Plain-language notes on U.S. tax deadlines, IRS letters, cross-border reporting and running a small business, written by the CPAs who handle these questions every day.
A U.S. LLC owned by one foreign person with no corporate election is disregarded, so in Amazon's tax interview the owner gives a W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E, not a W-9 under the LLC's EIN. Only an LLC that elected corporate status on Form 8832 gives a W-9. Mistakes bring mismatched 1099-Ks, and a name/TIN mismatch not fixed in 30 days suspends selling.
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Shopify Payments in the U.S. needs a real U.S. business address, a dollar checking account and EIN documents, with an SSN or ITIN for the representative and 25%+ owners, or a passport for non-U.S. residents. Mainland China access is invitation-only. A foreign-owned single-member LLC files pro forma 1120 + 5472, the foreign owner gives a W-8, and Shopify reports single-member LLCs under an SSN or ITIN.
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Articles are general information, not tax or legal advice for your specific situation.
