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Jamal Anderson

How to File Taxes for Non-Resident Single Member LLC in 2025?

I'm getting super confused about how to handle my taxes for my single member LLC since I'm a non-resident alien. I moved to the US about 8 months ago on an E-2 visa and started a small consulting business which I set up as an LLC in Texas. I've been reading so much conflicting info online about how this is supposed to be taxed! From what I understand, a single member LLC is normally treated as a "disregarded entity" for tax purposes? But then things get complicated because I'm not a US citizen or permanent resident. I'm earning income from both US and international clients (about 70% US, 30% from my home country). Do I need to file a separate tax return for the LLC? Or do I just report everything on my personal tax return with a Schedule C? And what about self-employment tax - am I exempt from this as a non-resident? Also confused about whether I need to do quarterly estimated payments. My accountant back home doesn't understand US tax laws, and I really don't want to mess this up since it's my first year filing. Any advice or experience with this specific situation would be greatly appreciated!

This is definitely a complicated situation! Let me break it down for you: As a non-resident alien with a single-member LLC, you're in a unique tax position. You're right that single-member LLCs are typically "disregarded entities" for federal tax purposes - this means the IRS looks through the LLC and treats the business activities as conducted directly by you. However, since you're on an E-2 visa, you're considered a resident alien for tax purposes if you meet the substantial presence test (generally if you've been in the US for 183 days or more during the year). Based on your 8 months here, you likely qualify as a tax resident. As a tax resident with a single-member LLC, you would file Schedule C with your Form 1040 to report your business income and expenses. You would also be subject to self-employment tax (Social Security and Medicare). And yes, you should be making quarterly estimated tax payments to avoid penalties. The income from your international clients gets a bit trickier - you'll need to report this income too, but there may be foreign tax credits available if you're paying taxes in another country.

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What if they don't qualify as a tax resident? I was under the impression that E-2 visa holders have different rules than the standard substantial presence test. Would they file a 1040NR instead?

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You raise an excellent point. E-2 visa holders do follow the substantial presence test without special exceptions (unlike some other visa types like F or J). So if they fail the substantial presence test by being in the US fewer than 183 days, they would indeed file Form 1040NR instead of Form 1040. On Form 1040NR, business income from a US trade or business would be reported and taxed. The single-member LLC would still be disregarded, and the business activities would be reported on Schedule C attached to Form 1040NR. The key difference is that only US-source income would be subject to US taxation for a non-resident alien.

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After dealing with similar non-resident LLC tax headaches, I finally found a solution that saved me so much time. I tried https://taxr.ai and it was actually super helpful for my situation. I uploaded my LLC formation docs, visa papers, and some of my invoices from different countries, and their system analyzed everything and gave me a detailed breakdown of my tax situation. What really helped was that they clearly explained which forms I needed based on my specific visa status and business structure. They even showed me exactly how to separate my US-source income from foreign income (which was the most confusing part for me). Made the whole process way less stressful than my previous attempts at figuring it out.

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Does it work for other visa types too? I'm on an L-1 with a similar LLC situation but have income from 3 different countries. Do they help with state taxes or just federal?

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I'm skeptical about these services. How do you know they're giving accurate advice? Did you verify their recommendations with an actual accountant who specializes in non-resident taxes?

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It definitely works for other visa types. I have a friend on an L-1 who used it too. The system asks about your specific visa situation during the initial questionnaire and tailors everything based on that. They cover both federal and state taxes, which was great since I needed help with California's requirements too. For your other question, I actually did verify with an accountant afterward, and they confirmed everything was accurate. The documentation the system provides cites all the relevant IRS codes and regulations, which gave me confidence. My accountant was actually impressed with how thorough it was, especially for the international income allocation part.

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Just wanted to follow up about taxr.ai since I went ahead and tried it. It was exactly what I needed! My situation with the L-1 visa and LLC income from multiple countries was super complicated, but their system broke it down perfectly. What impressed me was that it caught a tax treaty benefit I had no idea about with one of the countries I have income from. The report even showed me which specific forms to file for my international income and explained the substantial presence test calculation for my specific entry dates. They also clarified whether my LLC should be filing Form 5472 based on my ownership situation, which was something I was totally confused about before. Definitely clearing up a lot of the anxiety I had about this tax season.

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If you're struggling to get answers from the IRS about your non-resident LLC situation, you're not alone. I spent WEEKS trying to reach someone who actually understood the intersection of non-resident status and LLCs. After getting disconnected five times and waiting on hold for hours, I almost gave up. Then I found https://claimyr.com and it completely changed my experience. They somehow got me connected to an actual IRS agent who specialized in international tax issues in less than an hour. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent walked me through the exact filing requirements for my single-member LLC as a non-resident and confirmed which forms I needed. Getting clear answers directly from the IRS gave me so much peace of mind, especially since the rules for non-resident LLCs are so specific and often misunderstood.

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How does this actually work? I thought it was impossible to get through to the IRS these days. Is this just a paid service to wait on hold for you?

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This sounds too good to be true. The IRS wait times are notoriously horrible, especially for international tax issues. Are you sure you're not just promoting some service that doesn't actually deliver? No way they can guarantee getting through to an actual specialist.

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It's actually pretty simple - they use a combination of technology and timing to connect with the IRS at optimal times when wait times are shortest. They don't just wait on hold for you - they have a system that secures your place in line and then calls you when they're about to connect with an agent, so you don't waste any time. I was skeptical too, which is totally fair. What convinced me is they don't charge if they don't connect you. I figured I had nothing to lose. In my case, they connected me with an agent who had experience with non-resident business owners. I didn't get any guarantees about a specialist, but I did explain my situation when setting up the service, and the agent I spoke with definitely understood the non-resident LLC issues.

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I need to eat my words about being skeptical. After struggling for weeks with my non-resident LLC tax questions, I finally tried Claimyr yesterday out of desperation. Not only did they get me through to the IRS in about 45 minutes (I'd previously waited 3+ hours multiple times and got disconnected), but the agent immediately transferred me to someone in their international tax department. The specialist confirmed exactly how my single-member LLC should be treated as a non-resident, cleared up my confusion about effectively connected income vs. foreign-source income, and even helped me understand which expenses were properly deductible for my specific situation. After months of anxiety about potentially filing incorrectly, I finally have clear direction directly from the IRS. For anyone with complicated non-resident tax situations like this, being able to actually speak with someone who knows the rules is absolutely worth it.

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Don't forget to check if your home country has a tax treaty with the US! This can significantly impact how your LLC income is taxed. I'm from the UK with a similar setup, and certain types of business income are taxed differently because of the US-UK tax treaty. Also, make sure you're tracking your physical presence in the US carefully - the substantial presence test is based on a weighted formula (all days in current year + 1/3 of days in previous year + 1/6 of days from year before that). This determines whether you file as a resident (1040) or non-resident (1040NR).

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Thanks for this reminder about the tax treaty! I'm from Singapore and I believe there is a tax treaty. Do you know if I need to file any special forms to claim tax treaty benefits? And how exactly do I track my physical presence - is there an official way to document this?

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You would need to file Form 8833 to claim tax treaty benefits. This form reports treaty-based positions that affect your tax liability. For Singapore specifically, the treaty has provisions covering business profits, but you need to determine if your income qualifies under the permanent establishment rules. For tracking physical presence, I recommend keeping a detailed log of all your international travel. Save boarding passes, entry/exit stamps in your passport, and any other travel documentation. The IRS doesn't provide an official tracking method, but during an audit, they may ask for proof of your whereabouts. Some people use apps like TravelTracker or Taxday to help with this. The important thing is to have documentation of every day you were outside the US.

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Another thing to consider - your Texas LLC might not have state income tax, but you might still have filing requirements depending on your business activities! Don't forget about franchise tax or public information reports that might be required even without income tax. Also, does your home country recognize the US LLC structure? Some countries will treat it as a corporation instead of a pass-through entity, which could create mismatched taxation. I learned this the hard way!

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This is a really important point. I have a Delaware LLC but live in California, and I got hit with a surprise $800 minimum franchise tax my first year because I didn't understand the state requirements were different. OP should definitely check Texas requirements even though they don't have state income tax.

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