income tax on income effectively connected with a trade or business in the USA, at graduated rates of 10% to 37%, on Form 1040-NR.
$25,000Form 5472, from the first year
The LLC itself files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 for every year with a reportable transaction, and money the owner puts in or takes out counts as one. The IRS penalty for a missing form is $25,000, so we prepare it from the first year.
0%Wyoming's tax on a company's profit
Wyoming has no tax on a company's profit: the rate is 0%. Delaware exempts a corporation that only keeps its registered office there. Each state collects its own sales tax once sales to its customers pass a threshold, and accounting in the USA lists the thresholds and every due date.
After registration: bank account, ownership report, licenses, yearly duties
A company applies for a US bank account once it has its EIN. The bank asks for the formation documents, the operating agreement or bylaws and the identity of each owner of 25% or more. We prepare the application and answer the bank's questions with you.
A company formed in the USA files no ownership report with FinCEN, the Treasury's financial crimes bureau: the final rule in force since 14 August 2026 exempts every US company. A company formed abroad that registers in a state still reports, within 30 days.
Federal licenses cover 11 kinds of activity, among them alcohol, aviation, firearms and broadcasting. States, counties and cities license the rest. We check your activity and apply where a license is due.
Before the first salary we register the company for federal and state payroll taxes and unemployment insurance and report each new hire to the state's registry.
Each year the company pays its state's report or tax, files its federal return and renews its registered agent. We do the three on their dates. When a company stops, we dissolve it with the state: Delaware cancels an LLC for $220 once its taxes are paid.
Documents for a US company
Documents
From each owner
- Passport copy
- Home address
- Share in the company, in percent
- Role: member, manager, director or officer
About the company
- The name, with a second choice
- LLC or C corporation, and the state
- What the business does and where its customers are
- For a corporation: the number of shares and their par value
- For an owner that is a company: its certificate of incorporation
You send them in your account. We check each document the day it arrives and tell you what is missing.
See the platformA platform where you open
and run the company online
Your whole company is in your pocket. Sign documents, check the books and write to your accountant from your phone.
Your Company LLC
- Registration in progress
- Next deadline prepared
- Last month closed on time
- Passport copy Uploaded
- Proof of address Checked
- Company documents Sign
- Source of funds declaration Upload
You upload scans and sign the forms in the account. We keep the certificates and registers here afterwards, ready for a bank or an auditor.
The Legarithm team
We prepare your documents, check them before they are filed and keep your books.
Legal
Christina Agapiou Corporate Lawyer
Vasiliki Chatzigeorgiou Compliance Officer
Iryna Hrabovetska Associate
Anastasiia Kolomiiets Associate
Ivanna Plieshivtseva Junior Associate
Vladyslav Khamenushko Paralegal
Alisia Navrotska Paralegal
Vladyslav Syliava Paralegal
Finance and accounting
Ioannis Akritidis Accountant
Elizaveta Pytkina Accountant
Nataliia Dobrynina Accountant
Anna Kyrylova Finance specialist
Questions about company formation in the USA
How much does it cost to set up a company in the US?
State fees run from $100 in Wyoming to $110 for a Delaware LLC, and the EIN is free. Our fee, with the registered agent, is in your quote.
How do I start my own company in the USA?
Choose an LLC or a C corporation and a state, appoint a registered agent, file the articles, get an EIN and open a bank account. We do each step from your documents, as international company formation shows.
What is the biggest disadvantage of an LLC?
It has no shares to sell, so investors and staff share plans call for a C corporation.
Can a foreigner register a company in the USA?
Yes. A non-resident owns an LLC or a C corporation outright, as its sole member or shareholder.
Which state is best for a non-resident's LLC?
Wyoming when the yearly cost decides: $60 against Delaware's $400. Delaware when you expect investors, who know its company law: two-thirds of the Fortune 500 are incorporated there. The state where your office, staff or stock are, when the business works in one place.
Does an LLC need an operating agreement?
Banks ask for it: the Small Business Administration lists ownership agreements among the documents for a business account. We prepare it with the articles, and it records each member's share and who signs for the company.
Can I turn an LLC into a C corporation later?
Yes. Delaware converts an LLC into a corporation for $184 plus the fee for its certificate of incorporation. For tax alone, Form 8832 is enough.
Get a quote for your company in the USA
Book a 30-minute call about your company
Your consultant Vladyslav Babaiev Opens in a new tab Business Setup Specialist
- We email you the Google Meet link.
- 30 minutes, free, no obligation to order.
- After the call we email you the checklist of documents for your country.
We reply by the end of the next working day with the cost and the dates for your case. The first call is free and confidential.
Also for a company in the USA
Accounting in the USA
Books, Form 1120 or Form 5472 and the state reports, each with its due date
OpenInternational company formation
How we open a company abroad: your documents, one account, who signs
OpenThe Legarithm platform
One account for the documents, the signatures and every deadline of the company
OpenGuides to a company in the USA
Updated 21 October 2026. Reviewed by Vladyslav Drapii, Founder.
