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.
I spent 170 days in the U.S. and the rest in Portugal. Is Form 8840 my main defense now?
I live mostly in Portugal and run a Delaware LLC remotely. This year I spent about 170 days in the United States for travel, family visits, and a few work trips, which is more than I am comfortable wi...
I paid several LLC bills personally and never reimbursed myself. Does that still need a clean Form 5472 story?
I live in Colombia and my Delaware LLC was underfunded for most of the year, so I kept paying subscriptions, contractors, and filing fees from my personal foreign cards. I never reimbursed myself beca...
Stripe wants more bank verification because the account name does not line up cleanly. Is that a normal red flag?
I live in the UAE and my Stripe account is under the LLC, but the bank relationship is a little messy because the receiving account was opened during a transition period and the naming convention does...
My foreign LLC's bank account was frozen — what should I do?
I woke up this morning and can't access my Mercury account. When I try to log in, it says my account is under review. I have about $12,000 in the account and two client payments are supposed to come i...
I keep wiring money from my personal foreign account into the LLC. How do I decide whether that was capital or a loan for Form 5472?
I live in Brazil and own a single-member Delaware LLC. Over the last year I sent several personal wires into the company to cover software bills, contractors, and a few large formation costs. I never ...
I run a foreign company registered in a U.S. state. After the 2025 BOI changes, am I still one of the people who files?
I live in Japan and the main company is formed outside the United States, but it is registered to do business in a U.S. state because of our operations there. I keep seeing headlines saying BOI is gon...
My U.S. controller can move money from our foreign account but does not own it. Is that the kind of FBAR issue people miss?
I live in Germany and own a U.S. LLC with a foreign currency account overseas. We recently hired a U.S.-based controller who has online access and the ability to approve certain payments, but he does ...
Stripe payouts slowed down after refunds and disputes. Is the real issue the negative balance month?
I live in the UAE and run a software business through a Delaware LLC. Last month we had a cluster of refunds and one dispute, and now Stripe payouts feel slower and less predictable than before. Nothi...
Mercury says my principal place of business cannot be my registered agent. Why is that such a hard rule?
I live in India and my Delaware LLC already has a good registered agent and mail setup. Mercury is now asking for a principal place of business and explicitly says it cannot be a registered agent or v...
Wise rejected my registered agent address. What address are they actually looking for?
I live in Singapore and formed a Delaware LLC. I assumed my registered agent address would be enough for Wise because it works fine for formation documents and some basic vendor forms. Instead, Wise a...
I stayed in the U.S. for 190 days but still think of myself as foreign. Does that make my stock gains a bigger U.S. tax issue now?
I live in Australia and use a U.S. LLC for an active brokerage account. This year I ended up spending about 190 days in the United States because of family and travel overlap, even though I do not thi...
My U.S. broker sent a 1042-S instead of a 1099. Is that a red flag or just how foreign accounts are supposed to work?
I am in India and use a foreign-owned LLC for a brokerage account. This year I received a 1042-S instead of the kind of 1099 reporting I see U.S. traders talk about online. That makes me nervous becau...
I learned about section 475 after the year started. Did I already miss the election window?
I am in the UK and trade full time through my U.S. LLC. I only recently learned what section 475(f) does, and now I am seeing references that the election deadline arrives before the year it applies t...
I trade options almost every day through my LLC. Does that automatically make me a trader for tax purposes?
I live in Singapore and use a Wyoming LLC for an active options account. I trade most weekdays and my holding periods are usually short, so I have been casually calling myself a trader. The problem is...
My warehouse helper in Texas works regular shifts. Can I still call him a contractor because he has his own LLC?
I am based in Brazil and use a U.S. LLC to import products. We have one person in Texas who helps with receiving inventory, packing, and occasional returns. He invoices through his own small LLC, whic...
My payroll service missed a deposit for our first U.S. employee. Is that really still my LLC's problem?
I live in Mexico and hired our first U.S. employee through a payroll provider because I wanted the setup to be handled professionally. Now the provider says one federal tax deposit was delayed, and my...
My first U.S. shipment is ready, but my broker keeps asking about importer setup and bond details. What do I actually need to confirm?
I live in the UAE and formed a Delaware LLC to import home goods into the United States. My customs broker is now asking me to confirm the importer of record details, identification number, and whethe...
Amazon sent me a 1042-S for affiliate commissions. Does that automatically mean I now file a U.S. return?
I am in the UK and run content sites through a U.S. LLC. Amazon Associates issued a 1042-S showing some U.S.-source amount and withholding. I understand that the form reports something real, but I do ...
Amazon Associates wants a tax interview, but my LLC only got its EIN recently. Should I wait or submit now?
I live in the UAE and recently formed a Delaware LLC for affiliate sites and newsletters. Amazon Associates is asking me to complete the tax interview, but the EIN is still new enough that I am nervou...
My LLC earns creator sponsorships and consulting retainers. Is one entity still fine if I split the books cleanly?
I live in Thailand and started with creator work, but consulting now makes up almost half of the business. I still want to keep everything under one U.S. LLC because the brand and audience overlap, an...
FIRPTA withholding — when is it 15%, 10%, or 0%? I'm confused by the different rates.
I'm about to sell a property in Florida that I've held through my LLC (I'm a UK citizen, non-resident). My closing attorney told me the withholding is 15% of the sale price, but I've seen people onlin...
I run a service LLC from Mexico with U.S. clients but no U.S. office. Is that usually enough to stay out of ECI trouble?
I live in Mexico and use a Delaware LLC for consulting work. All of the client calls, deliverables, and project management happen from Mexico, and I do not have any U.S. office, employee, or contracto...
I flew to Los Angeles for four paid shoot days. Do I really need to split those days out from the rest of the campaign?
I live in France and do brand content through a Delaware LLC. One campaign was mostly planned and edited in Paris, but I spent four days in Los Angeles filming the paid part of the collaboration. The ...
My Twitch income is in the LLC, but I still buy gear personally. Is that a real tax issue or just messy bookkeeping?
I live in Brazil and stream full time through a Delaware LLC. Twitch payouts go to the company account, but in practice I still buy cameras, microphones, emergency PC parts, and some editing software ...
What exactly does 'non-U.S. person' mean on Form 5472? I'm confused by the IRS terminology.
I'm trying to fill out Form 5472 for my single-member LLC and it keeps referring to 'non-U.S. person' and '25% foreign owner.' I'm a Canadian citizen living in Toronto who formed an LLC in Wyoming. Am...
Google payments center keeps mentioning U.S. tax info and withholding. If I am a non-U.S. business, what is the form really doing?
I run a small app business from the Philippines through a U.S. LLC and Google keeps routing me into U.S. tax-information pages. Because I am not a U.S. person, I assumed the form was just a formality,...
Apple, Google, Stripe web billing, and AdMob all show different numbers. Which number belongs in the LLC books?
I am based in Mexico and my U.S. LLC now has four revenue streams: Apple subscriptions, Google Play sales, Stripe web billing, and AdMob ad payouts. Every dashboard shows a different total. The bank a...
I enrolled as an individual with Apple but formed an LLC later. Is the developer name problem just branding, or tax too?
I am in France and originally launched my iPhone app under my personal Apple developer account because I wanted to ship quickly. A few months later I formed a Delaware LLC and moved the business banki...
If Google is seller of record for my in-app purchases, do I stop worrying about U.S. sales tax entirely?
I live in Singapore and sell paid features through Google Play with a Delaware LLC. Some people tell me Google being seller of record means the sales tax side is basically handled, but others keep war...
Google Play is asking for tax details in the payments profile. Should that be my Delaware LLC or me personally?
I am based in Indonesia and publish Android apps through a Delaware LLC. When I opened the Google payments settings, I realized part of the profile still shows my personal details from when I first te...
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