Short answer: Compare companies by what you pay and get in year two, not only by the first price. Ask each one the same seven questions, and write down the answers. This guide lists the questions and shows how we answer them.
An LLC is a kind of US company. Many founders outside the US form one because their clients want to sign with a company. Many companies sell this service, and their first prices look alike. The differences show up later, when renewals and filings arrive.
We sell this service too, so we have an interest. We answer each check below with facts from our own pages, as of November 2026. We do not name other companies.
At a glance
Use this table as your list. The second column is our answer.
| Check | Our answer |
|---|---|
| 1. Price in year two | Formation Essentials is $199 a year, plus state fees. Full Compliance is $1,999 a year. |
| 2. Renewals | Plans renew every year unless you cancel. We give 30 days’ notice before a price change. |
| 3. Refunds | A full refund until we file with the state. After that, none. |
| 4. The EIN | We prepare and send the application. The IRS decides when it issues the number. |
| 5. Form 5472 | Included in Full Compliance. Not included in Essentials. |
| 6. Bank and Stripe | No bank account is included. Each bank and payment company decides on its own. |
| 7. Your documents | They are in your dashboard, ready to download. You can reach support by email. |
Steps
- Decide what you need first. Choose the state and the type of company. Our guide to Wyoming or Delaware can help.
- Ask every company the seven checks below. Use the same words each time, and ask for the answers in writing.
- Write down year one and year two. Put each company’s prices side by side.
- Read the renewal and refund terms before you pay. Every company should publish them.
- Choose the company with clear answers. A clear “no” is better than a vague “yes”.
- Keep your own copy of every document. Save each file you receive on your own drive.
The seven checks
1. What year two costs
Ask: “What do I pay in year one and in year two, with every fee?” A low first price can hide the cost of the next year. Add up four things: the company’s yearly fee, the state’s fees, the federal tax filing, and bookkeeping if you need it.
Our answer. Formation Essentials is $199 a year, plus state fees. It covers state registration and the EIN application. It also covers an Operating Agreement and a registered agent. It adds a business address and a digital mailroom. The Operating Agreement records who owns and runs the company. The registered agent is your company’s official contact in its state. Essentials does not cover federal tax filing or bookkeeping.
Full Compliance is $1,999 a year. It adds the federal and state filings, and bookkeeping. These prices are for a single-member LLC owned by one person. Your order shows the state fee before you pay, and our pricing page lists the yearly state charge.
2. How renewals work
Ask: “Does it renew by itself? How will I know before it charges me? How do I cancel?” Look for the renewal price in writing, not only the first price.
Our answer. Our subscriptions renew every year unless you cancel. We give you 30 days’ notice before a price change takes effect. Cancelling stops the next renewal. Cancel before the renewal date. After that date, the year you renewed is not refunded.
3. When you can get your money back
Ask: “Until what point can I get a refund?” Most services start work early, so the answer matters on the first day.
Our answer. Formation is fully refundable until we file with the state. After that, it is not. A delay or a refusal by the IRS, a state or a bank is never a reason for a refund. A duplicate or mistaken charge is always refunded in full. Government fees are not refundable once we have paid them.
You can ask for a refund at support@nonresident.tax, and we answer within 2 business days. Our refund policy lists the rule for each service.
4. Who applies for your EIN
An EIN is your company’s US tax ID. Banks and payment companies ask for it.
Ask: “Who applies for it, and how? Do I get the IRS letter? What do you promise about timing?” The IRS issues the number, not the company. A promise of an exact date is worth a question.
Here is what the IRS says. An EIN costs nothing. The IRS online form asks for a US Social Security number (SSN) or an ITIN. The IRS tells applicants based outside the US to apply by phone, fax or mail (see the IRS EIN page). The Form SS-4 instructions say a fax answer comes “generally within 4 business days” and a mailed one in “approximately 4 weeks”. These are the IRS’s own figures for its own step. Your total time also includes the state filing and the time you take to send us your details.
Our answer. We prepare the EIN application and send it to the IRS after the state accepts your company. Your EIN letter appears in your dashboard when the IRS issues it. We give no date, because the IRS decides it.
5. Who files Form 5472
A single-member LLC with a foreign owner may have a yearly IRS filing. The IRS treats the company as a corporation for this one purpose. If the company had a reportable transaction with its owner, it files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 (a short return that carries the form). Money you put into the company, or take out of it, is a reportable transaction. The IRS says this filing cannot be sent electronically (see the Form 5472 instructions). It is due with the Form 1120, which is April 15 for a calendar-year company.
The IRS penalty for a Form 5472 that is late, missing or incomplete can be $25,000 for each form (see the IRS penalties page). Form 5472 reports your transactions with the company. It is not a tax bill.
Ask: “Is this filing in the price? Who prepares it? Do I get a copy, and proof that it was sent?”
Our answer. Full Compliance includes the federal filing. Essentials does not. If you only need the filing, it is $399 for a single-member LLC. We prepare the forms from the records you share, and you sign them. Every filing comes with copies of the forms and a record of submission.
6. What a company can say about banks and Stripe
Banks and payment companies such as Stripe decide on their own whether to accept a new US company. A formation company cannot decide for them. Be careful with any promise of approval.
Ask: “Which documents do I get? Which address is on them?” You should receive the Articles of Organization (the state’s proof that your company exists), the EIN letter and the Operating Agreement.
Our answer. Formation does not include a bank account. We prepare your formation documents and apply for your EIN. Each bank or payment company sets its own rules and reviews each application. Both plans include a registered agent and a business address. Many providers also ask for a separate operating address, and you arrange that yourself. See our banking and payments page.
7. Where your documents are kept, and who answers
Ask: “Can I download every document at any time? Who answers when I write?” Then search for your company on your state’s business website. You should see that it is active.
Our answer. Your formation documents, your EIN letter and every filing we prepare are in your dashboard, ready to download. You can write to support@nonresident.tax. If a document we prepared has an error, we fix it at no charge. If you use our accounting, your books and their data stay yours. Download your files anyway, and keep your own copy.
What it costs
Prices change, so read them on our pricing page. It lists every plan, the state fee on your order and the yearly state charge. This is year two for a single-member LLC owned by one person, as of November 2026.
| In year two | Essentials | Full Compliance |
|---|---|---|
| Our yearly plan | $199 | $1,999 |
| State fee | Extra | Extra |
| Federal filing | $399 a filing | Included |
| Bookkeeping | $1,499 a year | Included |
State fees are extra in both plans, so look for them on your order.
Ask every company for the same four lines. If a line is missing from an offer, ask about it before you pay.
Next step
Compare the two plans on our company formation page. If you want help to choose, ask us.
Sources checked November 2026
- IRS: Instructions for Form 5472 (revised December 2024)
- IRS: International information reporting penalties
- IRS: Get an employer identification number
- IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 (revised December 2025)
Our prices and policies come from our own pricing, refund policy and terms of service pages, read in November 2026.
