Stripe Atlas
Learn about Stripe Atlas, a seamless way to start your company in the U.S. If you have any questions about the process after reading this, contact us at atlas@stripe.com.
Stripe Atlas helps entrepreneurs launch a startup. Specifically, Stripe Atlas helps you:
- Form a C Corporation in Delaware
- Issue stock to founders of a C Corporation
- Obtain a U.S. Employer Identification Number (EIN) for tax purposes
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Open a U.S. business bank account
- Create a U.S. Stripe account to accept payments from around the world
- Connect to legal and tax experts
- Access up to $5,000 in promotional credits from Amazon Web Services and up to $100K in credits from Google Cloud Platform
- Join the Stripe Atlas Community, a global community of entrepreneurs and experts
With your new Stripe account, you’ll be able to use the full functionality of the Stripe API, including Connect, Stripe Radar, and Billing.
Read on to decide whether you should and are able to use Stripe Atlas, how much it costs, and how to join this community of worldwide startup founders.
Who should use Stripe Atlas
We designed Stripe Atlas for founders of startups. Thousands of entrepreneurs from more than 140 countries already use Stripe Atlas. We’ve found it to be particularly suited to founders planning on:
- Raising venture capital
- Offering employee stock options
- Building products for a global customer base
- Expanding operations in the U.S. (for non-U.S. companies)
We’re constantly expanding and improving Stripe Atlas to make it the right choice for more businesses. If Atlas isn’t right for you today, feel free to check back in with us in the future.
Who cannot use Stripe Atlas
You cannot use Stripe—and therefore, cannot use Stripe Atlas—for specific restricted businesses. Stripe Atlas additionally cannot support hosting companies, affiliate marketing schemes, or companies that publish hate-related material.
Businesses located outside the U.S. that want to use Stripe Atlas should primarily serve global—not just local—customers. For example, if you have a Canadian business serving solely Canadian customers, you cannot use Atlas to accept payments with a U.S. Stripe account.
Due to government and financial-partner restrictions, Stripe Atlas is currently unavailable to businesses with operations in certain countries, including:
- Central African Republic
- DR Congo
- Cuba
- Iran
- Iraq
- Lebanon
- Libya
- North Korea
- Russia
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Ukraine
- Venezuela
- Yemen
We’ll continue working to expand the reach of Stripe Atlas over time.
Paths to building your company
Stripe Atlas supports these options for forming a U.S. company in Delaware:
- C Corporation
- Limited Liability Company (LLC)
C Corporation
Founders might choose to incorporate a C Corporation because of features including:
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Tax treatment: For tax purposes, a corporation is a separate tax-paying entity from its owners: taxes on a C Corporation’s profits and losses are reported and paid by the corporation.
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Raising outside funding: A Delaware C Corporation is the entity generally preferred by outside investors who might be unable to invest in LLCs.
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Ownership: A corporation’s structure facilitates granting equity to employees, advisors, and investors.
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Defined governance structure: A corporation has a well-known, regulated, management structure.
Limited Liability Company (LLC)
LLCs are more common for bootstrapped businesses (no outside capital raised) and indie hackers. For information about LLCs as an alternative to C Corporations, refer to our Stripe Atlas Guide to Picking an Entity.
Note that if you believe it is the right alternative for your company, we can help you form a Limited Liability Company (LLC) in Delaware. An LLC is not typically chosen by founders who intend to raise outside funding. Stripe Atlas does not support LLCs for non-U.S. founders.
Considerations for international founders
Stripe Atlas is available to entrepreneurs around the world, and founders from more than 140 countries have started a company with Atlas. There can be significant legal complexity, and there are additional tax considerations, for members of an LLC who live outside the U.S. or who are not U.S. citizens or companies. Thus, LLCs are typically not chosen by non-U.S. founders or startups thinking about raising money.
For example, forming an LLC might create U.S. personal income-tax obligations for a non-U.S. owner. This can get complicated fast, so we recommend speaking with an accounting or legal advisor to determine what is best for your business.
What Stripe Atlas costs
Establishing and running any business has both initial and ongoing costs. Stripe Atlas has a one-time fee of $500 (all prices are in USD) that covers:
- Forming your company in Delaware
- Delaware state filing fees
- Signed documents to establish company rules and protect intellectual property
- Tool to issue stock to founders of C Corporations within 90 days of incorporation
- Opening your business bank account (at Silicon Valley Bank, or through Azlo), if you choose to do so
- Registering your company with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)
- Your first year of Delaware registered agent services
- Access to the Stripe Atlas Community
- Free templates for post-formation legal needs
Ongoing costs
After getting set up, you pay ongoing fees associated with the Stripe Atlas services. These include: standard U.S. Stripe fees on applicable Stripe activity, such as accepting payments; maintenance fees for your business bank account (if you choose to open an account at Silicon Valley Bank when incorporating a C Corporation); and yearly fees to maintain your registered-agent services.
Running a business in the U.S. comes with significant obligations, which might include:
- Complying with applicable laws
- Paying U.S. state and federal taxes each calendar year your company is active
- Maintaining a Delaware registered agent (currently available to Stripe Atlas users at a cost of $100 per year)
- Filing annual reports with the State of Delaware (required for C Corporations)
- Ongoing registration, reporting, and/or tax-paying requirements of the locations in which your business operates
We strongly recommend that you talk with your legal and tax advisors to decide whether and how to set up your business with Stripe Atlas. To help, Stripe Atlas users get direct access to resources from PwC, and access to the Stripe Atlas network of partners who can help with these obligations.
Filling out an application
Once you start your application:
- We’ll collect all necessary initial information through a series of prompts and uploaded files.
- After reviewing your application, provided we can support your business, we’ll generate and send documents for your company representatives to review and electronically sign. These documents will enable you to form your company and open your bank account (if you’ve asked to open one).
- Once your company representatives sign and submit those documents to Stripe, we’ll submit the signed documents to form your company and (optionally) open your bank account.
We’ll take it from there, sending you emails as steps are completed, and letting you know when we need more information. You can also track the progress in the Dashboard.
Next steps
Now that you’re familiar with Stripe Atlas, you may want to read more about: