The US LLC for freelancers who bill US clients
We form your US company, get your EIN and give you a US business address banks can verify. Then you invoice in dollars and get paid like a local vendor.
- Free formation, state fees apply
- EIN from the IRS
- No SSN or US visit needed
- Design & development$
- Monthly retainer$
- Total$
- Sent
- Viewed
- Paid
Same work, same clients.
Fewer blockers.
The work is remote, the paperwork assumes you're in the US. Here's where it breaks, and what a US LLC changes.
Client onboarding
Without a US company: “Please send a W‑9.” It's for US persons, so you guess what to send instead.
With your US LLC: You reply with your LLC's legal name, its EIN and the W‑8 form that fits your case.
Getting paid
Without a US company: Stripe and other US-first tools aren't open to businesses in every country.
With your US LLC: You apply to Stripe, PayPal and Payoneer as a US company with an EIN.
Address checks
Without a US company: Mailbox and registered agent addresses get flagged in automated KYC.
With your US LLC: A signed lease for a real commercial building in Delaware as proof of address.
Your privacy
Without a US company: Your home address goes on every invoice, contract and website.
With your US LLC: A US business address on your paperwork, with client mail scanned online.
Anatomy of an invoice
US clients pay
A US finance team checks five things before it pays a new vendor. Here's where each one comes from.
Legal LLC name
We file your formation with the state. The name on your certificate is the name clients contract with and pay.
EIN (Tax ID)
We obtain it from the IRS for you. It goes on invoices, W‑8 forms and payment account applications.
US business address
A real street address for invoices and client mail. Add the Office Lease when a bank asks for proof.
USD payment details
ACH details from a US account in the LLC's name, or a USD receiving account. We're a Payoneer Affiliate Partner.
W‑8 on file, not a W‑9
Foreign owners generally send a W‑8BEN (single-member LLC) or W‑8BEN‑E (foreign entity). Confirm yours with a tax adviser.
Legal LLC name
We file your formation with the state. The name on your certificate is the name clients contract with and pay.
EIN (Tax ID)
We obtain it from the IRS for you. It goes on invoices, W‑8 forms and payment account applications.
US business address
A real street address for invoices and client mail. Add the Office Lease when a bank asks for proof.
USD payment details
ACH details from a US account in the LLC's name, or a USD receiving account. We're a Payoneer Affiliate Partner.
W‑8 on file, not a W‑9
Foreign owners generally send a W‑8BEN (single-member LLC) or W‑8BEN‑E (foreign entity). Confirm yours with a tax adviser.
How to get paid by US clients
A new client's finance team asks the same four questions. With a US LLC, you have an answer ready for each.
- W‑9 or W‑8?
- Business address
- ACH in USD
- Contract party
General information, not tax advice. Which W‑8 form fits depends on how your LLC is owned and taxed.
- Welcome aboard! Before we pay your first invoice, can you send us a W‑9?
- I'm not a US person, so a W‑9 isn't the right form. I'll send the W‑8 that fits my setup instead.
- Got it. What business address should we put on the vendor file?
- 123 Main St, Wilmington, DE 19801. It's the same address that's on every invoice.Compare business addresses
- Can we pay you by ACH?
- Yes. ACH details for the LLC are on the invoice, in USD.Getting paid with Payoneer
- Last one: who do we sign the contract with?
- The LLC, by its exact legal name: Your Studio LLC. Same name as on the invoice.
- Read
From freelancer to
US company, fully online
Three steps from any country. You never need to visit the US.
- 1
Form your LLC
Pick your state online. We file with the state and obtain your EIN from the IRS.
- 2
Add your US address
A mailbox address for invoices and client mail, plus a lease if a bank asks for proof.
- 3
Invoice your clients
Open accounts in your LLC's name, then bill US clients who pay by ACH or card.
Which US business address
do you need?
A mailbox covers invoices and client mail. When a bank or Stripe asks for proof of address, you need the lease.
- Real street address for invoices, contracts and your websiteMailbox: includedLease: included
- Client letters, checks and IRS mail scanned onlineMailbox: includedLease: included
- Keeps your home address off your paperworkMailbox: includedLease: included
- Signed lease for a commercial building in DelawareMailbox: not includedLease: included
- Proof of address for bank and payment platform KYCMailbox: not includedLease: included
- Pairs with a utility bill in your company's nameMailbox: not includedLease: included
Not sure? Compare plans and prices for every address type.
LLC for Freelancers FAQs
Straight answers on forms, addresses, payments and taxes for freelancers with US clients.
No. Many freelancers invoice US clients as individuals. An LLC helps when you want to work under a company name, keep business money separate, and apply for US business accounts and payment tools as a company rather than as a foreign individual. Whether it's worth it depends on your income, your clients and the rules where you live.
Yes. No state requires LLC owners to be US citizens or residents, and you don't need an SSN. Registate files your formation documents with the state and obtains your EIN (Tax ID) from the IRS, all online. For the mailbox, a foreign passport is accepted as the photo ID on USPS Form 1583.
A W-9 is for US persons. If you're not a US person and your LLC is a single-member LLC, the form is generally a W-8BEN in your own name, because the IRS looks through a single-member LLC to its owner. A W-8BEN-E is for foreign entities, for example when a foreign company owns the LLC. This is general information, so confirm your case with a tax adviser before you sign.
Your Registate business address, written exactly as issued, including the suite or PMB number. It works on invoices, contracts, proposals and your website, and it keeps your home address away from clients. Mail sent there is scanned so you can read it online and choose to forward or shred it.
Usually not as your operating address. USPS flags Commercial Mail Receiving Agency (CMRA) addresses, and automated KYC checks read that flag. Stripe, Mercury, Relay and Wise all refuse mailbox or virtual addresses as a business's operating address. For those checks, use the Registate Office Lease, a signed lease for a real commercial building, ideally paired with a utility bill in your company's name.
No. A registered agent address is for legal notices only, and banks and platforms typically don't accept it as a principal place of business for KYC. You need a physical office address, such as the one on the Registate Office Lease.
It lets you apply as a US company, with an EIN, a US address and documents in your company's name, which is what these platforms review. The decision is always theirs, and no provider can guarantee approval. Registate is a Payoneer Affiliate Partner and can connect you with a dedicated Account Manager for your application.
It depends on where you live, where the work is done and how your LLC is taxed, so there's no single answer. What's common to foreign-owned single-member LLCs is an annual IRS information return (Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120), even when no US tax is due, and late or missing filings carry heavy penalties. Talk to a tax adviser who works with non-resident LLC owners.
State formation filings are public, so any address you put on them can be seen. Using a registered agent and a Registate business address in the fields that allow it keeps your home address off your filings, invoices and website. Check each field's rules before you file.
Once you sign up and provide your company details, the Lease Agreement is typically generated and signed within 24-48 hours and sent to you by email.