Form 5472 for a foreign-owned LLC: who files, when and how

If you live outside the United States and own a US LLC on your own, that LLC files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year — even in a year without any income. It is due on 15 April, it cannot be filed electronically (it goes by fax or by mail), and a missing or late form costs $25,000. This guide explains who has to file, what you report, how the deadlines work, and what changes when your LLC has more than one member.

Who has to file Form 5472?

Form 5472 is required for a “foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity”: a US LLC with a single owner who is not a US person, which has not chosen to be taxed as a corporation. For income tax the IRS looks through such an LLC, but it still wants to see what passes between the LLC and its foreign owner. That is what Form 5472 is for.

• Single-member LLC with a foreign owner: Form 5472 attached to a pro forma Form 1120, every year.
• Multi-member LLC (taxed as a partnership): Form 1065 with a Schedule K-1 for every member, and no Form 5472.
• A foreign-owned LLC that elected to be a C-corporation: a full Form 1120, with Form 5472 attached.

What is a reportable transaction?

Every transaction between the LLC and its foreign owner (or another related party) has to be reported: payments for goods or services, loans between the owner and the LLC, and — specifically for a foreign-owned disregarded entity — money the owner puts in and money the owner takes out. Those contributions and withdrawals go in Part V of the form, and they are included in the totals on lines 1f and 1h. Ticking the Part V box is not enough: the form expects a separate statement describing each contribution and withdrawal. Loans from or to the owner belong in Part IV.

What goes on the pro forma 1120?

Form 5472 is stapled to a pro forma Form 1120. On that 1120 you fill in only the LLC's name and address and boxes B and E on the first page, and write “Foreign-owned U.S. DE” across the top. The 5472 itself names the LLC and its owner. An owner without a US tax number needs a reference ID instead, and the form also asks for the owner's foreign tax number, the country where the owner does business, the country of citizenship or organization, and the country of tax residence.

When is Form 5472 due?

• On the 15th day of the fourth month after the tax year — for a disregarded entity, which follows the calendar year, that is 15 April.
• If that day falls on a weekend or a legal holiday in Washington DC, the deadline moves to the next business day. DC holidays include Emancipation Day on 16 April: in 2028, 15 April is a Saturday, Emancipation Day is observed on Monday the 17th, and the deadline becomes Tuesday 18 April.
• Form 7004 extends the deadline to 15 October, which shifts in the same way if it falls on a weekend or holiday.

How do you send it?

Form 5472 cannot be e-filed. You send the 5472 with the pro forma 1120 either by fax to the IRS at 855-887-7737, or by mail to: Internal Revenue Service, 1973 Rulon White Blvd, M/S 6112, Attn: PIN Unit, Ogden, UT 84201. A fax gives you a delivery report as proof on the day itself. A form sent by post can be under way for weeks, without anyone confirming that it arrived.

What if the LLC has more than one member?

An LLC with two or more members is taxed as a partnership. It files Form 1065 with a Schedule K-1 for each member, by 15 March for a calendar year (with the same weekend and DC-holiday shift), and no Form 5472. Form 1065 is mailed to the IRS service center for your situation — for a partnership based abroad that is Ogden. Filing late costs $255 per member for every month the return is late (the 2026 figure). If a member joins or leaves during the year, the year is split on that day: Form 5472 for the single-member stretch, and a first or final Form 1065 for the partnership stretch.

One more point for multi-member LLCs: if a foreign member has income effectively connected with a US trade or business, the LLC must withhold tax on that member's share (Forms 8804, 8805 and 8813) and attach Schedules K-2 and K-3. Without a US office, staff or dependent agent, and with all work done abroad, there is usually no such income — but that is a factual test for a US adviser.

Other obligations to keep an eye on

• The state annual report: every state has its own date, fee and form, and some ask for it every two years. Some states add a tax on top, such as California's $800.
• Beneficial ownership (BOI): a US-formed LLC no longer files a report with FinCEN, whatever the nationality of its owners (final rule in force since 14 August 2026). Only companies formed abroad and registered in a state still do.
• Form 1099-NEC: if you pay a US contractor $2,000 or more in a year (for payments from 2026), you issue a 1099-NEC by 31 January, with a W-9 from them first. A foreign contractor working abroad signs a W-8BEN instead.
• Sales tax: a state can require you to collect once your sales there pass its threshold — mostly $100,000 a year.

How CORA helps

CORA is bookkeeping for US LLCs owned from abroad. Because the books are already in CORA, the forms come out of them rather than being typed in by hand.

• Form 5472 with its pro forma 1120, filled in from your books — including the Part V statement built from the bookings on your owner account — signed on screen and faxed to the IRS in one click from your own US fax number. The delivery report is kept as proof, and incoming faxes arrive by email.
• For a multi-member LLC: Form 1065 with a K-1 per member, rounded so the K-1s add up exactly, addressed to the right IRS service center and ready for you to print and mail.
• Every IRS deadline on your dashboard, with weekends and Washington DC holidays taken into account, plus the extended date if you file Form 7004 — and your state's annual report with its date, fee and a link to the official site.
• Your US bank connected live, included in the price: Mercury and Wise connect directly, other US banks through Stripe. Transactions arrive by themselves every night.
• A free read-only login for your accountant.

CORA does not e-file, does not file sales tax returns or state reports, and does not prepare Forms 8804, 8805, 8813 or K-2/K-3. It costs $30 a month, with the bank connection and the fax included, and the first 14 days are free. See everything CORA does for a US LLC, or start your free trial.

Don't have a US LLC yet?

Our sister service startyour.llc forms your LLC in any state, with a registered agent and the EIN, for one price and without you having to live in the US. Your CORA account is then filled in from the formation.

This article explains the rules in general terms. For your own situation, check with a US tax professional.