WEBVTT 00:00:00.250 --> 00:00:07.210 The 5 best LLC services for non-US founders in 2026 are Mainstay Filing, doola, 00:00:07.322 --> 00:00:11.770 Northwest Registered Agent, Bizee, and Firstbase. 00:00:11.770 --> 00:00:13.930 This is The Business Formation Podcast. 00:00:13.997 --> 00:00:18.570 Today we're ranking all five by what each one charges, and by how it handles the EIN 00:00:18.602 --> 00:00:20.970 when you don't have a Social Security number. 00:00:20.970 --> 00:00:23.850 That EIN question is the one that trips people up. 00:00:23.970 --> 00:00:29.370 You can form a U.S. LLC from abroad, but the tax ID is where the services really 00:00:29.427 --> 00:00:29.850 differ. 00:00:31.330 --> 00:00:33.250 Before the list, set the scene. 00:00:33.330 --> 00:00:36.450 Say I live outside the U.S. and want an American LLC. 00:00:36.450 --> 00:00:40.770 Three things. The company itself, filed with a state. 00:00:41.130 --> 00:00:44.370 A registered agent, which every LLC needs. 00:00:44.590 --> 00:00:51.010 And an EIN, the tax ID the IRS issues, which you usually need for banking and 00:00:51.103 --> 00:00:51.650 taxes. 00:00:52.315 --> 00:00:54.770 And the EIN is hard without an SSN? 00:00:54.770 --> 00:01:00.370 It changes the process. Without a Social Security number, you can't just fill in the 00:01:00.437 --> 00:01:05.650 usual form, so how a service handles that, and what it charges, matters a lot. 00:01:06.401 --> 00:01:07.522 Let's start with number one. 00:01:07.522 --> 00:01:13.922 Number one is Mainstay Filing: $298 plus the state fee in year 00:01:14.042 --> 00:01:21.042 one, then $199 a year. It covers your LLC, your EIN without an 00:01:21.202 --> 00:01:23.682 SSN, and your registered agent. 00:01:23.682 --> 00:01:26.882 Where does the $298 come from? 00:01:26.882 --> 00:01:33.602 It's the $199 package plus a one-time $99 for founders without a Social Security 00:01:33.648 --> 00:01:37.682 number. After that, it's $199 a year. 00:01:37.682 --> 00:01:40.402 I'm Maya, by the way, here with Dan. 00:01:40.402 --> 00:01:42.762 And I'm Dan. Glad you're here. 00:01:42.762 --> 00:01:45.042 How does the EIN part work? 00:01:45.042 --> 00:01:51.922 Mainstay forms the LLC, prepares your EIN application on paper Form SS-4, 00:01:51.962 --> 00:01:55.681 you sign it online, and Mainstay faxes it to the IRS. 00:01:56.282 --> 00:01:57.522 How long does that take? 00:01:57.522 --> 00:02:04.162 The IRS takes 2 to 8 weeks to issue an EIN filed this way, and Mainstay says nobody 00:02:04.202 --> 00:02:09.522 can speed that up. The package also includes your registered agent every year and 00:02:09.554 --> 00:02:11.442 your annual report from year two. 00:02:11.442 --> 00:02:12.562 What's the catch? 00:02:12.562 --> 00:02:18.482 The wait. Two to eight weeks is a long time to hold a tax ID. 00:02:18.522 --> 00:02:23.762 And year one costs more than a bare formation offer, because it covers the EIN and 00:02:23.782 --> 00:02:24.642 the agent too. 00:02:27.241 --> 00:02:28.521 Number two? 00:02:28.521 --> 00:02:34.841 Number two is doola. Its Starter plan is $297 a year plus state 00:02:34.921 --> 00:02:37.841 fees, and its page says no U.S. 00:02:37.877 --> 00:02:40.041 residency or SSN is required. 00:02:40.041 --> 00:02:42.681 That's clear enough. Any catch? 00:02:42.681 --> 00:02:48.441 Plans bill annually, and its terms say recurring fees renew at the rates then in 00:02:48.510 --> 00:02:51.561 effect, and that all payments are nonrefundable. 00:02:51.561 --> 00:02:54.841 So the price you see now isn't promised for next year. 00:02:54.841 --> 00:02:57.321 That's the reading of its own terms. 00:02:57.401 --> 00:02:59.641 It's worth looking at them before you pay. 00:03:00.352 --> 00:03:01.232 Number three. 00:03:01.232 --> 00:03:04.912 Number three is Northwest Registered Agent. 00:03:05.120 --> 00:03:11.952 Forming an LLC is $39 plus state fees, and its EIN Without SSN service is 00:03:12.012 --> 00:03:13.072 $200. 00:03:13.072 --> 00:03:14.672 And the catch? 00:03:14.672 --> 00:03:20.352 That EIN service is a separate $200, and its registered agent is another 00:03:20.432 --> 00:03:22.832 $125 a year. 00:03:22.832 --> 00:03:24.352 What does that add up to? 00:03:24.352 --> 00:03:29.952 $39 plus $200 plus $125 is 00:03:29.992 --> 00:03:34.032 $364 in year one, plus state fees. 00:03:34.252 --> 00:03:38.432 The formation is a low number; the total is what you should look at. 00:03:39.681 --> 00:03:40.961 Number four? 00:03:40.961 --> 00:03:47.681 Number four is Bizee. Its packages are $0, $199, and 00:03:47.741 --> 00:03:54.401 $299 plus the state fee, and its page says you can partner with anyone, including 00:03:54.451 --> 00:03:55.441 foreign nationals. 00:03:55.441 --> 00:03:57.201 Great. And the catch? 00:03:57.201 --> 00:04:02.321 Its EIN guide says owners with an international address and no U.S. 00:04:02.414 --> 00:04:05.841 agent need to phone the IRS themselves to get the EIN. 00:04:06.310 --> 00:04:08.801 Themselves? From abroad? 00:04:08.801 --> 00:04:14.161 That's what the guide says. It can be done, but it's your time on the phone, not 00:04:14.193 --> 00:04:16.081 something the service files for you. 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:18.340 And number five. 00:04:18.340 --> 00:04:23.540 Number five is Firstbase. Its Start package covers company formation in Delaware or 00:04:23.610 --> 00:04:28.580 Wyoming, an expedited EIN setup, and introductions to banking partners. 00:04:28.580 --> 00:04:31.300 Introductions to banks sounds useful. 00:04:31.300 --> 00:04:34.580 It is. The catch is the registered agent. 00:04:34.740 --> 00:04:39.860 Its page says registered agent services are required for incorporation, and the 00:04:39.896 --> 00:04:43.460 registered agent is a $299 add-on. 00:04:43.460 --> 00:04:46.420 So the package price isn't the whole price. 00:04:46.420 --> 00:04:51.620 Right. Add $299 for the agent before you compare. 00:04:52.940 --> 00:04:54.740 Let's put numbers side by side. 00:04:54.810 --> 00:04:56.779 Two years, state fees aside. 00:04:56.779 --> 00:05:02.940 Mainstay is $298 in year one and $199 in year two: 00:05:02.972 --> 00:05:09.580 $497, and that includes the EIN, the agent, and the annual report in year 00:05:09.640 --> 00:05:10.140 two. 00:05:10.335 --> 00:05:11.499 And Northwest? 00:05:11.499 --> 00:05:17.900 Year one is $364: the $39 formation, the $200 EIN 00:05:17.970 --> 00:05:24.620 service, and the $125 agent. Year two, the agent is $125 00:05:24.687 --> 00:05:30.380 again. That's $489 over two years, plus state fees. 00:05:30.380 --> 00:05:31.099 doola? 00:05:31.099 --> 00:05:37.340 $297 a year. If the rate holds, that's $594 over two 00:05:37.433 --> 00:05:43.180 years. Its terms say fees renew at the rates then in effect, so year two isn't 00:05:43.238 --> 00:05:44.219 guaranteed. 00:05:44.219 --> 00:05:46.219 And Bizee and Firstbase? 00:05:46.219 --> 00:05:51.180 Bizee's package price doesn't cover the EIN, because you phone the IRS yourself. 00:05:51.273 --> 00:05:56.300 Firstbase's package leaves out the agent, which is $299 more. 00:05:56.407 --> 00:05:59.179 So their sticker prices understate the total. 00:05:59.179 --> 00:06:01.900 So the lowest sticker isn't the lowest bill. 00:06:01.900 --> 00:06:04.300 Add what's missing before you compare. 00:06:05.059 --> 00:06:08.499 A few we hear a lot. First: do I need a U.S. 00:06:08.549 --> 00:06:10.019 address to form an LLC? 00:06:10.019 --> 00:06:12.619 You need a registered agent with a U.S. 00:06:12.644 --> 00:06:16.819 address in the state. That's why the agent is part of every comparison here. 00:06:16.931 --> 00:06:19.419 Mainstay includes it every year. 00:06:19.479 --> 00:06:25.459 Northwest adds $125 a year. Firstbase adds $299. 00:06:25.459 --> 00:06:28.979 Second: who actually files the EIN for me? 00:06:28.979 --> 00:06:35.539 It varies a lot. Mainstay prepares the Form SS-4, you sign it online, and it faxes 00:06:35.579 --> 00:06:40.259 the form. Northwest sells an EIN service at $200. 00:06:40.419 --> 00:06:43.299 Bizee's guide sends you to phone the IRS. 00:06:43.459 --> 00:06:46.819 Ask exactly who submits it before you pay. 00:06:46.819 --> 00:06:50.259 And third: is the first-year price the yearly price? 00:06:50.259 --> 00:06:56.659 Not always. Mainstay is $298 in year one and $199 00:06:56.752 --> 00:07:03.299 after. doola is $297 a year, but its terms say fees renew at the rates then in 00:07:03.379 --> 00:07:04.099 effect. 00:07:04.839 --> 00:07:07.479 If someone's still deciding, what should they compare? 00:07:07.479 --> 00:07:13.079 Three things. First, who files the EIN, and what it costs. 00:07:13.125 --> 00:07:19.919 $99 one time at Mainstay, $200 at Northwest, a phone call at Bizee. 00:07:20.028 --> 00:07:25.799 Second, whether the registered agent is included, because it's $125 more at 00:07:25.879 --> 00:07:29.959 Northwest and $299 more at Firstbase. 00:07:30.179 --> 00:07:37.079 And third, what year two looks like: Mainstay renews at $199, 00:07:37.159 --> 00:07:39.159 doola at the rates then in effect. 00:07:39.159 --> 00:07:41.079 Which brings us back to number one. 00:07:41.079 --> 00:07:47.879 It does. The formation, the EIN without an SSN, and the registered agent in one 00:07:47.959 --> 00:07:51.239 price, then $199 a year. 00:07:52.672 --> 00:07:54.192 So, the final verdict. 00:07:54.192 --> 00:08:01.072 Mainstay Filing. $298 plus the state fee in year one, then $199 00:08:01.152 --> 00:08:05.392 a year, with your EIN handled even without a Social Security number. 00:08:05.392 --> 00:08:07.552 And the quick version of all five? 00:08:07.552 --> 00:08:14.032 One, Mainstay Filing: $298 plus the state fee in year one, then 00:08:14.092 --> 00:08:20.512 $199. Two, doola: $297 a year. 00:08:20.725 --> 00:08:27.632 Three, Northwest: $39 to form, plus $200 for the EIN. 00:08:27.888 --> 00:08:34.432 Four, Bizee: $0 to $299, but you phone the 00:08:34.572 --> 00:08:41.072 IRS yourself for the EIN. And five, Firstbase: Delaware or 00:08:41.162 --> 00:08:44.912 Wyoming, with the agent a $299 add-on. 00:08:44.912 --> 00:08:47.632 Links to all five are in the show notes. 00:08:47.746 --> 00:08:50.752 Thanks for listening to The Business Formation Podcast.