US Company
US LLC Filings for SaaS and Digital Product Founders
If the product is code or a file, and you build it outside the United States, federal income tax often follows the place of performance — not the customer’s billing zip. That is the starting map, not a shield. You still form the company, get an EIN, and file the information returns. Some states tax digital goods. AWS in Virginia is not, by itself, a Scriplit claim that you have a US office.
LLC first for most foreign SaaS teams
A Delaware C-corporation is a funding instrument. If you do not have investors asking for it, a Wyoming LLC is the formation we already price. We will not upsell a corporate stack so the page looks “startup.”
Sales tax is the sneaky layer
Federal source rules and state digital-goods rules are not the same homework. Some states tax SaaS. Some do not. Marketplace or Stripe Tax tools help collect. They do not replace a decision about where you must register.
Who this is for
Bootstrapped SaaS
Foreign founders, US customers, Stripe, no US employees.
Digital downloads
Themes, photos, courses, fonts.
Agency with a product
Services plus a subscription. Two streams, one LLC — keep the books honest.
Thinking about a C-corp later
Form clean now. Convert later with a lawyer if investors appear.
What you get
Formation that processors understand
Wyoming LLC, EIN, operating agreement.
5472 on a simple related-party year
Owner funds the company, company pays Stripe fees, owner draws. That is a ledger, not a mystery.
Stripe file
Legal name on the site matches the LLC.
No fake “Delaware prestige”
Unless you have a reason. Reasons are investors or a lawyer’s memo — not a vibe.
How the process works
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1
Product memo
What is sold, who writes the code, where they live.
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2
Form and EIN
The published formation path if you do not have a company yet.
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3
Processor and bank
Guidance, not a guaranteed Stripe.
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4
Yearly packet
5472 or 1065, plus any state digital-tax registrations we agreed to.
What we need from you
- A live or imminent product URL.
- Owner countries.
- Whether anyone in the US can sign contracts for you.
- Processor payout destination.
Read this before you start
- Using US cloud hosting is not automatically a permanent establishment. It is also not a topic we will over-claim. If a treaty office analysis matters, hire the person who writes those memos.
- Employee in the US changes everything. Tell us.
- App-store withholding is a platform rule. Bring the 1099-K or the foreign equivalent if you have one.
Common mistakes
Personal Stripe, company invoices
Fix the account before the volume grows.
A C-corp “for taxes” with no investors
You may have bought a second tax system.
Ignoring 5472 because “it’s just software”
Related-party money still counts.
Collecting sales tax in one state and hoping
Hope is not a nexus analysis.
FAQ
Scriplit LLC is a Wyoming company that helps non-residents form US LLCs and prepare US information and tax filings. We are not a CPA firm or a law firm. This page is general information, not advice for your facts. Home-country tax, treaties, and your actual activity can change the result.
Related
Next steps on Scriplit
Describe the product and where the team sits
Subscription software, a theme, a course, or an API. Those facts belong in the first email.