Interactive formation tool

Company Setup Report

Answer a focused set of questions and get a practical setup route: whether a U.S. LLC fits, which country and state to shortlist, what blocks banking or Stripe, which formation path matches your budget, and which compliance dates cannot be missed.

Open the tool How we research

Access: Free; no account wall
Privacy: Local; inputs stay in browser
Use case: First decision; not a filing service

Where are you right now?

I have not formed a company yet Choose country, entity, state, service path, and setup order. I formed a U.S. LLC, but do not have an EIN Fix the EIN and compliance path before banking. I have an EIN, but need banking or Stripe Check payout readiness and address risk. I am already operating and want compliance clarity Surface Form 5472, state, and renewal tasks. I am comparing countries before choosing Rank the U.S., UK, Estonia, and other jurisdictions.

Business shape

Where do you live or mainly pay personal tax? What are you building? Where are most customers? Main reason you want a company

Setup constraints

Do you have a U.S. SSN or ITIN? EIN status Can you appoint a local resident director if needed? Bank-ready physical address

Budget and trajectory

Setup style First-year profit plan Do you plan to raise venture capital?

Workflow

How to use it

1 Choose your current stage so the report starts from the problem you actually have.
2 Answer the business, market, payment, EIN, address, budget, and fundraising questions.
3 Review the generated route, scores, service path, banking checklist, and compliance calendar.
4 Save the report as a PDF, copy the summary, or continue into the relevant Lanzamo guide.

Why this matters

Non-resident founders rarely need one isolated calculator. The hard part is sequencing: country or U.S. LLC, state, EIN, bank/Stripe readiness, service provider, and recurring compliance all affect each other. This workflow turns Lanzamo's state-fee data, jurisdiction model, service comparison, banking guide, and Form 5472 research into one decision artifact you can save, send to a partner, or use before hiring a CPA or attorney.

Decision paths

Choose the next deep dive

The report gives the route; these guides explain the four most common branches before you pay a provider or advisor.

All guides

U.S. LLC path State choice, EIN without an SSN, banking, Stripe, and the compliance basics for non-resident founders. Fundraising C-corp path Delaware C-corp setup for VC intent: founder stock, 83(b), SAFEs, Rule 506, Form D, and franchise tax. Banking readiness path Documents, address rules, KYC issues, and provider fit for Mercury, Relay, Wise, or Payoneer. Tax and filing path What foreign-owned U.S. LLCs actually owe, why Form 5472 matters, and when to bring in a cross-border CPA.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Company Setup Report legal or tax advice?

No. It is educational guidance based on general rules and Lanzamo's researched datasets. It helps you organize the decision, spot common blockers, and prepare better questions for a CPA, attorney, bank, or formation provider.

Does the report always recommend a U.S. LLC?

No. A U.S. LLC scores well when you need Stripe, U.S. banking, U.S. customers, or a no-resident-director path. If your answers point to Europe, reinvested profits, or country comparison, the report can surface alternatives such as Estonia or the UK.

Why does it ask about EIN and address before I apply for banking?

Because those are common non-resident blockers. U.S. banking and Stripe workflows usually require a verifiable EIN/TIN, and banks can reject registered-agent, PO box, virtual mailbox, or CMRA addresses as the company physical address.

Why does Form 5472 appear in the report?

Foreign-owned single-member U.S. LLCs commonly need Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 each year, even with no income. The report flags it early because the penalty risk is much larger than most formation ads suggest.

Keep going

Find Your Jurisdiction Answer 6 questions → your best-fit countries, ranked with reasons. LLC Cost by State Filing + annual fees for all 50 states, sorted side by side. Where to Incorporate: Country Comparison Compare 13 startup-friendly countries — fees, tax, and the resident-director catch.

The founder’s starting-a-US-company checklist

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