Skip to content

From Philippines · Asia-Pacific

Start a US company from the Philippines

For Filipino founders who need US card payments, a US contracting party or a company for US platforms. Formation and the EIN happen remotely, without an SSN. Mercury won't open for founders who live here, so plan the bank first; the Bangko Sentral's rules on investing abroad are simpler than most of Asia's.

Start from the Philippines From $351.40 in the first year

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

At a glance

Mercury doesn't open for founders living in the Philippines; Wise Business and Payoneer are the ones to check.

The banks, in detail
US tax treaty
In force
Local Stripe
No
Mercury
No
Currency
PHP
Our fee
from $249
Wyoming's fee
$102.40
Until we file
Refunded in full

You can form a US LLC while living in the Philippines, without an SSN or a US visit. Launch starts at $351.40 in Wyoming, including our plan and state filing fee. Mercury won't open for founders who live here, so check Wise Business and Payoneer first. The Bangko Sentral lets residents invest abroad without approval, and the BIR taxes you on income from anywhere.

Watch

The first year from the Philippines, in 6 minutes

Do you need a US company to get paid as a freelancer or VA in the Philippines? Maybe not: you can be paid as self-employed, and under the VAT threshold you can choose a set rate on your gross receipts.

Transcript

Before you form

Start with whether you need a US company at all.

  • You may not need a US company

    Freelance or VA work for clients abroad

    You can be paid as a self-employed Filipino and choose 8% of gross receipts if you're under the VAT threshold. A US company adds US filings, so it needs a reason.

    US companies for freelancers
  • A Wyoming LLC may fit

    Card payments on your own site, or a platform that wants a US company

    Stripe doesn't serve the Philippines, and a US LLC with a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account. Mercury won't open for you, so check Wise Business and Payoneer first.

    Getting access to Stripe
  • Look at who signs and who works

    A BPO or agency selling to US clients

    A US company can sign US contracts and invoice in dollars. If your team works in the Philippines, your Philippine business and its tax still matter, so plan both together.

    US companies for agencies
  • A Delaware C-Corp

    Raising from investors abroad

    Investors usually want a Delaware C-Corp. Philippine residents can fund their shares without the Bangko Sentral's approval, within its limits.

    Delaware C-Corp formation

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

Wyoming LLC

Owner-run business that needs Stripe or a US contracting party; plan the bank first.

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

Delaware C-Corp

Raising from investors who want shares.

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, management and home addresses.
  • Any Philippine business you already run, and how it will work with the US company.
  • 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 bank's application to buy foreign currency for an investment abroad, if you buy dollars to fund the company.
  • Your TIN, and your BIR registration as self-employed if you work that way.
  • Your annual return, with income from the company and any foreign tax you'll credit.
You and your bank

For your bank and the BIR

You don't need a Philippine company or the Bangko Sentral's approval 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 the Philippines to a maintained US company.

The state approves the company, the IRS issues the EIN and each provider approves its own account. In the Philippines, your bank applies the Bangko Sentral's rules and your tax adviser handles the BIR; we don't file either.

You and your tax adviser

Check the Philippine side first

Decide whether you need a US company at all, how you'll be paid for your own work, and how the BIR will see the company.

You leave this stage with: A payment and tax plan that fits the Philippines' rules.

01 / 07

Plan the wait

Formation, the EIN and banking have separate timelines.

Published service estimates and prerequisites for a Wyoming company from the Philippines

  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
    Wise, Payoneer 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 the Philippines 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: In force

The United States and the Philippines have an income tax treaty in force.

It caps US withholding on interest and royalties paid to you at 15%, and on dividends at 25%, or 20% for a qualifying company shareholder. Pay for work you do in the Philippines is generally not US-source income in the first place, so the treaty matters less for a services business.

Money and the Bangko Sentral

Money between the Philippines and the company is lightly regulated, and fully taxed.

These come from the Bangko Sentral's FX Manual and the National Internal Revenue Code, and they run alongside the US steps below. The money rules are simple; the tax rules are where you need an adviser.

  1. Before you fund the company

    You and your bank

    No Bangko Sentral approval is needed. Your own foreign currency deposits have no limit, and dollars bought from banks for investment go up to USD 60 million a year, with the bank's application form and documents.

  2. When the company pays you a return

    You

    Dividends, earnings and sale proceeds from an investment made under these rules can be used freely. They don't have to be brought home or sold for pesos.

  3. When you're paid for your work

    You and your tax adviser

    As a self-employed Filipino under the VAT threshold you can choose 8% of gross receipts instead of the graduated rates and percentage tax.

  4. Every tax year

    You and your tax adviser

    A citizen living in the Philippines is taxed on income from anywhere, and can credit income tax paid to another country within the Code's limits.

Worked example

Funding the company from the Philippines

The Bangko Sentral's rules are about the money moving. What the BIR taxes, and when, is a separate question for your adviser.

  1. You send USD 2,000 from your own dollar account to the US company's account.

  2. It's your own foreign currency, so there's no Bangko Sentral approval and no limit.

  3. If you bought the dollars from your bank instead, it counts toward the USD 60 million yearly limit, and the bank asks for its form.

  4. The company records a USD 2,000 contribution from its owner, which belongs on its Form 5472.

What the Philippines expects

Owning a US company doesn't take you out of the Philippines' tax system.

The Philippines taxes citizens who live there on income from anywhere, and credits income tax paid abroad within limits. The Bangko Sentral lets residents invest abroad without approval, and returns can stay abroad.

Bangko Sentral · Investing abroad

Residents can invest abroad without the Bangko Sentral's approval. Your own foreign currency deposits have no limit, and foreign currency bought from banks for investment goes up to USD 60 million a year. Your bank asks for its application form and supporting documents.

Sources

Bangko Sentral · Returns from abroad

Dividends, earnings and sale proceeds from an investment made under these rules can be used freely. They don't have to be brought home or sold for pesos.

Sources

BIR · Worldwide income

A Filipino citizen living in the Philippines is taxed on income from sources within and outside the Philippines. A citizen living abroad is taxed only on Philippine income.

Sources

BIR · Self-employed income

If you're self-employed and under the VAT threshold, you can choose 8% of gross receipts instead of the graduated rates and percentage tax.

Sources

Credit for foreign tax

A citizen can credit income tax paid to another country against Philippine tax, within the Code's limits. A US company is a foreign corporation for Philippine tax, wherever it's run.

Sources

On the record

We form US companies. We aren't Filipino 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 the Philippines 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, Philippine and ownership checks

Keep the registered agent active and track the state's yearly charge. In the Philippines, your BIR return covers income from anywhere, with credit for income tax paid abroad within the Code's limits.

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.
Buying dollars and the bank's formsYou and your bankYour bank applies the Bangko Sentral's rules; we don't file with it.
BIR returns and Philippine taxYou 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, where each lives for tax, the business activity, how you're paid today and how money will move between you and the company. Agree who prepares each filing in the Philippines and in the US.

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

    How will the BIR treat the US company and the money it pays me: as business income, as dividends, or otherwise?

  2. 02

    Should I keep working as a self-employed Filipino, and does the 8% option still suit me if I own a US company?

  3. 03

    If I buy dollars from my bank to fund the company, what will the bank ask for under the Bangko Sentral's rules?

  4. 04

    Can I credit any US tax against my Philippine tax, and what limits apply?

  5. 05

    Do I need to register anything with the BIR for owning a foreign company?

  6. 06

    If my team works in the Philippines, should my Philippine business contract with the US company, and on what terms?

  7. 07

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

Questions

Questions from the Philippines.

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

Can a Filipino living in the Philippines 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 Philippine side, the Bangko Sentral's rules on investing abroad and the BIR's rules on income apply. Owning a US company doesn't give you a US visa.

Do I need the Bangko Sentral's approval to invest in a US company?

No. Residents can invest abroad without it. Your own foreign currency deposits have no limit, and foreign currency bought from banks for investment goes up to USD 60 million a year. Your bank asks for its application form and supporting documents when you buy dollars.

Do profits from the US company have to come home?

Not under the Bangko Sentral's rules. Dividends, earnings and sale proceeds from an investment made under them can be used freely, without being brought home or sold for pesos. They're still part of your income for the BIR.

Do I need a US company to get paid as a freelancer or VA?

Not necessarily. You can be paid as a self-employed Filipino, and if you're under the VAT threshold you can choose 8% of gross receipts instead of the graduated rates and percentage tax. A US company is for Stripe, US contracts and platforms that need one.

How much does a US company from the Philippines 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 the Philippines 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 the Philippines?

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 Philippine TIN isn't part of it.

How long does it take from the Philippines?

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 the Philippines?

No. Mercury's prohibited-countries list includes the Philippines, and it goes by where you live, not your passport.

Which account can a founder in the Philippines use?

Wise Business can give a US company run from the Philippines USD account details, and Payoneer serves the Philippines. Ask each whether it will open in your US company's name. Relay doesn't bar the Philippines, but it asks every owner for a physical US address. Each provider reviews the company and can decline.

Will a US LLC get me Stripe from the Philippines?

It lets you apply. Stripe doesn't list the Philippines, but a US LLC with an EIN and a US bank account can apply for a US Stripe account. Stripe reviews the business and the person behind it, and approval isn't guaranteed.

Do I pay US tax on work I do from the Philippines?

Generally not. Pay for work you do in the Philippines 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.

How does the BIR tax me as a US company owner?

A Filipino citizen living in the Philippines is taxed on income from anywhere, including what the US company pays you. You can credit income tax paid to another country, within the Code's limits. How the BIR classifies the company's payments to you is a question for your adviser.

Is there a US–Philippines tax treaty?

Yes, it's in force. It caps US withholding on interest and royalties at 15%, and on dividends at 25%, or 20% for a qualifying company shareholder. Pay for work you do in the Philippines generally isn't US-source income anyway.

Does BaseAcross file the US and Philippine 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 BIR returns are for you and your tax adviser.

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

Through a bank or provider that supports your company and pays out in the Philippines. The Bangko Sentral doesn't require returns from an investment abroad to come home, but what you receive is income for the BIR. Record whether each payment is pay for work or profit.

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.

Philippines

United States (IRS, Treasury and FinCEN)

Banks and payments

States

The Bangko Sentral's FX Manual is its May 2025 update. The tax provisions are read from the National Tax Research Center's consolidation of the Code as amended by RA 10963; later laws changed some rates, so confirm the current figures with your adviser before acting.

Asia-Pacific

Other countries in the region.

Every country

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

Your company's route

Nothing charged yet

From

Manila

Philippines

To

Wyoming

LLC · Cheyenne, WY

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

Launch · $249 + $102.40 Wyoming · Same day