On this page · 6 sections
| Step | Wyoming | Delaware | Who sets the pace |
|---|---|---|---|
| State approval | The same day it is filed | Two to three weeks | The state |
| State approval, expedited | The same day, filed ahead of our next batch | The next business day | Us in Wyoming; the state in Delaware |
| EIN, ordinary route | The IRS says 4 business days under its Fax-TIN program. Our estimate for a company owned from abroad: six to eight weeks | The IRS says 4 business days under its Fax-TIN program. Our estimate for a company owned from abroad: six to eight weeks | The IRS |
| Operating agreement signed | The day it's sent to you | The day it's sent to you | You |
| Stripe or PayPal, after the bank | A few days to a few weeks | A few days to a few weeks | The processor |
| When | Ordinary route | With the expedited EIN |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Order placed; the Wyoming filing goes in | The same |
| Days 1 to 3 | Company approved; operating agreement signed; SS-4 faxed to the IRS | The same, and we start chasing the IRS |
Delaware sells faster handling by the filing. Its published tiers run from next-day service, $50 to $100, through same-day service, $100 to $200, to two hours for $500 and one hour for $1,000. The next-day tier is what most founders need, and it's the one we buy. Wyoming sells faster examination too, at $700 and $1,400, but an online formation filing is approved as it arrives, so it doesn't need it.
- A name that's already taken. The filing is rejected and has to go in again under a new name.
- Applying for the EIN twice. A second application while the first is pending can produce two numbers, and untangling them takes a long time.
- Applying for the EIN before the state approves the company. The IRS can reject it, or issue a number to a company that doesn't exist yet.
- Documents that don't match. A name spelled two ways, or an address that differs between the articles and the operating agreement, sends a bank application to review.
- IRS backlogs, which grow in the spring filing season and around US holidays.
- Expedited filing: $39 in Wyoming, where we file yours ahead of our next batch, or $59 plus Delaware's $50 fee for its next-day service.
- The expedited EIN, $199 on any plan. We file the day your company exists and chase the IRS ourselves. Our estimate is two to three weeks.
- Having your answers ready before you order: every owner's full name as their passport prints it, their home address and a sentence about the business.
- Applying to the bank the day the EIN arrives, with your documents already in your documents.
- Choose the bank, and read what it asks for, so the application goes in the day the EIN arrives. A US bank account for a non-resident's LLC compares them.
- Register the domain and set up email, so the bank sees a business with a website.
- Check your documents match: the same legal name, address and spelling of your name everywhere.
- Put the yearly dates in your calendar: the state's annual charge and Form 5472 by 15 April.
Sources
Checked by Saais Patel against these official pages.
Next in Starting out:What a US company costs a founder abroad in year one, and every year after