Foreign-Owned US LLC Taxes: What You Must File Each Year (2026 Overview)

Owning a US LLC while living abroad does not mean owning a tax problem, but it does mean a short list of filings that nobody sends you a reminder for. This page gives the whole picture on one screen. Each section points to a guide that goes through the details with the official sources.

In short:

• The LLC itself files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 for every year in which it had a reportable transaction with you. The penalty for a missing form is $25,000. It is the filing that most owners miss.
• You personally file a Form 1040-NR only in some cases, mainly if you were engaged in a US trade or business or if US-source income was not fully taxed at source.
• Each state has its own yearly report or tax. Wyoming's annual report, for example, has a license tax of at least $60.
• Platforms and banks ask for a tax form. For a single-member LLC owned from abroad, the owner usually gives a W-8, not a W-9.
• The BOI report is no longer required for US-formed LLCs, even with a foreign owner.

1. The LLC: Form 5472 and a pro forma Form 1120

For US tax purposes, a single-member LLC is a disregarded entity: it pays no US corporate income tax and is looked through to its owner. When the owner is a foreign person, the IRS still requires a report each year the LLC had a reportable transaction with its owner. Money you put in or take out counts.

• What: Form 5472 attached to a pro forma Form 1120.
• When: April 15 for a calendar-year LLC, or October 15 with a Form 7004 extension. See the deadline guide.
• How: by fax or mail only. It cannot be e-filed. See where to send it.
• Who must file, and what if nothing happened: who must file Form 5472.
• Line by line: the Form 5472 guide.

2. You: Form 1040-NR, in some cases

Owning the LLC does not by itself create personal US income tax. As a nonresident, you are taxed in the United States only on income connected with a US trade or business and on certain US-source income. You generally must file a Form 1040-NR if you were engaged in a US trade or business during the year, or if tax due on other US-source income was not fully withheld. You may also file to get back US tax withheld. For a return without wage withholding, the due date is June 15 for a calendar year. The 1040-NR guide explains who is in which case, and the substantial presence test calculator helps if you spend time in the United States.

3. The state of your LLC

The LLC lives in a state, and each state has its own yearly requirement and cost. In Wyoming it is an annual report with a license tax of at least $60: see the Wyoming guide. The registered agent has to stay in place, or the LLC can lose its good standing.

4. Forms for platforms, banks and clients

Stripe, Amazon, a bank or a client may ask for "a W-9". For a single-member LLC owned by a foreign person, the IRS instructions say the owner gives a W-8 instead. Use the form finder and the W-8BEN glossary entry.

5. Identification numbers

• EIN: the LLC needs one. You can apply without an SSN. See the EIN guide.
• ITIN: usually not needed for the LLC's own filings. It becomes necessary if you file a personal return. See the ITIN entry.

6. What no longer applies

• BOI report (FinCEN): US-formed LLCs no longer file one, even when the owner lives abroad. See the BOI guide.

7. Your home country

France, Switzerland and other countries each have their own rules for what they do with a US LLC. We do not give advice on that side, but we explain what each tax authority expects at a high level in the guides for French residents and Swiss residents, and we prepare a file for your accountant at home.

If a year has been missed

Missing a Form 5472 is common and can be repaired. The catch-up guide explains how, and the penalty abatement letter guide shows how to ask the IRS to remove the penalty. Our penalty calculator shows the exposure.

A calendar you can keep

The deadline calendar puts these dates in one place for 2026 and 2027, with a download for your own calendar.

Not sure what applies to you?

Answer a few questions in our free check and see which of these filings your LLC needs. We prepare them for a fixed price: see the services.