Running a U.S. LLC as a non-resident is straightforward, but staying compliant with U.S. laws requires meeting certain annual obligations. This guide outlines everything you need to keep your LLC in good standing and ensure your focus remains on growing your business.<\/p>\n
You must file two forms:<\/p>\n
You must file:<\/p>\n
If your LLC has no physical U.S. presence<\/strong> (e.g., no office, employees, or warehouses) and only sells online, its income is typically not considered ECI (Effectively Connected Income)<\/strong>, meaning no U.S. federal taxes are due<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Each state has unique compliance obligations. Here\u2019s a summary for the most common states:<\/p>\n If your LLC has no physical presence<\/strong> in the U.S. and only sells online, its income is generally not taxed by the state<\/strong>, but annual reports or franchise taxes may still apply.<\/p>\n Sales tax may sound intimidating, but it\u2019s simpler than you think! You\u2019re required to collect and remit sales tax only when you cross specific thresholds or meet certain criteria.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s say your LLC is registered in Wyoming and sells to customers in other states. Each state has its own threshold for sales tax, and you\u2019ll only need to start collecting in-state sales tax once your sales in that specific state exceed the required threshold.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n A registered agent is a person or service responsible for receiving legal and official documents on behalf of your LLC.<\/p>\n Accurate bookkeeping ensures compliance with federal and state requirements and helps track your LLC\u2019s financial health.<\/p>\n If your LLC operates without a physical U.S. presence<\/strong> and only sells online, its income is typically not ECI<\/strong>, so no U.S. federal taxes<\/strong> are required. Managing state and sales tax is straightforward and can be easily automated with the right tools, leaving you free to focus on growing your business.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","format":"standard","article-category":[101,47,84],"article-tag":[105,110,108,113,107,106,103,109,112,111,102,114,104],"class_list":["post-2341","article","type-article","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","article-category-faq","article-category-general","article-category-taxes","article-tag-annual-report-for-llcs","article-tag-bookkeeping-for-llcs","article-tag-foreign-owned-llc-compliance","article-tag-form-1065-for-llcs","article-tag-form-5472-filing-guide","article-tag-franchise-tax-for-llcs","article-tag-how-to-keep-an-llc-compliant","article-tag-llc-tax-filing-requirements","article-tag-multi-member-llc-filing-requirements","article-tag-registered-agent-requirements-for-llcs","article-tag-u-s-llc-compliance","article-tag-u-s-llc-reporting-obligations","article-tag-u-s-llc-requirements-for-non-residents"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/article\/2341","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2341"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/article\/2341\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2350,"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/article\/2341\/revisions\/2350"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2341"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"article-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Farticle-category&post=2341"},{"taxonomy":"article-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/helpdesk.privatily.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Farticle-tag&post=2341"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n2. State-Level Requirements<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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When State Taxes Are Not Required:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
\n3. Sales Tax<\/strong><\/h3>\n
When Does Sales Tax Apply?<\/h4>\n
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\nIf your LLC sells physical products<\/strong> to customers in the U.S., you may need to collect sales tax based on the state\u2019s rules. Each state has its own economic nexus thresholds<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n
Example: Wyoming LLC Selling to Other States<\/h4>\n
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When Sales Tax Is NOT Required:<\/h4>\n
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\nIf you sell to customers outside the US<\/strong>, there\u2019s no US sales tax requirement.<\/strong> International sales are treated as exports, which are exempt from US sales tax.<\/li>\n
\nIf your total sales in a state don\u2019t exceed the thresholds, you don\u2019t have to register for or collect sales tax in that state.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nPro Tip:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Even if your business is registered in one state, you must monitor sales thresholds and tax requirements for every state you sell in. This ensures compliance and avoids unexpected penalties as your business grows.<\/h4>\n
How to Stay Compliant with Sales Tax:<\/h4>\n
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\n4. Registered Agent Service<\/strong><\/h3>\n
What Is a Registered Agent?<\/strong><\/h4>\n
Requirements:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\n5. Bookkeeping and Record-Keeping<\/strong><\/h3>\n
Why It\u2019s Essential:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
What to Track:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
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\nSummary Checklist for Compliance<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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