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.
Relay says a registered agent address can be okay in some cases, but I still need a personal address. What is the real rule?
I live in the Philippines and my Wyoming LLC uses a registered agent for state filings. Relay's support docs seem more flexible than Mercury's because they say a registered agent address may sometimes...
Form 6252 Introduction: Installment Sale Reporting (Ep. 34)
I'm considering an installment sale: Form 6252 Introduction: Installment Sale Reporting. How does Form 6252 work and how do I calculate the taxable gain?
My broker reported some foreign-source income separately and not everything showed up on the 1042-S. Is that normal?
I am in New Zealand and have a foreign-owned LLC with a U.S. broker account that holds both U.S. and non-U.S. securities. At year-end, not every line I expected showed up on the 1042-S, which made me ...
My account gets U.S. dividends and some bond interest. Why does one line get hit harder than the other?
I live in Thailand and hold both dividend-paying U.S. stocks and some debt instruments through my foreign-owned LLC. I am trying to understand why the withholding treatment is clearly different across...
My broker withheld 30% on U.S. dividends even though I thought the treaty rate should be lower. Is that usually a paperwork problem?
I live in Germany and use a foreign-owned LLC for a U.S. brokerage account. The account receives some U.S. dividends, and I expected the withholding to reflect the treaty logic tied to the foreign sta...
I am a nonresident and spent only 40 days in the U.S. this year. Are my stock gains usually outside U.S. tax?
I live in Portugal and trade through a U.S. LLC with a normal brokerage account. I was only in the United States for about 40 days this year, and I did not run a U.S. office or anything like that. I k...
What are the current IRS crypto reporting requirements for foreign owners of U.S. LLCs?
I keep hearing about new IRS rules for cryptocurrency reporting, and I'm overwhelmed trying to figure out what applies to me specifically as a non-U.S. person who owns a single-member LLC. I know abo...
My broker opened the account but now wants a W-8BEN-E from the LLC. What exactly are they trying to establish?
I live in Hong Kong and use a Delaware LLC for a trading account with U.S. securities. The broker let me move through most of onboarding, but now compliance is asking for a W-8BEN-E and additional ent...
EB-5 Immigrant Investor and LLC structuring
I am pursuing an EB-5 immigrant investor visa and plan to invest through a regional center. My attorney mentioned structuring the investment through an LLC. How does the LLC structure work for EB-5 in...
Our restaurant adds an automatic service charge. Can payroll treat that the same as customer tips?
I live in the UK and own a U.S. restaurant through an LLC. We recently started adding an automatic service charge for larger tables, and internally some people keep talking about that money as if it w...
My U.S. restaurant only has one location, but we usually have 12 staff on a normal day. Is Form 8027 already part of the picture?
I live in Canada and own a single U.S. restaurant through an LLC. We are still small from an ownership perspective, but the staff count on a normal day is usually around 12 people once the kitchen and...
CBP says my importer record could not verify the EIN even though the IRS already issued it. What is usually missing?
I am in India and my LLC has an EIN from the IRS, but my customs broker says CBP could not verify the importer record cleanly. I sent state formation records and the SS-4 copy, but apparently that may...
My affiliate newsletter also sells consulting calls. At what point does the business stop looking passive?
I live in Canada and use one U.S. LLC for an affiliate newsletter that reviews software tools. Over the last six months, readers also started paying for short consulting calls and custom implementatio...
Amazon sends one tax form, but my other affiliate programs just pay out normally. How do I keep one LLC record clean across all of them?
I live in the Philippines and my U.S. LLC now gets affiliate income from Amazon Associates, a software affiliate program, and a small newsletter sponsorship network. Amazon is the only one that gives ...
Amazon says my tax info is still pending after I completed the interview. Should I panic if commissions keep accruing?
I am in Japan and completed the Amazon Associates tax interview for my U.S. LLC, but the status still shows pending. The account is earning commissions, so I am nervous that money will build up while ...
I promote Amazon.com links from Germany. Is that alone enough to make the income U.S.-source?
I live in Germany and run review content through a U.S. LLC. The audience is international, but a lot of the links point to Amazon.com because that is where the program is strongest. I have never trav...
Do I absolutely need an EIN before opening a U.S. bank account for my foreign LLC?
I just formed my LLC in Delaware but I'm still waiting for my EIN. The IRS fax application has been pending for three weeks now. Meanwhile, I have a client who wants to pay me via ACH and I need a U.S...
I write for U.S. companies from the Netherlands and never travel. What records best support the foreign-work position?
I am a writer in the Netherlands using a U.S. LLC for several long-term American clients. Everything happens remotely: research, writing, edits, invoices, and calls. I never go to the United States fo...
I designed everything from Poland, but I also spent two workshop days in Chicago. Should those U.S. days be split out?
I am a freelance designer in Poland using a U.S. LLC for client work. Most of a recent branding project was done in Warsaw, but I spent two days in Chicago running an in-person workshop with the clien...
Can someone explain the 5 categories of filers on Form 5471 in plain English?
I've been reading the Form 5471 instructions and the categories of filers section is incredibly confusing. I own shares in two different foreign companies — 8% in one and 25% in another. Both companie...
A Texas event paid me a $7,500 appearance fee and reimbursed flights and hotel. Should I treat the reimbursement as part of the same tax file?
I live in Spain and was invited to speak at a creator event in Texas. The contract had a $7,500 appearance fee, and the organizer also reimbursed my flights, hotel, and local transport. I had been thi...
My merch sales and sponsorship money are in the same LLC. Do I really need separate books or just better tags?
I am in South Korea and run a creator business through a U.S. LLC. Until now the company mostly made money from sponsorships and platform payouts, but I recently added merch through a print-on-demand ...
X shows subscription revenue, then a chargeback hits later. Do I book the first number or wait for the payout support?
I am based in Indonesia and use a Wyoming LLC for my creator business. My X subscription revenue has started to become meaningful, but I noticed that some weeks the dashboard looks strong and then a c...
I did consulting and app onboarding during a U.S. trip. Should those days be split from my normal remote invoices?
I am based in Spain and use one Delaware LLC for both freelance product consulting and a small app business. Most of my work is remote, but during a recent U.S. trip I spent three days doing client on...
My Apple payout goes to the LLC now, but some of the older tax records were personal. Is that a real withholding risk or mostly cleanup work?
I am in Portugal and the App Store payout now lands in the LLC account, but the oldest parts of my Apple setup were personal because I launched before the company was fully ready. I have not seen an o...
What are the penalties for not filing a Beneficial Ownership Information report?
I read that the Corporate Transparency Act requires my foreign-owned LLC to file a Beneficial Ownership Information (BOI) report with FinCEN. What happens if I miss the deadline? I heard there is a $5...
When I move an app from personal ownership into the LLC, is the bookkeeping cutoff date as important as the platform transfer itself?
I am based in Spain and my app started under my personal accounts on Apple and Google. I now have a U.S. LLC and I am cleaning up the legal and tax side. My instinct was to focus on platform transfers...
Google says missing tax info can trigger withholding. If I fix the form now, does it help future payouts only or past ones too?
I live in the UAE and one of my Google payout notices made me realize the tax information in the payments center was incomplete. I updated the records right away, but I am unsure whether that mainly a...
Google Play estimated sales are higher than the earnings report. Which one should I trust for taxes?
I live in Brazil and my Android revenue is growing fast enough that I finally need disciplined monthly books. The problem is that the estimated sales report looks better than the earnings report, and ...
Apple paid me in one month but the financial report seems to point to Apple's fiscal month. Which month should I book?
I live in Thailand and my LLC gets most revenue from the App Store. When I compare the bank deposit to the App Store Connect financial report, the dates do not line up with a simple calendar-month vie...
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