LLC Management

IRS Federal Tax Filing: Form 5472 & Pro Forma 1120

Foreign-owned US LLCs must file Form 5472 + Pro Forma 1120 every year — even with zero revenue. We handle the entire filing for you through our experienced CPA.

Heads up — it's tax filing season. Your US LLC must file with the IRS by the deadline. As a foreign-owned US LLC, you're required to submit Form 5472 + Pro Forma 1120 every year. This applies even if your company had zero revenue. Not filing triggers a $25,000 penalty directly from the IRS.

Who Must File Form 5472?

Every Single-Member US LLC with a foreign owner is classified by the IRS as a "Disregarded Entity" (DE). Under IRS rules, every foreign-owned DE must file Form 5472 together with a Pro Forma Form 1120 every single year, regardless of whether your LLC had any income, transactions, or activity.

This applies to you if:

The $25,000 Penalty

The IRS is unforgiving about Form 5472. The penalty for failing to file — or filing late, or filing incomplete information — is $25,000 per failure, per year. This is not a percentage of owed tax. It's a flat penalty that applies even when your tax liability is $0.

Good news: For most non-US founders with no physical presence in the United States (the "Not ETBUS" rule), your actual US tax liability is $0. The filing itself is purely informational. But the filing is mandatory — and that's where we come in.

Filing Deadline

Form 5472 + Pro Forma 1120 is due by April 15 each year for the previous tax year. If your LLC operates on a calendar year (which most do), that's the hard deadline.

An automatic 6-month extension is available by filing Form 7004 — pushing the deadline to October 15. We can file this extension for you as part of our service.

Our Federal Tax Filing Service

We handle the entire filing for you — fully managed, no stress. Our experienced CPA prepares and files your Form 5472 and Pro Forma 1120 directly with the IRS so you stay compliant and avoid penalties.

$170/year
Form 5472 + Pro Forma 1120 filing

What We Need From You

To proceed with your IRS federal filing, we need the following information from your side:

  1. Passport — a copy of the main page
  2. Country of tax residence
  3. Percentage of ownership in the LLC
  4. Primary revenue sources (dropshipping, SaaS, freelance, agency, etc.)
  5. Payment processors used (Stripe, PayPal, Shopify Payments, Wise, etc.)
  6. Approximate breakdown by platform if you sell across multiple channels
  7. Bank statement of the last year for the LLC's business account

Why Not File It Yourself?

Form 5472 and Pro Forma 1120 are not forms you can file on common DIY tax software like TurboTax. They must be paper-filed or e-filed through an authorized IRS provider. The instructions are dense, and a single mistake — wrong EIN placement, missed transaction, incomplete disclosure — can trigger the $25,000 penalty.

Our CPA has filed these forms for hundreds of non-US founders. We know exactly what the IRS expects.

Common Questions

My LLC had no income. Do I still need to file?

Yes. Form 5472 is required even if your LLC had zero revenue, zero transactions, and zero activity. The formation itself counts as a reportable transaction.

Will I owe US taxes?

For most non-US residents with no physical presence in the US (no US office, employees, or dependent agents), the answer is no — thanks to the "Not Engaged in Trade or Business in the US" (Not ETBUS) rule. The filing is purely informational.

What if I've already missed past years?

You can still come into compliance through late filing. Penalties may apply, but we can help you catch up and submit a reasonable cause statement. Message us on WhatsApp to discuss your situation.

Let's get you compliant before the deadline

Message us on WhatsApp with your details and we'll handle the filing end to end. $170, one-time per year.

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