Guides for global founders.
Practical, no-jargon guides on forming and running your U.S. or U.K. company — from EIN to banking to staying compliant.
Do You Have to File Form 1040-NR as a Non-Resident LLC Owner?
Here is the short version, and then the test, because the test is what actually decides it. Your foreign-owned US LLC has a filing obligation of its own.…
Read articleForm W-8BEN vs W-9: Which Tax Form Do Non-US Owners Actually Sign?
Someone sent you a W-9 and asked you to "fill in the tax form." If you are not a US person, do not sign…
Read articleNever Filed Form 5472: What Happens Now and How to Catch Up
If you formed a US LLC from outside the United States and have never filed Form 5472, here is the short version. The penalty…
Read articleWho Must Be the EIN Responsible Party (And Why It Can’t Be a Nominee)
No. If a formation agent has offered to put their own name, a US friend, or a "nominee" on line 7a of your Form…
Read articleEIN Reference Number 101: The Fix If You’re Outside the US
If your business is run from outside the United States, reference number 101 is usually not a name problem. It is a sign you…
Read articleHow to Form a US LLC from Mexico (2026): Who Needs One, and What Mexico Taxes
You can form a US LLC from Mexico without leaving Mexico, and nothing on the banking side stops you. Mexico is absent from both…
Read articleHow to Form a US LLC from Malaysia (2026): Banking, Tax and BNM’s Rules
You can form a US LLC while living in Malaysia, and the banking works — Malaysia is on neither Mercury's sanctioned nor its prohibited…
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