US LLC for non resident cost
US LLC for non resident cost splits into three numbers, and only one of them is the one everybody quotes. There is what the state charges to file, what the company costs to keep alive every year after, and what the federal filing costs — and the third is the one that turns a hundred-dollar company into an expensive mistake when it is forgotten.
Book a strategy call — we price your actual situation before anything is filed. See what each package includes.
US LLC for non resident cost: year one
- The state filing fee. Public, fixed, and the number every comparison page leads with. Wyoming and New Mexico sit at the cheap end; Delaware does not.
- A registered agent. Not optional and not an upsell — the state requires an address in its own jurisdiction. A non-resident cannot be their own.
- A US business address. Separate from the agent, and the thing banks and the IRS actually write to.
- The EIN. The IRS charges nothing. What it costs you is weeks, because without a US taxpayer number the online application is closed and it goes by fax or post.
Every year after
- The annual report or franchise tax, which varies by state far more than the formation fee does.
- The registered agent renewal.
- The address.
- The federal return — see below, because this is the one.
A state that is cheap to enter is not always cheap to stay in, which is why comparing formation fees alone gets the decision wrong.
The cost nobody quotes
A single-member LLC owned by a non-resident is a disregarded entity for US federal tax and owes Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year — at zero revenue, with no US income, even if the company did nothing. The penalty for missing it is $25,000.
So the real annual cost of a US LLC for a non-resident is the state fees plus whatever it costs to get that return filed correctly and on time. Pages that quote "$50 a year" are quoting one line of three.
What changes the number
- Which state. Formation fee and annual obligation both.
- Whether you need an ITIN. A personal number, separate from the EIN, needed for personal filings and personal credit rather than for the company.
- How many owners. A multi-member LLC files a partnership return instead, which is a different and generally larger piece of work.
- Whether you have US activity. Inventory, staff or premises in the US changes the filing position substantially.
What nobody can promise you
- Nobody can quote your total cost from a web page, because it depends on the state, the ITIN question and whether you have US activity.
- A cheap formation is not a cheap company. The filing is the small number; the compliance is the recurring one.
- No one can guarantee you a bank account at any price.
Doing it yourself
Filing articles of organization is genuinely easy and you should not pay much for that alone. What costs money to get wrong is the sequence — the EIN started late, the operating agreement not written the way a bank reads it, the 5472 remembered in March rather than calendared in January.
If the entity is all you want, say so on the call and we will tell you whether you need us.
Common questions
What is the cheapest state to form in?
On the filing fee, New Mexico and Wyoming. On the total over three years, it depends on the annual obligation, which is the number worth comparing.
Does the EIN cost anything?
The IRS charges nothing for it. Any fee you pay is for someone preparing and chasing the application, which without an SSN runs to weeks.
Is there a cost if the company earns nothing?
Yes. The annual state filing and the federal return are both due at zero revenue. A dormant company is cheaper than an active one, not free.
What does Founders Credit charge?
Price on request — it depends on which package fits, and that depends on what you already have. See what each package includes.
Next step
Price on request. Book a strategy call — we work out the state, the filings and the real annual number for your situation. See what each package includes, or read US LLC registration for non-residents and the rest of the services.
Related
- US LLC registration for non residents — what you are paying for
- Best US bank account for non residents — the step after formation
- US credit profile service for EU founders — where the whole sequence leads
- Annual compliance for a US LLC — the recurring cost nobody quotes
Sources
Founders Credit is not a law firm, an accounting firm or a bank. State filings are lodged by licensed providers, federal returns are prepared by licensed preparers, and bank decisions rest with the bank. We prepare the application; we do not promise the outcome.