Formation & company terms
LLC (Limited Liability Company), A US business entity combining liability protection with flexible, pass-through taxation. The default choice for owner-operated businesses.
C-Corporation, A separately-taxed corporate entity built for issuing equity to investors. The standard vehicle for US venture-backed startups, almost always in Delaware.
Articles of Organization, The document filed with a state to create an LLC. Wyoming charges $100; approval creates the company.
Certificate of Formation / Good Standing, State-issued proof that your company exists (formation) and is current on its obligations (good standing). Banks and partners ask for these.
Operating Agreement, The internal contract defining ownership, management and profit rights. Not filed with the state, but banks require it and disputes are decided by it.
Registered Agent, The legally-required person or service with a street address in your formation state that receives official and legal mail for the company.
Member / Manager, An LLC's owner (member) and its day-to-day controller (manager). In most founder LLCs, the same person, a "member-managed" LLC.
Single-Member LLC (SMLLC), An LLC with exactly one owner; the IRS "disregards" it by default, taxing the owner directly instead of the company.
Foreign LLC registration, Registering your existing LLC in a second state where it has physical operations. "Foreign" here means out-of-state, not out-of-country.
Anniversary month, The month your LLC was formed; Wyoming's annual report comes due on the first day of it, every year.
US tax terms
EIN (Employer Identification Number), Your company's nine-digit IRS tax ID, needed for banking, Stripe, Amazon and hiring. Obtainable without an SSN, see the EIN guide.
SSN (Social Security Number), The tax ID of US citizens and work-authorized residents. You don't have one, don't need one, and must never borrow one.
Disregarded entity, IRS treatment of a single-member LLC: the company is ignored for income tax and its results attributed to the owner.
ECI (Effectively Connected Income), Income connected with a US trade or business, the trigger for a non-resident actually owing US income tax. Services performed from outside the US are generally not ECI.
Form 5472, The mandatory annual information return for foreign-owned SMLLCs, reporting owner-company transactions. Skipping it starts at $25,000; see the 5472 guide.
Pro-forma 1120, The cover-page corporate return a foreign-owned SMLLC attaches Form 5472 to. "Pro-forma" because only header fields are completed.
Form 1040-NR, The US individual return for non-residents, filed only when you have US-taxable income like ECI.
W-8BEN-E, The certificate your LLC gives US clients and platforms documenting foreign status, so they don't over-withhold tax on payments.
Form 7004, The extension request that moves the 5472/1120 deadline from April 15 to October 15.
Franchise tax, A state's annual fee for the privilege of existing there (Delaware min. $175+ for corporations; California $800). Wyoming's equivalent is the $60 annual report.
Sales tax nexus, Sufficient connection with a state (physical or economic) to owe sales tax registration there. Marketplace facilitator laws make Amazon handle most of it for FBA sellers.
BOI report, FinCEN's beneficial ownership disclosure. Currently not required for US-formed LLCs after the 2025 rule change; see the BOI status page.
Banking & payments
Mercury / Wise / Relay, The three fintech platforms non-US founders use for US business banking, all remotely openable; compared in the banking guide.
Routing number (ABA), The nine-digit code identifying a US bank for domestic transfers, what makes your account "a real US account" to platforms.
ACH, The US bank-to-bank transfer network: cheap, 1-3 days, how Amazon and Stripe pay you.
Wire transfer, Same-day, higher-fee transfers, typically how money moves internationally from your LLC to your home country.
KYC (Know Your Customer), Identity verification banks and payment platforms must run on you. Passport-based for non-US founders; consistency across documents is what makes it smooth.
your home country-side terms
Schedule FA, The foreign-assets schedule of your non-US tax return where the LLC and foreign accounts must be disclosed. Non-disclosure is a Black Money Act issue.
