PartnerPartner offers:doola: 10% off with PWB10 (opens in a new tab)Firstbase: $25 off with PARTNERGIFT2024 (opens in a new tab)
Payments Without Borders

How to get your money out of a US company when you live abroad

Updated October 24, 2026

Owning a US company lets you use Stripe or PayPal from a country they don't serve. But the money doesn't go straight to your personal account at home: it passes through the company first. Here is the path, step by step, and what each side expects from you.

The path of the money

  • 1. A customer pays by card or PayPal. The payment is made to your company, not to you personally.
  • 2. Stripe or PayPal pays the money, minus fees, into the company's US account. In the US, Stripe charges 2.9% + 30¢ per domestic card payment, plus 1.5% for international cards and 1% when a currency conversion is needed.
  • 3. You transfer money from the company to yourself. For a single-member LLC, this is a distribution to the owner, not a salary.
  • 4. The transfer goes abroad to your personal account, usually by international bank transfer, and your bank converts it into local currency.

Step 1: make sure a US account will accept you

This is where many founders get stuck. US business accounts decide based on where you live, not only on where your company is. Mercury, for example, publishes a list of countries of residence it doesn't serve, including Nigeria, Pakistan and the Philippines. Check the official list before you form the company.

For the last step, Wise publishes the list of countries where residents can hold money in their account. If your country is not on it, plan to receive the transfer at your local bank.

Step 2: the US paperwork

  • A single-member LLC owned by a foreign person must file Form 5472, attached to a pro forma Form 1120, for each year with reportable transactions.
  • Money you put into the company and distributions you take out are among the transactions to report.
  • The penalty for not filing is $25,000, and more if the failure continues after the IRS notifies you.
  • The company must keep books and records that support what it reports.

Step 3: the paperwork at home

  • Your bank at home may ask where the money comes from. Keep the company's formation documents, its US account statements, your Stripe or PayPal reports and your invoices.
  • Declare the income to your country's tax authority.
  • If your country has exchange controls, owning a company or money abroad may require a declaration or an authorization. Check with your central bank or exchange-control office, and a local accountant, before you form the company.

In short

Customer → Stripe or PayPal → the company's US account → a documented distribution → your bank at home. Legal means declared on both sides and backed by documents.

This guide is general information, not tax or legal advice. Rules depend on your situation and your country.

Our partners

Services we work with. Same checked statuses as everywhere else on the site — the partnership never changes a status or the order of our recommendations.

Partner

Firstbase

Forms a US company (LLC or C corporation) for founders abroad, with the tax ID (EIN). The usual path to Stripe.

Offer. New customers get $25 off their first order: sign up through our link, then enter the code PARTNERGIFT2024 at checkout.

Start with Firstbase (opens in a new tab)Details

Partner links: if you sign up, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Multi-currency accountPartner

Wise

Registration is free. Transfer fees vary by currency: see Wise's pricing page.

Go to Wise (opens in a new tab)

Affiliate link: if you sign up, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

US companyPartner

Firstbase

Formation: $99 one-time plus the state fee on its pricing page (22 October 2026); its Start page now says "Formation is on us. Pay only your state fee." Check at checkout. Registered agent: $299 per state per year. Tax filing for a single-member LLC owned by a non-US person: $899 per year.

Offer. New customers get $25 off their first order: sign up through our link, then enter the code PARTNERGIFT2024 at checkout.

Go to Firstbase (opens in a new tab)

Affiliate link: if you sign up, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

US companyPartner

doola

Starter: $297 per year plus state fees (formation, EIN, operating agreement, registered agent, mailing address). Tax and Compliance: $1,999 per year plus state fees, with the yearly IRS and state filings. Business-in-a-Box: $2,999 per year plus state fees, with a dedicated bookkeeper.

Offer. 10% off your first purchase: sign up through our link, then enter the code PWB10 at checkout.

Go to doola (opens in a new tab)

Affiliate link: if you sign up, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.

Official sources

Source links go to each provider's official page, without our partner offers. To get the offers, sign up through these links: Wise: multi-currency account (opens in a new tab)

Checked October 24, 2026. Prices and rules change: confirm on the official page before you act.

Check your own country's options before you start: see all countries.