About
About The LLC Standard
An independent publication for founders outside the United States who want to form and run a US LLC without expensive mistakes.
Why this site exists
Founders outside the US are told that forming an American LLC takes ten minutes. The filing does. What follows — an EIN without a Social Security number, a bank that will accept a foreign owner, an annual IRS return with a $25,000 penalty most people have never heard of — is where the time and money go.
Most of what you find online about this is written either for Americans, or by a formation company ranking itself first. We set up The LLC Standard to be the reference we wanted ourselves: written for non-residents, built on primary sources, and honest about what each option costs after year one.
What we do
- Guides to each step a non-resident goes through, from choosing a state to filing Form 5472.
- Reviews and comparisons of formation services, judged on what non-residents actually need.
- Data you can check: every fee and price on the site comes from one dataset, sourced to the IRS, a state filing office or the provider’s own pricing, and dated.
- Tools such as the three-year cost calculator.
What we are not
We are not a law firm, an accounting firm, a registered agent or a formation service, and we do not sell any of those things. Our content is general information, not legal or tax advice. For decisions specific to your situation — especially how your home country taxes a US LLC — speak to a qualified professional.
How we are funded
Some providers we cover pay us a commission when a reader buys through our links. That is how the site is funded, and it costs you nothing extra. It does not decide our rankings: we include providers that pay us nothing (Stripe Atlas has no affiliate program) and we publish the weaknesses of those that do. Read the full affiliate disclosure and our methodology.
Corrections and contact
Fees and provider prices change. If you see something out of date or wrong, email editors@llcstandard.com. We correct verified errors promptly and update the date on the page.
Last updated .