🇸🇬 For founders in Singapore
Form a US company from Singapore
Singapore is already one of the easiest places on earth to run a company, so why would a Singaporean founder reach for a US entity at all? The answer is almost always the customer, not the tax bill. American clients (especially enterprises and marketplaces) often prefer to contract with and pay a US company, and stateside payment processors and banks favour a domestic EIN and address, while a Delaware C-Corp is the entity American venture investors expect to see on a cap table. Incorporating in the States lets a Singaporean founder invoice in USD, plug directly into American banking and card rails, and present as a local vendor without giving up their Singapore base.
The entity choice is more relaxed here than in most countries. Singapore taxes on a territorial basis and imposes no capital gains tax, so the classification traps that hurt founders in some other jurisdictions bite less here. Note that a US LLC is disregarded for American federal tax, but IRAS does not automatically follow that treatment; it commonly treats such an LLC as an opaque foreign company rather than a pass-through, so take local advice on how your entity is characterised. A C-Corp remains the default when the goal is American fundraising. What a founder mostly needs to get right is the stateside compliance (EIN, Form 5472 or 1120) and clean documentation of how money flows back home.
Once the American entity is earning, the founder still lives and is taxed in Singapore. The good news is that Singapore abolished exchange controls in 1978, the Singapore dollar is fully convertible, and foreign-sourced income received by an individual is generally not taxable at all. That makes moving earnings home unusually simple. StableCorp exists to make that last leg, settling USD, EUR, or INR from the US entity into the founder's hands through our licensed partner, compliant, documented, and predictable.
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 guideSingapore-specific considerations
There is no US-Singapore tax treaty
Unlike Canada or the UK, Singapore has no comprehensive income tax treaty with the US, so there is no reduced treaty rate on US withholding tax. The US 30% statutory withholding can apply to US-source passive payments such as C-Corp dividends to a non-resident owner. Plan how profit leaves the US entity (reasonable salary or contractor fees for work performed from Singapore are generally not that kind of US-source passive income) and get cross-border advice before drawing dividends. You still file W-8BEN / W-8BEN-E to certify foreign status even though no treaty rate is available.
Singapore's territorial tax usually works in your favour
Foreign-sourced income received in Singapore by an individual is generally not taxable, and Singapore has no capital gains tax. That means USD earnings you bring home from a US entity are often not taxed in Singapore at all, which also removes most of the need for the double-tax relief a treaty would provide. The main watch-outs are income received through a Singapore partnership, and draws that are really Singapore-sourced employment income for work you perform locally.
Money moves home freely: no exchange controls
Singapore abolished exchange controls in 1978 and the SGD is fully convertible, so there is no MAS permit or filing to receive USD from your US company. Open a USD account, receive the wire, convert when you like. The task is clean documentation (invoices, board resolutions for distributions, records of what each payment represents), not obtaining permission.
US-side compliance still applies
A foreign-owned US entity has its own US obligations regardless of the treaty position: obtain an EIN by filing Form SS-4 (no US SSN or ITIN required), and file Form 5472 with a pro-forma 1120 for a foreign-owned single-member LLC, or a full Form 1120 for a C-Corp. This is the same generic US process covered elsewhere; the Singapore-specific point is only that these obligations are unavoidable and that penalties for missing Form 5472 are steep.
Getting your money home to Singapore
Singapore has no foreign-exchange controls: all exchange controls were abolished in 1978, and both residents and non-residents are free to remit funds into and out of Singapore and to buy or sell SGD freely. There is no Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) approval, repatriation permit, or filing needed to receive USD from your US company. A Singaporean founder can open a USD account with a local or digital bank, receive wires or ACH from the US entity, and convert to SGD whenever they choose. The bigger point is tax, and it is favourable: under IRAS rules, overseas income received in Singapore by an individual (including foreign income deposited into a Singapore bank account) is generally NOT taxable, and you do not need to declare non-taxable overseas income. The main exceptions are foreign income received through a Singapore partnership, and income that is really Singapore-sourced employment income. Salary or fees you draw for work you actually perform while physically in Singapore can be Singapore-sourced and taxable regardless of who pays it, so characterise draws carefully and take local advice on your specific facts. Singapore has no capital gains tax, so a genuine capital gain on the value of your US shares is generally not taxed.
If you happen to receive USDC or another stablecoin from a third party, it helps to understand how Singapore treats it: as a tax and accounting matter, not as something StableCorp markets to the Singapore public. Singapore does not treat stablecoins as legal-tender money. MAS regulates digital-payment-token (DPT) services under the Payment Services Act, and in 2023 finalised a framework for MAS-regulated single-currency stablecoins (pegged to SGD or a G10 currency, fully reserved 1:1, redeemable at par). It is worth being precise here: USDC is a US-issued token from Circle and is NOT an MAS-regulated single-currency stablecoin, so it does not carry that MAS label. The key facts for a founder are tax facts: Singapore has no capital gains tax, so gains on crypto held as a personal investment are generally not taxed, but IRAS applies a 'badges of trade' test: if your activity looks like a trade or business (frequency, systematic profit-seeking), the profits are taxable income. Using a stablecoin as payment for services is treated as a barter transaction for GST/income purposes, valued at the fair-market value of the services. Keep SGD-value records at each receipt and conversion. StableCorp itself settles USD, EUR, or INR to your US entity's account through our licensed partner, so you get documented settlement rather than an untracked wallet balance.
Singapore & US taxes
No. The United States and Singapore do NOT have a comprehensive income tax treaty. Singapore does not appear on the IRS 'United States income tax treaties A to Z' list; the only bilateral US-Singapore tax accord is a narrow agreement covering income from the international operation of ships and aircraft, not personal or business income generally. There is also no US-Singapore social security totalization agreement. For a founder this has two practical consequences. First, there is no treaty to reduce the US 30% statutory withholding tax on US-source passive payments such as dividends from a US C-Corp to a non-resident owner: the full 30% can apply, so the entity structure and how profits are drawn out matter. (Active business profits earned by the US company itself, and salary/contractor fees for work the founder performs from Singapore, are a different question and are generally not US-source passive income subject to that withholding.) Second, relief from any double taxation cannot be claimed under a treaty, but it rarely needs to be, because Singapore's territorial system generally does not tax the founder's foreign-sourced income received in Singapore in the first place, and Singapore grants unilateral foreign tax credits for foreign tax suffered where income is taxable. You still file a Form W-8BEN (individual) or W-8BEN-E (entity) with any US payer to certify foreign status, even though no reduced treaty rate is available.
StableCorp helps founders in Singapore form a US company, get an EIN and a US business account, and get paid on compliant rails, both sides.
Get startedFrequently asked questions
Is there a US-Singapore tax treaty?
No. Singapore is not on the IRS 'United States income tax treaties A to Z' list, and the only bilateral US-Singapore tax agreement is a narrow one covering shipping and aircraft income. There is also no social security totalization agreement. In practice this matters less than it sounds: the US 30% withholding can apply to passive payments like C-Corp dividends, but Singapore's territorial system generally does not tax the foreign income you bring home anyway, so double taxation is often not an issue. You still file a W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E with US payers to certify foreign status.
Will I be taxed in Singapore on the USD I bring home from my US company?
Usually not. Under IRAS rules, foreign-sourced income received in Singapore by an individual (including money paid into a Singapore bank account) is generally not taxable, and there is no capital gains tax. The main exceptions are income received through a Singapore partnership and draws that are really Singapore-sourced employment income for work you perform while physically in Singapore. Because facts vary, confirm the characterisation of your salary versus dividends with a Singapore tax adviser.
Do I need MAS or government approval to receive USD from my US entity?
No. Singapore abolished exchange controls in 1978 and the Singapore dollar is fully convertible, so there is no Monetary Authority of Singapore permit or repatriation filing needed. You can hold a USD account, receive wires or ACH from the US company, and convert to SGD at will. Keep clean records (invoices, distribution resolutions, and what each payment represents) because good documentation, not government permission, is what banks and IRAS expect.
How is getting paid in USDC or stablecoin treated in Singapore?
This is really a tax and accounting question rather than a StableCorp service. StableCorp settles USD, EUR, or INR to your US entity's account through our licensed partner, not stablecoins to you in Singapore. MAS regulates digital payment tokens under the Payment Services Act and has a dedicated framework for MAS-regulated single-currency stablecoins; note that USDC is a US-issued Circle token and is NOT an MAS-regulated single-currency stablecoin. For tax, IRAS applies a 'badges of trade' test: gains on crypto held as a personal investment are generally not taxed (Singapore has no capital gains tax), but if your activity amounts to a trade, the profits are taxable, and receiving a stablecoin as payment for services is treated as a barter transaction at fair-market value. Keep SGD-value records at receipt and conversion, and take local advice on your specific facts.