🇵🇠For founders in Philippines
Form a US company from Philippines
Filipino founders sell to the world: freelance developers, BPO-adjacent agencies, SaaS builders, and creators whose clients sit in the United States and Europe. An American company (usually a Delaware or Wyoming LLC, sometimes a C-Corp if you're chasing US venture money) gives you a clean, recognizable legal wrapper those clients already trust: invoices from a US entity, an EIN, and a US business account with our licensed partner. It removes the friction of a foreign contractor asking a large American enterprise to wire pesos to a Philippine bank.
The practical wins are payments and credibility. An American entity lets you accept cards and USD ACH, sit on global payout platforms that gate non-US sellers, and present as a domestic vendor on procurement forms. For most solo founders a single-member LLC is the default. It's a pass-through, so the LLC itself pays no federal income tax in the United States; the tax question lands on you personally, in the Philippines.
None of this makes your Philippine obligations disappear. If you're a resident citizen, the Philippines taxes your worldwide income, so profits from your American company are reportable at home regardless of where the cash sits. Forming stateside is about access and rails, not about avoiding Philippine tax. The country-specific pieces below are what actually change based on your being in the Philippines.
General information about forming a US company. Not legal, tax, or investment advice. Rules and figures cited are current as of July 2026 and change frequently. Consult qualified local and US advisers before acting.
The process, end to end
Form the entity
Pick a Wyoming LLC (solo/bootstrapped) or a Delaware C-Corp (VC-track) and file the formation remotely, with no US visit needed.
Read the guideGet an EIN
Apply for the company's federal tax ID. You can get an EIN without an SSN, and you need it to open a US business account.
Read the guideOpen a US business account
Open a US business account remotely with the EIN and formation documents. No US address or SSN required. Banking is provided through our licensed partner; StableCorp is not a bank.
Read the guideGet paid
Invoice US and global clients as a US entity and settle in USD, EUR, or INR, or in USDC on supported chains. Local-currency payout is available in select markets through StableCorp's licensed regional partners on compliant rails.
Read the guidePhilippines-specific considerations
You still owe Philippine tax on worldwide income
A US LLC is a pass-through; it shields no income from the BIR. As a resident citizen you're taxed on worldwide income at graduated rates up to 35% under the TRAIN Law. Register as self-employed with the BIR, file Form 1701, and claim a foreign tax credit for any US tax paid so the treaty actually prevents double taxation instead of you paying twice.
Watch US 'effectively connected income' and Form 5472
A foreign-owned single-member US LLC must file Form 5472 with a pro-forma 1120 each year; miss it and the penalty starts at $25,000. Separately, if you have US staff, US offices, or a US dependent agent, you can create US-source effectively connected income that is actually taxable in the US even for a non-resident owner. Most remote Filipino founders serving clients from Manila do not, but confirm your facts.
Use an FCDU dollar account and document every inflow
Hold earnings in a Foreign Currency Deposit Unit account so you're not force-converted to pesos, and convert on your timing. BSP allows unlimited inward remittances but banks run KYC. Keep invoices and contracts linking each deposit to your US entity to clear source-of-funds checks smoothly.
Crypto is taxable and should move through registered VASPs
USDC/USDT is fine to receive but the BIR taxes it: as ordinary income when received for services, and on gains at disposal. To convert USDC/USDT to pesos, a BSP-licensed VASP (Circular 1108) is used, not peer-to-peer, to stay compliant and auditable. StableCorp settles USD/EUR/INR and, where it supports PHP payout, does so via licensed regional partners; it is not itself a BSP-registered VASP. Hold your PHP-conversion records for your BIR filing.
Getting your money home to Philippines
The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) places no limit on foreign currency that is inwardly remitted into the Philippines, so USD earnings from your US company can be received freely. The cleanest route is a Foreign Currency Deposit Unit (FCDU) dollar account at a Philippine bank, which lets you hold USD without forced conversion to pesos; you convert to PHP when the rate suits you. Banks apply KYC and, under the BSP FX Manual, may ask for documentation on the source of funds (invoices, contracts, or proof the money is business/service income). Keep clean records tying each inflow to your US entity. Because the Philippines taxes resident citizens on worldwide income at progressive rates up to 35%, treat money drawn from your US LLC as reportable Philippine income and file with the BIR (Form 1701 for self-employed individuals), claiming a foreign tax credit for any US tax actually paid.
On crypto and stablecoins: USDC/USDT payouts are legal to receive, but they are not a tax-free channel. The BIR treats virtual assets as taxable property: crypto received as payment for services is ordinary income at your marginal rate, and gains on disposal are taxable (the BIR has moved toward a capital-gains treatment on crypto sales, with rules still settling, so confirm the current rate before relying on it). To convert USDC/USDT to pesos, a BSP-licensed VASP (Circular 1108) is used, not peer-to-peer, which keeps you inside the regulated, KYC'd rails and gives you an auditable trail. StableCorp settles USD/EUR/INR to your US entity's account; where StableCorp supports PHP payout it is via licensed regional partners, and StableCorp is not itself a BSP-registered VASP. None of this changes what you owe the BIR.
Philippines & US taxes
Yes. A US-Philippines income tax treaty is in force and appears on the IRS "United States Income Tax Treaties A to Z" list. It was signed in Manila on 1 October 1976 and has been in force since 16 October 1982 (there is no newer replacement, and unlike the US-Hungary treaty it has not been terminated). For a founder, the treaty mainly does two things: it caps US withholding tax on US-source passive income (dividends, interest, royalties) flowing to a Philippine tax resident, and it provides a framework to relieve double taxation so the same income isn't fully taxed twice. What it does NOT do: it does not exempt your US company's business profits from Philippine tax, and it does not remove US filing where your entity has US-source effectively connected income. A single-member LLC's service income is generally your personal income taxed in the Philippines; the treaty plus the Philippine foreign tax credit are how you avoid paying twice. Treaty benefits on US-source payments require a valid W-8BEN (and often a Philippine tax residency certificate), and are subject to the treaty's limitation-on-benefits terms. Get the specific article and rate confirmed by a cross-border tax adviser.
StableCorp helps founders in Philippines form a US company, get an EIN and a US business account, and get paid on compliant rails, both sides.
Get startedFrequently asked questions
Does forming a US LLC mean I stop paying tax in the Philippines?
No. If you're a resident citizen, the Philippines taxes your worldwide income, so profits from your US company are reportable to the BIR regardless of where the money sits. A single-member LLC is a US pass-through that pays no US federal income tax itself, which means the tax lands on you personally in the Philippines. The US-Philippines treaty and the foreign tax credit exist to stop the same income being taxed twice, not to make it tax-free.
Is there a US-Philippines tax treaty, and does it help me?
Yes. The income tax treaty (signed 1976) is in force and on the IRS treaty list. It caps US withholding on US-source dividends, interest, and royalties paid to a Philippine resident and provides relief from double taxation. To claim it on US-source payments you file a W-8BEN and may need a Philippine tax residency certificate. It does not exempt your business profits from Philippine tax.
How do I get my USD earnings home?
The BSP imposes no limit on inward foreign currency remittances. Open a Foreign Currency Deposit Unit (FCDU) dollar account at a Philippine bank to receive and hold USD, then convert to pesos when you choose. Keep invoices and contracts on hand; banks run KYC and may ask for source-of-funds documentation tying inflows to your US company.
Can I get paid in USDC or USDT, and is that taxed?
Yes, you can receive stablecoins, but they're taxed. The BIR treats crypto received for services as ordinary income at your marginal rate and taxes gains on disposal. To convert them to pesos, a BSP-licensed VASP (Circular 1108) is used, not peer-to-peer, to keep an auditable, compliant trail. StableCorp settles USD/EUR/INR to your US entity's account and, where it supports PHP payout, does so via licensed regional partners; it is not itself a BSP-registered VASP, and you're still responsible for reporting to the BIR.