Updated 13.08.2026
Company registration · United States
Company registration in the United States accessto the market, payments and investors
An American company opens the door to payment systems, marketplaces and venture money. The state is chosen by task, and the tax treatment depends on the form you pick.
Launch package
What the base package covers
- 01Choice of state and form for your task
- 02Incorporation with the state authority
- 03Registered agent and address for the first year
- 04Full set of corporate documents
- 05Federal tax number
- 06A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
and 3 more documents
The actual timing, cost and tax treatment depend on the corporate form, the activity and the structure of the company. Government fees are paid separately at the official tariffs.
Quick selection
Find the right structure
Where will the clients be?
What will the company do?
What do you need?
How many owners?
Reply within one business day
Fit
Who the United States suits
- Sellers on American marketplaces
- SaaS and IT products with US customers
- Startups raising venture investment
- Agencies and consultancies serving American clients
- Businesses that need American payment systems
- You want to avoid reporting: filings here are strict
- There are no American clients or investors at all
- You are counting on anonymity
- There is no budget for an accountant familiar with US rules
Company types
What company you can open in the United States
The choice between an LLC and a corporation determines how you will be taxed.
A company whose profit is by default taxed at member level rather than at company level.
- For whom
- Services, e-commerce, consulting, agencies.
- Advantage
- Flexible management and no double taxation.
- Limit
- Members report the income personally, including at home.
A classic corporation taxed at 21% federally, with dividends taxed again at shareholder level.
- For whom
- Startups raising venture capital.
- Advantage
- The standard form for investors and share option plans.
- Limit
- Two levels of tax and heavier administration.
A corporation with pass-through taxation.
- For whom
- Businesses whose owners are US persons.
- Advantage
- One level of tax with corporate form.
- Limit
- Not available to non-resident owners.
For most non-resident founders the real choice is between an LLC for operations and a C-Corp for venture funding.
Comparison
Delaware, Wyoming or Florida
The three states non-residents choose most often, for different reasons.
| Delaware | Wyoming | |
|---|---|---|
| Reputation with investors | the venture standard | lower |
| Annual state costs | higher | low |
| Corporate law | the most developed case law | simple and predictable |
| Privacy | moderate | higher |
| Best form | C-Corp for fundraising | LLC for operations |
| Banking | realistic | realistic |
| Who it suits better | startups with investors | operating businesses and e-commerce |
Delaware is chosen when investors are coming, Wyoming when the priority is cheap and simple upkeep. Florida makes sense when there is a real presence in the state.
Where to register
What shapes the structure in the United States
The state and the form follow from where the business actually operates.
What we check
- Whether investors are expected and in what form
- Where the customers are and how they pay
- Whether goods are stored in the country
- Whether staff or contractors will be engaged
- Which payment systems must be connected
- Whether a physical presence in a state is planned
- Who the owners are and where they are tax resident
- How the source of capital is evidenced
- What reporting the owners can support
- The upkeep budget for the next three years
Storing goods or employing people in a state creates a taxable presence there, with its own registrations and filings. This is planned before incorporation.
Licensing
Activities and registrations
Federal licences are rare; state and local permits are common.
Usually no licence, but local business permits may apply.
Sales tax registration is required in states where a presence arises.
Licensed at both state and federal level.
Requires licences in each state where the service is offered.
Subject to federal agency requirements.
Requires customs registration and an importer number.
What sets the licence
- In which states a presence arises
- Whether sales tax registration is required
- Whether goods cross the border
- Whether staff will be employed
- Which payment systems are used
- Planned turnover
Prices
Three ways to launch
The scope is built from real scenarios. The amount depends on the form and on how much reporting is needed.
from $1 200
A quick start with an American entity
1-2 weeks
Included
- Choice of state and form for your task
- Incorporation with the state authority
- Registered agent and address for the first year
- Full set of corporate documents
- Federal tax number
- A calendar of obligations for the year ahead
Government fees, paid separately
- State filing fees
Not included
- The bank account — handled as a separate stage
- Sales tax registrations
from $3 200
An operating business with real settlements
3-8 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company package
- Bank or payment institution profile and submission
- Connection of payment systems
- Accounting set-up and a reporting schedule
- Support with correspondence
Government fees, paid separately
- Bank tariffs
Not included
- A guarantee that the account opens — the institution decides
by project
A structure with staff, goods or investors
from 4 weeks
Included
- Everything in the Company, account and payments package
- Sales tax registrations where a presence arises
- Payroll registration and administration
- Monthly bookkeeping
- Federal and state tax returns
- Annual support of the structure
Government fees, paid separately
- State registrations
- Employer contributions
State fees, franchise taxes and payroll contributions appear as separate lines in the quote.
Estimate
Preliminary quote
Seven questions about the activity, the state, investors and banking. A preliminary budget in return.
The range is indicative: structures with staff and goods are priced individually.
Add-ons
Add-ons for any package
Switched on as the task requires.
Obtained for the company, including for non-resident owners.
In the states where a presence arises.
Employer registration and monthly filings.
Monthly accounting and preparation of the returns.
Connection of card processing and payment platforms.
A required service in every state, renewed annually.
Ownership, address and structure changes.
Dissolution done properly, with final returns.
Banking
The bank account after incorporation
A classic bank wants a presence; payment institutions work with non-residents remotely.
The activity, the customers, expected turnover, the presence in the country and the source of funds.
Corporate documents, the tax number, owner identification and a description of the business.
With American banks where there is a presence, otherwise with payment institutions serving non-residents.
We prepare the file, choose the institution and run the submission through to the result.
Most non-resident founders start with a payment institution and move to a bank once there is turnover and a footprint. We plan that path in advance.
Tax
Taxes in the United States
Federal tax, state tax and the owner-level position all have to be considered together.
A rate of 21% applies to corporations.
By default the profit is taxed at member level; the company itself pays no federal income tax.
Vary by state: income tax, franchise tax or fixed annual fees.
Charged at state level once a presence arises there.
Certain payments to non-residents are subject to withholding, reduced by treaty where applicable.
Under the interim final rule of March 2025, companies formed in the United States are exempt from the federal beneficial ownership report; foreign companies registering to do business still report.
Verified on 13 August 2026. This is not tax advice: the position for a specific owner is assessed individually.
Documents
What we need from you
The set is collected remotely; documents are in English.
- 01Passport with a certified copy
- 02Proof of residential address
- 03Description of the planned activity
- 04Details of customers and payment methods
- 05Evidence of the source of funds
For a C-Corp raising investment the share structure and option plan are prepared before the round, not after it.
Annual administration
What we handle every year
Upkeep depends on the state and on whether there are staff and goods.
A mandatory service in the state, renewed annually.
Filed and paid according to the state rules.
Filed by the company or by the members depending on the form.
Filed where a presence arises.
Filed regularly where the company is registered.
Submitted monthly or quarterly where staff are employed.
Maintained throughout the year, not only at the deadline.
Periodic requests from the institution.
Cost of ownership
The cost of the company over three years
A company is not a one-off payment for incorporation: the annual items below repeat every year. We count ownership, not entry.
- Registration and corporate documents
- Registered agent
- Annual report or franchise tax
- Federal tax return
- State returns
- Sales tax returns
- Payroll filings
- Bookkeeping
- Bank compliance
- Registered agent
- Annual report or franchise tax
- Federal tax return
- State returns
- Sales tax returns
- Payroll filings
- Bookkeeping
- Bank compliance
- Registered agent
- Annual report or franchise tax
- Federal tax return
- State returns
- Sales tax returns
- Payroll filings
- Bookkeeping
- Bank compliance
What falls into each year depends on the corporate form, the activity and the requirements of the bank and the regulator. The three-year calculation comes together with the incorporation quote — before the engagement.
Process
How the work runs
Timelines are split by who is responsible.
Task, form, state, taxes, banking.
One meetingWe fix the scope of work and the amount.
1-2 daysFiling with the state authority and issue of the documents.
1-5 daysApplication and issue of the number for the company.
1-4 weeksBank file, submission and connection of payment systems.
The institution sets the timingAccounting, registrations and the filing calendar.
1-2 weeksThe outcome is an American company with a tax number, an account, connected payments and a clear reporting schedule.
Scenarios
A company for a specific task
The structure follows the client task and the banking model, not the name of the jurisdiction.
BusinessClients and customers outside the country of registration, payment under contracts.
DirectionAn operating company with real management and reporting.
BankingThe bank looks at contracts, clients and turnover.
BusinessDevelopment, subscriptions and software licensing.
DirectionAn operating company that owns the product with a clear revenue chain.
BankingPayment providers and platform agreements are required.
BusinessSupplies between countries, settlements in several currencies.
DirectionA trading company with working banking infrastructure.
BankingCounterparties, routes and the origin of funds are checked.
BusinessHolding shares in subsidiaries and distributing profit.
DirectionA holding company set up with double tax treaties in mind.
BankingAn account for dividends and intra-group settlements.
A scenario does not assign a corporate form automatically: the actual form, licence and bank are checked against the current requirements for your activity.
Why BRIDGES
Who runs the incorporation and what we answer for
The difference shows in how the work is run, not in the promises.
An LLC and a C-Corp are taxed differently for you personally. That decision comes before the state.
Goods in a warehouse or a hire in a state create filings. We identify them in advance.
We say honestly where the account will open and where it will not.
Registered agent, franchise tax, accounting and returns — three years ahead.
Reports, returns and renewals stay with us.
An American company creates obligations in your country of residence too.
FAQ
Questions and answers
Delaware for venture investment, Wyoming for cheap operating upkeep, and the state of actual presence when you have staff or a warehouse there.
An LLC suits operating businesses and is taxed at member level. A C-Corp is the standard for raising venture money.
By default no: the profit is taxed at member level, including for non-resident members.
Yes. There are no residency requirements for LLC members or corporate shareholders.
From a few days to several weeks depending on how the application is filed.
A classic bank usually wants a presence; payment institutions work with non-residents remotely.
Under the interim final rule of March 2025, companies formed in the United States are exempt; foreign companies registering to do business still file.
A state-level tax on sales. Registration is required in states where the business has a presence.
Calculation
Get the structure and a full quote before incorporation
Tell us what the company will do, where its customers are and whether investors are expected. We will choose the form and the state, map the reporting and prepare the launch and upkeep budget.
The structure, budget and scope are fixed after the business and the owners are reviewed. Account opening and registration decisions are taken by banks and state authorities.