You may not need a US company
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Stripe already supports Singapore businesses, and a Singapore company is what local banks understand. A US company adds US filings, so it needs a reason.
From Singapore · Asia-Pacific
Start a US company from Singapore
For Singapore founders whose customers or investors are American. You already have Stripe, and Mercury and Wise Business both serve founders here. Overseas income is generally tax-free for individuals, but income from work you do in Singapore isn't overseas income, 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 Singapore. Wise Business is the usual second account.
The banks, in detailYou can form a US company while living in Singapore, without an SSN or a US visit, and Mercury and Wise Business both open for founders here. Launch starts at $351.40 in Wyoming, including our plan and state filing fee. Stripe already serves Singapore, so the reason is usually US customers or investors. The Singapore point is source: overseas income is generally tax-free for individuals, but pay for work you do in Singapore is earned here.
Watch
The first year from Singapore, in 5 minutes
Heard that Singapore doesn't tax overseas income, so a US company should make yours foreign? Overseas income a person receives in Singapore is generally not taxable, but income earned in Singapore is, and pay for work you do in Singapore is earned there, whoever pays it and wherever it lands.
Before you form
Start with whether you need a US company, and where it's run.
BaseAcross's Wyoming LLC and Delaware C-Corp options for founders in Singapore
Wyoming LLC
Owner-run business selling to US customers as a US vendor.
- State filing
- $102.40
- Yearly state charge
- From $60
Delaware C-Corp
Raising from US investors, often above a Singapore company.
- State filing
- $110
- Yearly state charge
- $450 for the model shown
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 the board will meet and decide, because Singapore'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
- Records of where the company's board meets and makes strategic decisions.
- Where you do the work you're paid for, which decides whether the income is Singapore-sourced.
- Your return, with any income earned in Singapore in it.
You and your tax adviser
For IRAS
You don't need a Singapore company to form a US company. The EIN is the US company's tax ID. Send identity documents through a secure request, and only the ones asked for.
How it works
Seven steps from Singapore to a maintained US company.
The state approves the company, the IRS issues the EIN and each provider approves its own account. In Singapore, your tax adviser handles IRAS; we don't file there.
You and your tax adviser
Check the Singapore side first
Decide whether you need a US company at all, where its board will meet, and whether its income is earned in Singapore.
You leave this stage with: A structure and tax plan that fits Singapore's rules.
01 / 07
You choose; BaseAcross checks
Choose the name and registered agent
We check the proposed name and provide the registered agent in the formation state. The registered office is for legal papers, not your operating address.
You leave this stage with: Confirmed filing details and a registered agent.
02 / 07
BaseAcross files; the state approves
File the company with the state
We submit the formation filing and send you the state's documents once it's approved. The company exists from that approval.
You leave this stage with: State-approved formation documents.
03 / 07
BaseAcross
Prepare the operating documents
We draft the LLC Operating Agreement or corporate bylaws. Check every name and share against your passport before you sign.
You leave this stage with: Operating documents for your records, your bank and US providers.
04 / 07
BaseAcross prepares; the IRS issues
Apply for the EIN
The EIN is a separate application after formation. Without an SSN or ITIN, it goes on Form SS-4 rather than the IRS's online tool.
You leave this stage with: The IRS's EIN confirmation once it's issued.
05 / 07
You apply; the providers review
Apply for banking and payments
Start with Mercury or Wise Business, which both serve founders living in Singapore. Use the same names, addresses and business description everywhere.
You leave this stage with: An approved account, if a provider accepts the application.
06 / 07
You, your US preparer and your tax adviser
Keep records and file in both countries
Record where the board meets, where the work is done and every payment between you and the company. Put Form 5472 and your IRAS returns on one calendar.
You leave this stage with: A yearly calendar with someone responsible for each filing.
07 / 07
Plan the wait
Formation, the EIN and banking have separate timelines.
Published service estimates and prerequisites for a Wyoming company from Singapore
- Wyoming formationSame day
- Ordinary EINsix to eight weeks
- Expedited EINtwo to three weeks
- Bank and payment accountsProvider review
- US Stripe accountStripe's review
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 Singapore 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.
The full cost from Singapore
What a Wyoming LLC costs from Singapore, line by line, and what to budget for outside our plans.
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
The registered agent renews with the plan. Operate adds its published business tools and bookkeeping. Neither plan files your tax returns in either country.
What a Wyoming LLC costs from Singapore, on each plan
Launch
To start, before optional extras
$351.40
- Our feeFor the first year; the plan renews each year
- $249
- Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost
- $102.40
- Recurring subtotal, fromPlan renewal + minimum state charge, before extras
- $309
OperateBilled yearly
To start, before optional extras
$2,490.40
- Our feeFor the first year; the plan renews each year
- $2,388
- Wyoming filing feePaid to the state, passed through at cost
- $102.40
- Recurring subtotal, fromPlan renewal + minimum state charge, before extras
- $2,448
Optional extras are priced before you order, such as filing ahead of our next batch for $39. See full pricing.
Budget for the work outside that subtotal
Managed annual state compliance
$149 service fee / year
Optional on both plans. The state's charge is separate, and a reminder alone doesn't file the report.
State filing serviceUS federal return preparation
Arrange separately
You or your accountant handle Form 5472 and any other US returns on Launch and Operate. Ask the preparer for their scope and fee.
Federal filing responsibilitiesSingapore tax advice
Quote from your tax adviser
Whether the income is earned in Singapore, and whether the company is resident, depend on your circumstances.
Optional tools after free periods
Published in full pricing
Check domain renewals and when Launch's email, phone and site trials end. Operate includes its stated tools while subscribed.
Plans, trials and add-onsWhat the totals assume
The $309 Launch renewal example is the $249 plan renewal plus Wyoming's $60 minimum license tax. Wyoming charges the greater of that minimum or 0.0002 of the company's assets located and employed in the state, and paying online can add a processor fee. The Operate example uses the same minimum.
Prices are in US dollars. Paying from Singapore, check your card's exchange rate and fees.
Get started from Singapore
Use the first-year cost calculator to compare plans and optional tools. Then add your tax adviser's fees and US return preparation to that budget.
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–Singapore income tax treaty.
US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies. Pay for work you do in Singapore generally isn't US-source income, so nothing is withheld on it.
What IRAS taxes
Overseas income is generally tax-free. Income earned in Singapore isn't.
These come from IRAS's own pages, with the corporate rate from PwC's summary. They run alongside the US steps below.
When you're paid for your own work
YouYou
Income earned in Singapore is taxable. Work you do from Singapore earns income here, whoever pays it.
When overseas income reaches you
YouYou
Overseas income an individual receives in Singapore is generally not taxable, unless it comes through a Singapore partnership.
When you decide where it's run
You and your tax adviserYou and your tax adviser
Control and management exercised in Singapore, usually where the board meets and decides, makes the company resident.
If it carries on business here
The company, with your tax adviserThe company, with your tax adviser
Tax at 17% on Singapore-sourced income as it arises, and on foreign income when it's received in Singapore.
Worked example
This is an illustration, not advice. Source is a question of fact for your tax adviser.
Both own a Wyoming LLC that bills US clients USD 100,000 a year.
The first does the work from Singapore. The income is earned in Singapore, so it's taxable here.
The second has a US team that does the work, and only receives profit in Singapore. That's closer to overseas income, which is generally not taxable for an individual.
Where the work is done, not where the money lands, decides the source.
What Singapore expects
Owning a US company doesn't take you out of Singapore's tax system.
Singapore doesn't tax individuals on overseas income they receive, but it taxes income earned in Singapore, and a company controlled and managed here is resident. Running a US company from Singapore can bring it into tax.
Overseas income
Overseas income an individual receives in Singapore is generally not taxable, even when it's paid into a Singapore bank account. It is taxable when it comes through a Singapore partnership.
Income earned here
All income earned in Singapore is taxable. Pay for work you do in Singapore is earned here, whoever pays it and wherever it lands.
Where it is run
A company is a Singapore tax resident when its control and management is exercised in Singapore, usually where its board meets and makes strategic decisions. Where it was formed doesn't decide it.
Companies doing business here
A company that carries on business in Singapore, resident or not, is taxed at 17% on Singapore-sourced income as it arises, and on foreign income when it's received in Singapore.
Tax residence
Citizens and permanent residents who normally live in Singapore are resident. A foreigner is resident after 183 days in Singapore in the previous calendar year.
On the record
We form US companies. We aren't Singaporean 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 Singapore 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 1120State, IRAS and ownership checks
Keep the registered agent active and track the state's yearly charge. In Singapore, report income earned here, and keep records of where the company is controlled and managed.
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.
| Task | Who handles it | Where the responsibility ends |
|---|---|---|
| Formation and EIN application | BaseAcross prepares and submits | The state approves formation; the IRS issues the EIN. |
| Bank and payment applications | You, with our guidance | The provider verifies the information and decides. |
| IRAS returns | You and your tax adviser | We provide the US company records they need. |
| Annual state filing | You, or our optional filing service | Reminders are included; managed filing and the state charge are separate. |
| US federal returns | You and your US tax preparer | Launch 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, where the board will meet, where the work will be done and the business activity. Agree who handles each filing in Singapore and in the US.
Download the checklist for your tax adviser (.txt)- 01
Would the US company's control and management be exercised in Singapore, making it a Singapore tax resident?
- 02
Is income from work I do in Singapore through the US company Singapore-sourced, and taxed here?
- 03
Would the US company carry on business in Singapore, and pay tax at 17% here?
- 04
Is any income I receive from the company overseas income, exempt for me as an individual?
- 05
How would IRAS treat a single-member US LLC: as a company or as transparent?
- 06
Would a Singapore company, with or without a US parent, suit me better?
- 07
How should I keep records for the US return and my IRAS returns?
Questions
Questions from Singapore.
If yours is not here, email us at hello@baseacross.com before you order.
Can a Singapore resident own a US LLC?
Yes. US law doesn't require an LLC's owners to be US citizens or residents, and formation, the EIN and the bank applications all happen remotely. Singapore doesn't restrict owning a company abroad. The tax question is where the income is earned.
Is income from my US company tax-free in Singapore?
Not if you earn it in Singapore. Overseas income an individual receives in Singapore is generally not taxable, but all income earned in Singapore is. Pay for work you do from Singapore is earned here, even when a US company pays it into a US account.
Can Singapore treat my US company as resident?
It can. A company is a Singapore tax resident when its control and management is exercised in Singapore, usually where its board meets and makes strategic decisions. Where it was formed doesn't decide it.
Would the US company pay Singapore tax?
If it carries on business in Singapore, yes. A company doing business here, resident or not, is taxed at 17% on Singapore-sourced income, and on foreign income when it's received in Singapore.
How much does a US company from Singapore 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 any IRAS filing 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 Singapore?
A Wyoming LLC usually suits an owner-run business selling to US customers. A Delaware C-Corp suits raising from US investors, often as the parent of a Singapore company. 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.
How long does it take from Singapore?
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 Singapore?
Usually you can apply. Singapore 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 Business for the US company?
Usually, yes. Singapore is on Wise's list of places where people can hold money, so a US company run from Singapore can get USD account details. Wise reviews each business.
Do I need a US company for Stripe in Singapore?
No. Stripe supports businesses in Singapore. A US company is for selling as a US vendor, US contracts, US investors or platforms that need one.
Do I pay US tax on work I do from Singapore?
Generally not. Pay for work you do in Singapore 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–Singapore tax treaty?
No. US-source dividends, interest and royalties paid to you are withheld at 30% unless a US exemption applies.
Does BaseAcross file the US and Singapore 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 IRAS returns are for you and your tax adviser.
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.
Singapore
United States (IRS, Treasury and FinCEN)
Banks and payments
Singapore's rules are read from IRAS's own pages, with the corporate rate and the treatment of remitted foreign income from PwC's Worldwide Tax Summaries. 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.
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- First year
- $351.40
- To order
- 10 steps
Launch · $249 + $102.40 Wyoming · Same day