Short answer: Possibly. Income does not decide it. Money or property that moved between you and the company does. Money you put in is named in the IRS text. Fees you paid yourself are not named, and we read them as covered, even with no bank account. No filing is needed only when nothing like that moved in the year.
This answer is for a dormant single-member LLC with one owner who is not a US citizen or resident. The IRS treats that LLC like a corporation for one purpose: Form 5472, filed with a pro forma Form 1120 (a short return that carries it). Form 5472 lists what moved between you and the company. It is not a tax bill, and income is not the test.
What the IRS says
The Instructions for Form 5472 (revised December 2024, checked November 2026) say who does not have to file. For an LLC like yours, the exception needs both of these to be true. The company:
- “had no reportable transactions of the types listed in Parts IV and VI of the form”, and
- “also had no reportable transactions of the type listed in Part V of the form”.
Part IV is money paid or received. Part VI is goods or services given for no money, or for less than a fair price. Part V applies to a foreign-owned LLC like yours. It covers:
amounts paid or received in connection with the formation, dissolution, acquisition, and disposition of the entity, including contributions to, and distributions from, the entity.
Money you put in is a contribution. Money you take out is a distribution. Both count.
What if I paid the fees myself?
You paid the state or the formation service from your own card, and the company has no bank account. The money still moved: from you, for the company. We read the formation fee you paid as an amount paid “in connection with the formation”. Our federal tax page also lists expenses you paid for the company as reportable transactions. A bank account does not change the test.
Check your year
- Is it a single-member LLC with one owner who is not a US citizen or resident?YesNext question.NoOther rules apply, so ask us.
- Did money move between you (or a company you own) and the LLC? Count money in, money out and loans.YesParts IV and V cover it. A filing is needed.NoNext question.
- Did you pay the formation fee, or any other cost of the company, from your own money?YesWe read it as covered, with or without a bank account. A filing is needed.NoNext question.
- Did you or the LLC give the other goods, services or the use of property for no money, or for less than a fair price?YesPart VI covers it. A filing is needed.NoNothing moved in Parts IV, V or VI. The IRS says no Form 5472 is required for that year.
Each tax year stands alone. A later year in which nothing moved can have no filing. Keep your bank or card records, so you can show what happened. If a year needs a filing, it is due with the pro forma Form 1120.
Read more: Form 5472 explained, the related-party guide, the pro forma Form 1120 guide and the deadlines guide.
What we do
You share the year’s records in your dashboard: money you put in, costs you paid for the company and money you took out. We prepare Form 5472 and the pro forma Form 1120, and you review them before we submit. A single-member LLC filing is $399 on time and $750 after the original due date with no Form 7004 on file, with copies and a record of submission. We prepare tax years 2023, 2024 and 2025 for an LLC with no US business activity. If your year is unusual, tell us first, so we can confirm what is needed.
Next step
See our federal tax filing page, or write to us if you are not sure.
Sources checked November 2026
Our prices and scope come from our own federal tax filing page, read in November 2026.
