Before your first subscription is charged, plan the company behind it: the entity, the state, the EIN, the address on your legal pages and what it costs every year. Registate handles the formation work; the rest is laid out honestly.
Not sure between an LLC and a C-Corp? Compare them side by side.
9 cards. Pick an owner to see who handles what.
A software company can be run from anywhere, but the company behind it still needs a structure, an address, a payment processor and a yearly budget.
Sources: SBA, Choose a business structure · IRS, Limited liability company · Stripe, US account requirements · Stripe, business website FAQ, checked September 2026. State amounts from the state pages cited on pricing; the package price is Registate's current price.
Each one comes from a different place. Keep the company name and address identical on all of them, and on your website.
The full checklist, stage by stage: formation document checklist
We form and maintain the company. Software-specific questions like sales tax, contracts and payments belong with the people who decide them.
There is no single US rule for taxing software sold as a subscription; each state decides. Texas, for example, says data processing service providers "include sellers of software as a service" and that 20% of the charge is exempt (Texas Comptroller). Where you sell and to whom matters, so talk to a US tax professional before you charge customers.
Each step feeds the next: a processor asks for the EIN and address, so those come first.
Entity, address, payments, sales tax and yearly costs for software founders forming a US company.
It depends on your plans and where you're taxed. The SBA notes that corporations can raise money by selling stock and have more record-keeping; an LLC is simpler to run, and the IRS treats a single-member LLC as disregarded by default. If you expect to raise from investors, ask them and a tax adviser before you file. Registate forms both.
Yes. You don't need to be a US citizen or resident, and you don't need an SSN to form the company. Registate files the formation documents online and can prepare your EIN application; the IRS issues the EIN for free.
Use the company's legal name and one business address, written the same way everywhere: Terms, invoices, footer and payment processor. A registered agent address is for legal notices, and a virtual mailbox address is a private mailbox. Registate's lease-backed business address is the product meant for a place of business, with a signed lease as proof of address.
No one can promise that. Stripe says a US account's business must be registered in the US, and it verifies the legal entity name, entity type, EIN and business address and reviews your website. A US company gives you those details; Stripe runs its own checks and decides.
It depends on the states you sell into, because each state sets its own rules for software sold as a service. Texas, for example, treats sellers of software as a service as data processing providers. Registate doesn't register companies for sales tax or file sales tax returns, so talk to a US tax professional before you start charging.
Three kinds of cost: your Registate package, which includes registered agent service and renews each year; the state's own yearly tax or report; and a tax professional for federal returns. A foreign-owned company usually files a federal return even with no US tax due. See the full cost guide and the compliance page for the amounts by state.
Payment processors and the IRS make their own decisions. We make sure your company details match.
