Real Tax Questions, Expert Answers
Get answers to your foreign-owned LLC tax questions from ForeignLLCTax. Every answer includes IRS source citations and step-by-step guidance.
My supplier ships from China to U.S. customers. How do I know whether my LLC is the importer of record?
I am in Vietnam and run a dropshipping store through a Wyoming LLC. Orders are about $9,000 to $12,000 a month and the supplier in Shenzhen handles almost all shipping logistics. Sometimes they say du...
I spent six weeks in California while still billing my U.S. clients through my LLC. Is that enough to trigger a U.S. filing issue?
I am a freelance software architect based in Singapore with a Wyoming LLC. I normally work remotely, but this year I stayed in California for six weeks and continued doing billable work for two U.S. c...
I fly to the U.S. a few times a year for client workshops. Does that change my consulting tax situation?
I am a UX consultant in London using a Delaware LLC. Most of my work is remote, but one American client pays me around $110,000 a year and asks me to come to New York three or four times a year for wo...
I code from India for a U.S. client through my LLC. Is that normally just Form 5472, or could it be ECI too?
I am a freelance developer in Pune and use a Wyoming LLC for a direct contract with one U.S. startup. Revenue is about $88,000 this year. I do all coding and meetings from India and have not been to t...
What is Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) reporting and does my foreign-owned LLC need to file?
I keep seeing emails and ads about 'BOI reporting' and 'Corporate Transparency Act' filing requirements. I own a single-member LLC in Wyoming as a non-resident from Japan. My LLC was formed in 2024. D...
A U.S. client sent my foreign-owned LLC a 1099-NEC. Should I be worried it was reported wrong?
I am a consultant in Germany and bill one U.S. software client directly through a Delaware LLC. I do all work from Berlin and annual revenue from that client is about $64,000. They just sent a Form 10...
Upwork requires W-8BEN-E before I can withdraw. Does that solve my U.S. tax issues for the LLC?
I am a software freelancer in Pakistan and use a Wyoming single-member LLC to bill U.S. clients on Upwork. Upwork says I have to complete a W-8BEN-E before I can withdraw earnings and that otherwise t...
My U.S. LLC opened a Wise account for foreign currency. Does the LLC itself now have an FBAR issue?
I am in Portugal and run a Delaware LLC. To handle EUR client payments, the business opened a Wise business setup and now holds balances outside the U.S. during the year. At peak, the foreign balance ...
A U.S. brand wants a W-8BEN-E from my LLC, but someone told me a disregarded LLC should not use it that way
I am a UK creator using a Delaware single-member LLC for sponsorship contracts. A U.S. agency wants me to submit Form W-8BEN-E before they release a $14,500 campaign payment. Another advisor told me t...
Is my foreign-owned Delaware LLC really exempt from BOI now, or am I reading outdated summaries backwards?
I am in the Netherlands and have a Delaware LLC that I formed in the U.S., not a foreign company registered into the U.S. I kept seeing BOI content everywhere in 2024, so I assumed I would have to fil...
I flew to Los Angeles for a sponsored content shoot. Did I create a U.S. tax problem for my creator LLC?
I live in Seoul and run my influencer business through a Wyoming LLC. A U.S. cosmetics brand paid about $28,000 for a campaign and brought me to Los Angeles for four days of filming. Most of my other ...
Novo seems simple, but do I need a U.S. business address and ITIN-style owner details to make it work?
I am in Japan and testing Novo for a single-member Wyoming LLC. Their older guidance seems friendly to non-U.S. citizens, but newer application guidance also says the business address needs to be in t...
Mercury says it supports founders worldwide, but my principal business address cannot be a registered agent. What do they actually want?
I am in India and opening a Delaware LLC for a SaaS tool. Mercury looks like the best banking fit because it openly supports non-U.S. founders, but their onboarding language says the principal busines...
What foreign financial assets do I need to report on Form 8938 under FATCA?
I'm a U.S. citizen living in Singapore. I have a bank account with about $150,000, a brokerage account with $80,000, and I hold stock in a Singapore private company worth about $200,000. I've been fil...
My Instagram sponsorship contracts let U.S. brands reuse my content. Is that just service income?
I am a Brazilian influencer using a New Mexico LLC for brand partnerships. Most campaigns are for U.S. beauty brands and I usually shoot everything in Sao Paulo, but the contract often says the brand ...
TikTok says only my U.S. engagement is taxed. If they already withhold, why do I still care about my LLC filings?
I am based in Spain and use a Wyoming LLC for my TikTok creator income and some small Instagram brand deals. TikTok's help page seems to say that only U.S. engagement is generally subject to U.S. tax ...
YouTube sent me a 1042-S through AdSense. Does that mean my Delaware LLC now needs a U.S. tax return too?
I am a creator in the Philippines and use a Delaware single-member LLC for my YouTube business. Around 40% of my views are from the U.S. and total gross channel revenue is about $95,000. Google asked ...
I spent two months in the U.S. while running my app business. Do I now need more than Form 5472?
I am an Australian developer with a Delaware single-member LLC. Revenue comes from Apple in-app purchases, Google Play subscriptions, and AdMob ads, for about $140,000 total this year. Most of the yea...
What IRS enforcement actions on crypto should foreign LLC owners be aware of?
I've been reading about the IRS cracking down on cryptocurrency tax evasion. They apparently got data from Coinbase and other exchanges through John Doe summonses. My foreign-owned LLC trades on sever...
Form 5472 Explained: What It Is, Who Must File, and How It Works (2025-2026)
I'm a foreign owner of a U.S. LLC and I'm trying to understand: Form 5472 Explained: What It Is, Who Must File, and How It Works. Can someone break this down in simple terms? I want to make sure I'm f...
Google Play is asking for foreign status documents and also showing Brazil withholding notices. Which tax am I looking at?
I am in India and sell an Android subscription app through a Delaware LLC plus a local Indian company. Google's payments pages asked for foreign status information, and separately I am seeing referenc...
Apple asked my Singapore company for a U.S. tax form. Is that normal if I am not in the U.S.?
I run a Singapore private company and recently switched my mobile app publishing to a Delaware LLC that I own. Apple is asking for U.S. tax information in App Store Connect even though I am not U.S.-b...
What are New York's filing requirements for a foreign-owned single-member LLC?
I formed an LLC in Delaware but registered it as a foreign LLC in New York because I have a client there. I'm a UK citizen living in London. My LLC provides consulting services to a NYC-based company....
My Atlas LLC has almost no revenue yet. Can I skip U.S. filing for the first year?
I am in Lagos and formed a Delaware LLC through Stripe Atlas for a micro-SaaS project. Revenue in 2024 is maybe $8,000 and most of that came late in the year. Before that, I personally paid for format...
What is the Base Erosion and Anti-Abuse Tax (BEAT) and who does it affect?
Our company is a U.S. subsidiary of a large foreign multinational. Our CFO mentioned we might be subject to something called BEAT — the Base Erosion Anti-Abuse Tax. I looked it up and it seems very co...
My single-member LLC made no money this year. Do I still need to file taxes for it?
I'm a British citizen who formed a single-member LLC in Delaware through Firstbase about 8 months ago. I haven't launched my product yet so the LLC has $0 in revenue. Do I still need to file anything ...
My German SaaS LLC has U.S. customers and a U.S. freelance closer. Did I create ECI?
I live in Berlin and own a Wyoming single-member LLC that sells workflow software to U.S. companies. Revenue is now about $240,000 per year. I write the code and manage the company from Germany, but I...
I formed a Delaware SaaS LLC with Stripe Atlas from India. If I have no U.S. office, is Form 5472 my only filing?
I am based in Bangalore and formed a Delaware single-member LLC through Stripe Atlas in early 2024 for a B2B SaaS product. We are around $90,000 ARR, with about 70% of customers in the U.S. and the re...
I spent 150 days in the U.S. this year. Can Form 8840 save me from being taxed as a resident?
I'm a Canadian who spends winters in Florida and summers in Canada. This year I was in the U.S. for about 150 days. I understand there's a substantial presence test that could make me a U.S. tax resid...
What is the FDII deduction and can my U.S. corporation benefit from it?
I own a U.S. C-corporation that sells software licenses to customers all over the world. About 60% of our revenue comes from foreign customers. Someone mentioned that there's a deduction called FDII t...
Have a tax question?
ForeignLLCTax members can submit questions and get expert answers with IRS source citations. Join the community for $9.99/month.