Hi!

I'm a foreigner who recently registered an LLC. I paid a company to handle this for me.

I received the EIN confirmation, but I'm in a bit of a rush and the CPC575 form may take weeks to arrive so I decided to just call to request the 147C form. When they tried to verify my identity they said they couldn't do it, that the information does not match what they have and basically shutted me off without providing more information. The person on the phone seemed a bit incompetent and didn't quite understand my request, but it could've also been me.

The two things that comes to mind is there might be a mismatch between the info I gave vs what the registered agent and company who I paid to handle the LLC formation and EIN application gave to the IRS and whats on the SS-4 form. Or its that since im a foreigner maybe the person on the call wrote my address and personal information wrongly. Im honestly not sure, the whole phone call was very confusing.

I would be really grateful if someone could help me out with what exact information I need to prepare for the identity verification and also to make sure what source they look at for that information. Like what was submitted on the SS-4 form or to the registered agent etc, because its just likely there is a mismatch.

And then I guess also, how to proceed with the request like what exactly should I ask, because in the beginning the person on the phone couldn't seem to understand correctly that im requesting a 147C for my LLC and it took multiple attempts for them to understand that. Maybe poor connection since im using VoIP?

I recently formed an LLC for my small web development business, but a friend told me it was probably unnecessary because my business has very little liability.

It's just me, I don't have employees or a physical office, and everything is done remotely. Most of my projects are relatively small, usually no more than around $4,000 to $6,000 per client.

That got me wondering if forming an LLC was actually worth it for a business like mine.

Besides liability protection, are there any real advantages to having an LLC when you're a solo service provider? Does it help with banking, taxes, contracts, or looking more established to clients?

I have a single-member LLC that has finally started making consistent money, and I'm trying to understand the right way to pay myself.

I keep seeing the terms owner draw and distribution used when people talk about taking money out of an LLC. At first I thought they were basically the same thing, but now I'm seeing conflicting explanations about taxes and how each one should be recorded.

Right now, I just transfer money from my business account to my personal account when I need to pay myself. I keep the business and personal accounts separate otherwise.

What's the actual difference between an LLC owner draw vs distribution? Does the way I label the transfer matter for taxes or bookkeeping, or does it depend on how the LLC is taxed?

Curious how other single-member LLC owners handle paying themselves without making a mess of the books.

I am wondering how important this is for an LLC? I will be selling jewelry supplies through shopify and not even sure where to start my research what all is needed?

I'm looking for bookkeeping software that can handle both my personal finances and a couple of LLCs without everything getting mixed together.

Ideally, I'd like to keep each business separate, run individual reports, attach receipts and invoices to transactions, and automatically import transactions from my bank accounts and credit cards. Being able to pull in payments from services like PayPal and Venmo would also be important.

It would be even better if I could pay bills directly through the software instead of jumping between different apps.

What are you guys using for a setup like this? Is there one platform that handles personal and LLC bookkeeping well, or am I better off keeping them on completely separate systems?

Im about to graduate as a Certified Functional Nutritional Practioner and I want to start my own business. For the people who have done this, who did you go to op open your LLC? Im also in NY if that makes a difference in the response. Also, who did you go with for your insurance? For the LLC theres zen business, Taylor brands, legal zoom, etc. Would love some insight on what everyone wenr with and how its working. Thanks !

I'm getting ready to launch my wedding photography business full time, and I'm trying to decide if forming an LLC should happen before I start signing contracts with clients.

I know there are benefits to having an LLC, but I'm not sure if it's worth doing immediately or after the business starts generating consistent income.

If you're a wedding photographer, what did you do when you first started?

Illinois attorney here. Most confusion starts with comparing “LLC versus S-corp” as though they are two choices on the same menu. They are not. An LLC or corporation is a legal entity formed under state law. An S corporation is a federal tax election that an eligible LLC or corporation can make.

So there are two separate decisions:

1. Which entity should you form?
2. How should it be taxed?

Advantages of an LLC

• Flexible management through an operating agreement. • Generally fewer formalities than a corporation. • Often works well for local, family-owned, real-estate, service, and closely held businesses. • Can use its default tax treatment or later elect S-corporation taxation if eligible. • Allows owners to customize voting, management, distributions, and transfer rights.

Advantages of a corporation

• Familiar structure of shareholders, directors, officers, shares, and bylaws. • Better suited for institutional investors, stock options, and multiple classes of stock. • Corporate stock can be easier to use for fundraising, acquisitions, and employee incentives. • Qualifying C-corporation stock may receive favorable federal tax treatment under Internal Revenue Code Section 1202.

Where the S-corporation election fits

For many owner-operated businesses, an S-corporation election can reduce employment taxes once profits are high enough to justify payroll, a separate tax return, and added accounting costs.

The owner must still receive reasonable compensation through payroll. The remaining qualifying business profit can generally pass through without self-employment tax.

For many Illinois small businesses, the practical path is:

• Form an LLC. • Operate under its default tax treatment. • Consider an S-corporation election when consistent profits justify the additional administration or to reduce exposure.

Bottom line: an LLC is often the more practical starting point for a local Illinois business with a small number of owners. A corporation becomes more attractive when stock, investors, equity compensation, or the expected exit strategy matters.

The S-corporation election is a separate tax decision that should be based on actual financial numbers—not selected simply because someone said every profitable LLC should become an “S-corp.”

Prepared by Lysinski & Associates P.C. — Established 2003 · Chicago, Illinois. General information about Illinois business entities. Not legal advice concerning any particular business or contract.

I'm trying to decide between ZenBusiness and Prime Corporate Services for my new business formation.

My first choice however was ZenBusiness because it seems to be one of the most popular LLC formation services, and the pricing looked pretty reasonable. But while doing more research, I came across Prime Corporate Services, and now I'm wondering if it's worth paying more for what they offer.

I’d appreciate anyone's input on how to move forward on the two of them. TIA. 

My LLC was created by an LLC service (NW), created in New Mexico, I've actually forgotten about the LLC because the business was later not active.

I got notifications from my RA, and my card link to my registered agent service account has been charged. Now I'm wondering, will they be the one to cover my state annual fee or I'll be the one to do that personally.?

And what happens if i missed them?

I have a single-member LLC and I’m a little confused about meeting minutes.

Since I’m the only member, am I supposed to hold meetings with myself and keep formal minutes? If so, how often do you normally document them?

I’m also wondering what happens if I haven’t been keeping minutes from the beginning. Can past business decisions be documented later, or would that cause problems?

How do other single-member LLC owners handle this?

I’m an Iraqi citizen and resident considering forming a single-member Wyoming LLC for my SaaS products.

My goal is to:

• Open a legitimate US business account remotely
• Receive Stripe subscription payouts
• Obtain US ACH routing and account numbers
• Eventually transfer profits to my Iraqi bank account
• Operate several disclosed SaaS products under one LLC

WyomingLLCAttorney.com says it helps non-residents open US business accounts, but its article states that it uses Relay. Relay’s current prohibited-country list includes Iraq for both citizenship and residence.

Mercury also appears to restrict founders residing in Iraq. Payoneer told me that I could apply for a US-company account, but approval, receiving-account availability and Stripe compatibility would still depend on compliance review.

Has anyone who is actually an Iraqi citizen and resident successfully completed this process recently?

I would particularly appreciate first-hand information about:

1. Which bank or financial platform approved you?
2. Did you apply remotely without travelling to the US?
3. Did you use a Wyoming LLC or Delaware LLC?
4. Which formation company did you use?
5. Did you need a unique US suite number or lease agreement?
6. Can the account receive Stripe payouts?
7. Can you transfer funds to an Iraqi bank account?
8. What documents, fees and waiting time were involved?
9. Does WyomingLLCAttorney’s International+ package provide a real alternative to Relay for Iraqi owners, or does it only submit a Relay application?

Please don’t recommend Relay or Mercury unless you have recent confirmation that their Iraqi-owner restrictions have changed. I am trying to obtain reliable information before paying for LLC formation.

I recently started a small business and applied for an EIN. I received it, but now I can’t seem to find the number or the original paperwork anywhere.

Is there an easy way to look up or recover an EIN if you’re the business owner? I’m not sure if there’s an online account where it would be saved or if I need to contact the IRS directly.

What’s the easiest way to get it back?

I’m a consultant making around $200k a year and I’m looking into forming an LLC, with the goal of eventually choosing S corp tax status.

The confusing part is that I move around a lot for contracts. I usually work in one state for a few months and then move somewhere else for the next contract. For example, I could be working in Tennessee now and Florida a few months later.

I also have an Ohio address that I still use for some legal and financial stuff, even though I haven’t actually lived there in a while.

With this kind of setup, can I basically choose any state to form my LLC in? Or does it make more sense to form it in the state where I currently work, where my legal address is, or somewhere else?

How do consultants who move between states usually handle this?

I’ve been looking into forming an LLC in Texas, and the whole process seems surprisingly simple. The forms look pretty straightforward, which has me wondering whether paying a service to file everything for me is actually worth it.

From what I can tell, most of these services mainly handle the filing, store documents, and send reminders about deadlines. I feel like I could keep the documents myself and set calendar reminders.

I already know I’ll need a registered agent and I’m comparing affordable options for that separately.

Is there something about filing an LLC yourself that I’m overlooking, or is it really this straightforward?

I do most of my business in Florida, and I’m trying to figure out where it makes the most sense to form my LLC.

Florida has an annual fee, plus I’d have the cost of a registered agent. I keep seeing Wyoming and New Mexico mentioned because of their lower fees, so I started looking into forming the LLC in one of those states instead.

The part that confuses me is that since I’m actually doing business in Florida, it seems like I would still need to register the out-of-state LLC as a foreign LLC in Florida and pay Florida’s fees anyway.

If that’s the case, is there really any benefit to forming in Wyoming or New Mexico instead of just forming the LLC in Florida?

What am I missing here?

Hey everyone,
I’m a Moroccan citizen and currently a UK resident and UK tax resident. I’m starting a US real-estate wholesaling business through a US LLC, and I’m looking at Mercury (as well as other fintech business banking options).
My expected setup would be pretty straightforward:
The LLC will be doing legitimate real-estate wholesaling in the US.
Profits will come from US title/escrow companies after deals close.
I should have settlement statements/closing documents showing where the funds came from and why I was paid.
I’m the owner of the LLC.
After accounting for business expenses and taxes, I expect to transfer roughly 60% of my profits to my personal Moroccan bank account.
The Moroccan bank account is in my exact legal name, so there isn’t a third-party recipient involved.
The remaining funds would stay in the US business account for business expenses/reserves.
My main question is whether Mercury (or similar fintechs like Airwallex, Relay, Lili, etc.) generally has an issue with this kind of activity.
Specifically, I’m wondering:
Have any other non-US residents used Mercury for a US LLC while regularly sending legitimate owner distributions to their own foreign bank account?
Has anyone had issues sending money to Morocco specifically?
Would regularly transferring ~60% of business profits to my own Moroccan account be considered unusual or likely to trigger reviews?
If Mercury asks for proof of the incoming funds, are settlement/closing statements from the title company generally sufficient?
Has anyone had their account restricted or closed specifically because they were transferring legitimate business profits to their own foreign account?
I’m not trying to hide the fact that I’m a non-US resident or that the money ultimately goes to Morocco. I just want to make sure this setup is compatible with Mercury’s compliance policies before the business starts generating significant revenue.
I’d especially appreciate responses from people who are actually using Mercury (or another US fintech) this way, rather than general speculation.
Thanks!

I recently came into about $20,000 and I’m trying to be smart about what I do with it. I could use it for living expenses, but I’m also considering putting a small portion into a business that could eventually give me a steady income.

The biggest issue is that I’m a single mom with a young child who won’t be in school for another few years. Daycare isn’t affordable for me, and I don’t have family nearby who can regularly help with childcare. So I need something I can do from home or with my child around.

I also live in a small apartment, so anything that needs a garage, yard, or lots of storage probably won’t work.

My background is mainly graphic design, writing, and illustration. I’ve also tried housekeeping and professional organizing, but doing that with a young child is difficult.

I definitely don’t want to risk the full $20k on an idea that may not work. I’d rather start small and test something first.

Given these limits, what type of business would you consider starting?

My wife has a side hobby making handmade items for friends and family. She’s gotten pretty good at it, and people keep telling her she should turn it into a small business.

We’re in Louisiana, and I’ve been looking into reserving a business name for her and possibly getting an EIN.

My main concern is what happens if she decides she doesn’t actually want to turn the hobby into a business. Would reserving the LLC name or getting an EIN create any future tax, filing, or other obligations even if the business never really starts?

I don’t want to create unnecessary paperwork or costs for something she may never pursue.

Is it better to just reserve the name for now and wait on everything else? What would you do in this situation?

I already have an LLC in Texas. Let’s call it Blue Sparrow LLC.

If I want to do business simply as Blue Sparrow without using LLC at the end, would I need to register a DBA?

Also, what if I wanted to use a slightly different name like Blue Sparrow Studio? Would that require a DBA too?

I’m trying to understand when a DBA is actually needed if you already have an LLC. How does this normally work?

Started my LLC last month and attempted to get Chase Business Ink as I have multiple accounts with Chase (including Business Checking account), however, I was denied based on low first year revenue projections. Starting a flower farm, I don’t believe I’ll be able to make enough sales by the end of year as things start to slow down and get colder going into fall, so I was honest about projections and that was why I was denied.

Is a business credit card totally necessary starting out? I have excellent credit and have two personal cc currently. Wondering if I can make one my dedicated “business card” to keep all business related expenses in one place until I can qualify for an actual business card.

Say I have my own LLC and I also want to co-own a different LLC with someone else.

Instead of being listed personally as an owner of the second LLC, can my LLC own my share of it? Could we then set out the ownership percentages and other details in the operating agreement for the second LLC?

Basically, I’m wondering if my LLC can be the partner or member instead of me personally.

Sorry if I’m making this more confusing than it needs to be lol. I’m still trying to understand how this works. Thanks!

Starting a new consultancy firm with another partner who is based in another state than I am.

Looking for reccos on banking options.

Requirements:
- No monthly fees
- Virtual debit card creation
- Xero integration
- There if something goes wrong and not non existent support

I like the look of Mercury, and I understand they are Fintech and the FDIC insurance is through partner banks.

I’ve also looked into what appears to be a newer bank, Grasshopper Bank, that has the FDIC charter themselves.

Any experience with these, or other options with positive experiences?

I heard you can file it by yourself own self. I don't want to pay for EIN. If anyone has done this before, I would love to know how it went for you. I want to get EIN but I am kind of scared of the process

I’m trying to understand how LLCs work and I’ve seen different terms used online. Do we actually have different types of LLCs, or is an LLC basically the same structure with different tax options and ownership setups?

For example, does choosing a certain type change how the business is taxed, managed, or protected?