Comparing Firstbase for a Delaware LLC Owned From Abroad
Firstbase's $99 Start price doesn't cover the registered agent every Delaware company must have. Ours is $399 plus the $110 state fee with the agent included for year one, then $99/yr.
Firstbase forms Delaware and Wyoming companies for founders worldwide, and its headline price stands out: $99 to start. That number is real, but it covers less than ours does, so the fair comparison is the total once a registered agent is on the bill. Here's that comparison for a Delaware LLC. We sell a competing package, so factor that into your reading.
What Firstbase gets right
Firstbase publishes something most formation companies don't: a priced tax filing product for non-US owners. For $899 a year, its filing service for non-US single-member LLCs bundles the extension, 1099s, Form 5472, and the pro forma 1120 that goes with it. If you know you'll want that filing done every year, the price is right there.
Firstbase also names Mercury on its Start page and says an EIN can be obtained with neither an SSN nor an ITIN. It forms LLCs or C-corps in Delaware or Wyoming. Mailroom plans start at $35 a month, and there's an accounting product if you grow into one. Its agent product bundles annual reports, although a Delaware LLC files no annual report and pays the flat state tax instead.
Feature comparison
| Firstbase Start | Our Non-US Founder Package | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront price | $99 one time (shown marked down from $399) | $399, one time |
| State fee | Extra | Extra: Delaware's $110 filing fee |
| What's included | Formation, EIN; registered agent not included | Delaware LLC, registered agent year one, EIN, bank account application |
| Recurring cost after year 1 | Registered agent $299/yr per state (required) | $99/yr registered agent, cancel anytime |
| EIN without SSN | Yes, no SSN or ITIN required | Yes |
| Bank account help | Mercury application access | We help you set up a bank account with our partners; your application is ready as soon as you sign |
| US tax filing (5472) | $899/yr add-on for non-US single-member LLCs | Not included |
| States | Delaware or Wyoming | Delaware |
Figures read from firstbase.io on September 29, 2026.
Cost in Delaware, year by year
| Firstbase Start + Agent | Our package | |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | $508 ($99 + $299 agent + $110 state fee) | $509 ($399 + $110 state fee) |
| Year two | $299 | $99 |
| Year three | $299 | $99 |
| Three-year total | $1,106 | $707 |
Delaware's $400 annual LLC tax for 2026 sits outside both columns, since you pay it to the state yourself either way. The first year comes out $1 apart. After that, the agent renewal decides it.
Why founders choose our package
A lower renewal. The agent is our only recurring charge, $99 a year, and you can cancel it from the dashboard.
The bank application waits for no one. By the time your SS-4 has your signature, your application for our partners is already prepared from your checkout details, with the Certificate of Formation attached. After you've checked it and given the go-ahead, we send it; the EIN is issued later in the background. Our partners hold the decision, so there's no guaranteed account.
Forms filled in from one order. Your Certificate of Formation and your SS-4 both come from the details you enter once. Faxed EIN applications usually take the IRS two to eight weeks, and nobody can pay to speed them up.
Pick Firstbase if
- You want a pro forma 1120 and Form 5472 filed each year by the same company, at a stated $899.
- Your company is a Delaware C-corp, or you'd use Firstbase's mailroom and accounting add-ons.
- You'd rather choose between Delaware and Wyoming with one provider.
If what you need is a Delaware LLC, an EIN with no SSN, and a bank application at the lowest renewal, our package fits.
What you still owe Delaware and the IRS
Delaware's flat LLC tax, $400 for 2026, is due by June 1 and isn't reduced for a partial year. On the federal side, a foreign-owned single-member LLC often has to file Form 5472. We don't file either, so bring in a tax professional who serves non-US owners.
See everything in our Non-US Founder Package
Questions
Why does Firstbase show $99 while you show $399?
Firstbase Start covers formation and the EIN, and Firstbase's own page says a registered agent is required but not part of Start. Its agent product is $299 a year per state. Our $399 already includes the agent for year one, along with the EIN and a bank account application.
What's the first-year total for a Delaware LLC?
With Firstbase: $99 for Start, $299 for its agent, and Delaware's $110, which is $508. With us: $399 plus $110, which is $509. For the first year, it's a tie.
And in later years?
Firstbase's agent renews at $299 a year and ours at $99. Across years two and three you'd pay Firstbase $598 for the agent and us $198.
Does Firstbase handle Form 5472?
Yes, as its own product: non-US single-member LLC tax filing for $899 a year. That price takes in Form 5472, the pro forma 1120, any 1099s, and an extension. Tax work is outside our package.
Do I need an SSN or ITIN with either company?
No. Firstbase states that neither is required. We follow the IRS fax procedure for owners without an SSN: we complete the SS-4, you sign it online, and we send it.
Keep your yearly agent bill at $99
$399 plus Delaware's $110 filing fee, one time. The checkout page shows your total before payment.