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From Ghana · Africa

Start a US company from Ghana

For Ghanaian founders who need US card payments, a US contracting party or dollar invoicing. Formation and the EIN happen remotely, without an SSN, and founders living here can apply to Mercury, which decides each application. Ghana taxes residents on worldwide income and can treat a company run from Ghana as Ghanaian, so read that section first.

Launch + Wyoming filing; the tax return is separate.Checked by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.

At a glance

Mercury takes applications from founders living in Ghana. Wise gives no USD account details there.

The banks, in detail
US tax treaty
None
Local Stripe
Via Paystack
Mercury
Yes
Currency
GHS
Our fee
from $249
Wyoming's fee
$102.40
Until we file
Refunded in full

You can form a US LLC while living in Ghana, without an SSN or a US visit, and founders here can apply to Mercury, which decides each application. Launch starts at $351.40 in Wyoming, including our plan and state filing fee. Ghana taxes residents on worldwide income, and treats a company managed and controlled in Ghana at any time in the year as Ghanaian. Plan where the company is run before you order.

Before you form

Start with whether you need a US company, and where it's run.

  • You may not need a US company

    Freelance work for clients abroad

    Your income is taxed in Ghana either way, as a resident's worldwide income. A US company adds US filings, and one run from Ghana can be treated as Ghanaian, so it needs a reason.

    US companies for freelancers
  • A Wyoming LLC may fit

    Card payments in dollars from customers abroad

    Stripe reaches Ghana through Paystack for local payments. A US LLC with a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account, and founders here can apply to Mercury, which decides each application.

    Getting access to Stripe
  • A Delaware C-Corp, managed with care

    Raising from investors abroad

    Investors usually want a Delaware C-Corp. Where its management and control sits, at any time in the year, decides whether Ghana treats it as resident.

    Delaware C-Corp formation
  • Review the US footprint

    Selling on Amazon US or holding US stock

    An LLC can meet marketplace and supplier requirements. Inventory, staff or premises in a state can add registration and sales-tax obligations there.

    US companies for Amazon sellers

BaseAcross's Wyoming LLC and Delaware C-Corp options for founders in Ghana

Wyoming LLC

Owner-run business that needs dollar card payments or a US contracting party.

State filing
$102.40
Yearly state charge
From $60
Wyoming LLC formation

Delaware C-Corp

Raising from investors who want shares; plan where it's managed.

State filing
$110
Yearly state charge
$450 for the model shown
Delaware C-Corp formation

Both charges are the state's, before our plan, optional services and your advisers' fees. Wyoming sets a minimum yearly charge, and Delaware's franchise tax depends on how it's calculated. Staff, stock or premises in another state can bring obligations there. An S-corporation isn't an option, because nonresident aliens can't hold its shares.

Prepare the information

Different documents are needed at different stages.

You provide

Before state filing

  • Your proposed company name, business activity and chosen structure.
  • Owners' names exactly as on their passports, ownership shares, managers and home addresses.
  • Where decisions will be made, because Ghana's residence test asks.
  • The approved company name and formation details.
  • The responsible party. Without an SSN or ITIN, the application goes on Form SS-4.
  • Accurate mailing and principal business addresses, and your signed authorization where required.
You confirm; we prepare

After formation, for the EIN

  • A passport for each owner the provider asks about.
  • Formation documents, the EIN confirmation and the operating agreement.
  • A real business address, your website, a description of the business and the source of funds, as each provider asks.
The provider verifies

For bank and payment applications

  • Your TIN and your return, with income from the company in it.
  • Records of where the company's decisions were made.
  • Proof of any US tax paid, to claim the foreign tax credit.
You and your tax adviser

For the GRA

You don't need a Ghanaian company to form a US LLC. The EIN is the US company's tax ID, and it doesn't replace your TIN. Send identity documents through a secure request, and only the ones asked for.

How it works

Seven steps from Ghana to a maintained US company.

The state approves the company, the IRS issues the EIN and each provider approves its own account. In Ghana, your tax adviser handles the GRA; we don't file there.

You and your tax adviser

Check the Ghanaian side first

Decide whether you need a US company at all, where it will be managed and controlled, and how you'll be paid for your own work.

You leave this stage with: A management and tax plan that fits Ghana's rules.

01 / 07

Plan the wait

Formation, the EIN and banking have separate timelines.

Published service estimates and prerequisites for a Wyoming company from Ghana

  1. Wyoming formationSame day
  2. Ordinary EINsix to eight weeks
  3. Expedited EINtwo to three weeks
  4. Bank and payment accountsProvider review
  5. US Stripe accountStripe's review
  1. Wyoming formation

    Same day

    The clock starts
    Complete filing accepted by the state
    What can change it
    Our order checks and filing batch come first. Expedited filing changes our queue; it doesn't speed up the EIN.
  2. Ordinary EIN

    six to eight weeks

    The clock starts
    EIN application after formation
    What can change it
    Included in the plan. This is our published estimate; the IRS queue can change.
  3. Expedited EIN

    two to three weeks

    The clock starts
    EIN application after formation
    What can change it
    Optional $199 service. An estimate, with issuance controlled by the IRS.
  4. Bank and payment accounts

    Provider review

    The clock starts
    Company and owner information ready
    What can change it
    Mercury and any other provider set their own timing, may ask for more documents and can decline an application.
  5. US Stripe account

    Stripe's review

    The clock starts
    US bank account and website ready
    What can change it
    Stripe reviews the business and the person behind it, and can decline.

These are service estimates, not promised completion dates. The IRS and each provider set their own processing times. Names or addresses that differ between documents slow every stage.

What it costs

The same price from Ghana as from anywhere.

Charged in US dollars, with the Wyoming state fee passed on at cost. Where you live changes which bank we introduce you to, not the price.

LLC cost calculator

Launch

To start

$351.40

$249 our fee + $102.40 Wyoming fee

Renews from $309 a year

OperateBilled yearly

To start

$2,490.40

$2,388 our fee + $102.40 Wyoming fee

Renews from $2,448 a year

Included in both plans

  • State formation filing
  • Registered agent and registered office
  • EIN application without an SSN
  • LLC Operating Agreement or corporate bylaws
  • Bank and payment application guidance
  • Filing calendar and reminders

What changes because you live here

The filing is the same from anywhere. Four things aren't.

Treaty status, payment availability, bank eligibility and time zones. Sources checked 14 October 2026; account approval remains with the provider.

1 of 4: The tax treaty

The tax treaty

The tax treaty: None

There's no US income tax treaty with Ghana.

US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies. Pay for work you do in Ghana generally isn't US-source income, so nothing is withheld on it, and Ghana's own law credits foreign tax you do pay, up to your average Ghanaian rate.

Tax in Ghana

Ghana taxes residents on worldwide income, and can tax a company run from Ghana.

These come from PwC's summaries of the Income Tax Act, 2015, and they run alongside the US steps below. The company residence test is the one most guides leave out.

  1. Every year you're resident

    You and your tax adviser

    Resident individuals are taxed on worldwide income, including business income and dividends.

  2. When you decide who runs it

    You and your tax adviser

    A company is resident in Ghana if its management and control is exercised in Ghana at any time in the year.

  3. If US tax is paid

    You and your tax adviser

    A resident gets a credit for foreign income tax paid on foreign taxable income, up to their average rate of Ghanaian tax for the year. No treaty is needed.

  4. Deciding residence

    You

    A Ghanaian citizen is resident unless they have a permanent home abroad and live in it for the whole year; anyone else after 183 days in Ghana in any 12 months.

What Ghana expects

Owning a US company doesn't take you out of Ghana's tax system.

Ghana taxes residents on worldwide income, and treats a company managed and controlled in Ghana at any time in the year as Ghanaian. Foreign tax you pay is credited up to your average Ghanaian rate, with no treaty needed.

Tax residence

A Ghanaian citizen is resident unless they have a permanent home abroad and live in it for the whole year. Anyone else is resident after 183 days in Ghana in any 12 months.

Worldwide income

Resident individuals are taxed on worldwide income, including income from business and dividends. Foreign-sourced income is taxable.

Where it is run

A company is resident in Ghana if its management and control is exercised in Ghana at any time in the year. A US company one founder runs from Ghana should have a tax adviser look at this early.

Credit for foreign tax

A resident gets a credit for foreign income tax paid on foreign taxable income, up to their average rate of Ghanaian tax for the year. It doesn't need a treaty.

On the record

We form US companies. We aren't Ghanaian tax advisers. These are the rules as they're generally published, they change, and how they apply to you depends on details this page can't know. Take this list to a tax adviser in Ghana before you order, and we'll tell you what the US forms need.

After formation

Someone has to own each filing, in each country.

US information reporting

A US LLC with one foreign owner is usually a disregarded entity that files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 when it has reportable transactions with you. Money you put in, take out or are paid for your work can count even in a year without sales. The IRS penalty for not filing starts at $25,000.

For a calendar-year company, the return is usually due 15 April, and Form 7004 requests an extension before then. A C-Corp, or an LLC with more than one owner, files different returns.

Form 5472 and the pro forma 1120

State, Ghana and ownership checks

Keep the registered agent active and track the state's yearly charge. In Ghana, your GRA return covers worldwide income, and a company managed and controlled in Ghana can have Ghanaian filings of its own.

US-created companies are exempt from BOI reporting under FinCEN's current rule, effective 14 August 2026. Banks and payment providers still verify who owns the company.

Who handles each formation, banking and filing responsibility
TaskWho handles itWhere the responsibility ends
Formation and EIN applicationBaseAcross prepares and submitsThe state approves formation; the IRS issues the EIN.
Bank and payment applicationsYou, with our guidanceThe provider verifies the information and decides.
GRA return and company residenceYou and your tax adviserWe provide the US company records they need.
Annual state filingYou, or our optional filing serviceReminders are included; managed filing and the state charge are separate.
US federal returnsYou and your US tax preparerLaunch and Operate remind you; they don't file the return.

Prepare the conversation

Take these questions to your tax adviser before you order.

Bring the owners and managers, where each lives, where decisions will be made, the business activity and how money will move between you. Agree who prepares each filing in Ghana and in the US.

Download the checklist for your tax adviser (.txt)
  1. 01

    Would the company's management and control be exercised in Ghana at any time in the year, making it Ghanaian-resident?

  2. 02

    If it is, how would the company be taxed and what would it file with the GRA?

  3. 03

    How is my income from the company taxed as a resident's worldwide income?

  4. 04

    How do I claim the foreign tax credit for any US tax, and how is my average rate worked out?

  5. 05

    What does my bank need to receive dollars from the company?

  6. 06

    How do I show the company and its income in my GRA return?

  7. 07

    How should I keep records for both the US return and my GRA return?

Questions

Questions from Ghana.

If yours is not here, email us at hello@baseacross.com before you order.

Can a Ghanaian resident own a US LLC?

Yes, as far as US law goes. It doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents, and formation, the EIN and the bank applications all happen remotely. On the Ghanaian side, the GRA's rules on residents and on companies managed from Ghana apply. Owning a US company doesn't give you a US visa.

Is income from the US company taxed in Ghana?

Yes, if you're resident. Ghana taxes resident individuals on worldwide income, including business income and dividends. A Ghanaian citizen is resident unless they have a permanent home abroad and live in it for the whole year; anyone else after 183 days in Ghana in any 12 months.

Can Ghana treat my US company as Ghanaian?

It can. A company is resident in Ghana if its management and control is exercised in Ghana at any time in the year. A single founder running the company from Ghana should have a tax adviser look at this early.

Can I credit US tax in Ghana?

Yes, without a treaty. A resident gets a credit for foreign income tax paid on foreign taxable income, up to their average rate of Ghanaian tax for the year.

How much does a US company from Ghana cost?

Launch starts at $351.40: $249 for the plan plus $102.40 for the Wyoming filing. The plan and Wyoming's minimum yearly charge then total $309 a year. Your tax adviser's fees, US return preparation and bank charges in Ghana are separate. Wyoming's license tax can be more than its $60 minimum.

Should I form a Wyoming LLC or a Delaware C-Corp from Ghana?

A Wyoming LLC usually suits an owner-run business selling to customers abroad. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from investors who want shares. Nonresident aliens can't hold shares in an S-corporation.

Can I get an EIN without an SSN or ITIN?

Yes. Without an SSN or ITIN, the application goes on Form SS-4 instead of the IRS's online tool. We prepare it after the company is formed, and the IRS issues the number. Your Ghanaian TIN isn't part of it.

How long does it take from Ghana?

Each stage has its own clock. Wyoming's published turnaround is same day once a complete filing is accepted. Our ordinary EIN estimate is six to eight weeks after the application, or two to three weeks with the $199 expedited option. Banks, payment providers and Stripe each set their own review times. These are estimates, not promises.

Can I open a Mercury account from Ghana?

Usually you can apply. Ghana isn't on Mercury's list of countries it doesn't serve, and the list goes by where you live. Mercury still reviews each company and can decline.

Can I use Wise for the US company?

Not for USD account details. Wise gives no USD account details to founders living in Ghana, which isn't on its list of places where people can hold money. Relay doesn't bar Ghana, but it asks every owner for a physical US address.

Do I need a US LLC for Stripe in Ghana?

Not for local payments. In Ghana, Stripe works through Paystack, which it owns. For card payments in dollars from customers abroad, a US LLC with an EIN and a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account, and approval isn't guaranteed.

Do I pay US tax on work I do from Ghana?

Generally not. Pay for work you do in Ghana is generally not US-source income, so a single-owner LLC with no US office or staff often owes no US income tax on it. It still files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 when it has reportable transactions with you.

Is there a US–Ghana tax treaty?

No. US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies. Ghana's own law still credits foreign tax, up to your average Ghanaian rate.

Does BaseAcross file the US and Ghanaian returns for me?

On Launch and Operate, we add deadlines and reminders; you or your accountant file the federal returns. Managed annual state compliance is an optional $149 service fee a year, with the state's charge separate. Your GRA return, and any filing for a company the GRA sees as resident, are for you and your tax adviser.

How do I bring the company's money to Ghana?

Through a bank or provider that supports your company and pays out in Ghana. Record whether each payment is pay for work or profit, because they're taxed differently.

Does my new US LLC need a BOI report?

US-created companies are exempt under FinCEN's current BOI rule, effective 14 August 2026. A company formed outside the US and registered to do business there is a different case. Banks still collect ownership details for their own checks.

Sources and editorial scope

Check the published rules behind the explanation.

Prepared by the BaseAcross team and reviewed by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer. Sources checked . This is general formation information, with source links for the tax and banking context. An individual tax or legal review remains with your qualified advisers.

Ghana's rules are read from PwC's Worldwide Tax Summaries, a professional summary of the Income Tax Act, 2015 (Act 896), not the Act itself. Confirm the current position with your adviser before acting.

Ready when you are

Answer the questions. We do the filing.

It takes about four minutes. You see the whole order, state fee included, before anything is charged.

Compare the plans

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Accra

Ghana

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Wyoming

LLC · Cheyenne, WY

Plan
Launch
First year
$351.40
To order
10 steps
Start from Ghana

Launch · $249 + $102.40 Wyoming · Same day