Register a company in Tennessee

Yes. The Secretary of State takes new filings online through TNCaB, and its FAQ says an attorney is not required to file a new entity. Tennessee does want a registered agent at a physical address in the state, which you cannot supply from abroad; ours is included for the first year. The IRS issues the EIN without an SSN, by fax generally within 4 business days or by phone on its international line. Fintech accounts are applied for online; a traditional bank may want to see a US presence first.

Formation starts from $2,400 all-in, including the Tennessee filing fee ($300 for an LLC with up to six members), the registered agent for the first year, the EIN and the operating agreement. With a fintech or bank account set up, from $4,400. After that, an LLC's yearly minimum in Tennessee is the $300 annual report plus $100 of franchise tax; a corporation's report is $20, and it pays the same franchise and excise tax.

Tennessee turns the usual fee logic around. The corporation is the cheaper filing, $100 for the Charter and $20 a year for the report, against at least $300 for each with an LLC, and both pay franchise and excise tax at the same rates. Federally, a single-member LLC is disregarded and a multi-member one is a partnership by default, while a C-Corp pays a flat 21% and is the usual vehicle when investors are coming. A corporation whose principal office is in Tennessee must also record its filed charter with the county Register of Deeds. S-corp status is closed to you, because non-resident aliens cannot hold S-corp shares.

Federally, a C-Corp pays 21% and an LLC normally passes its profit to the owners. Tennessee then taxes the company itself, LLC or corporation: excise tax of 6.5% on Tennessee taxable income and franchise tax of 0.25% on net worth, at least $100 a year. A single-member LLC is folded into its owner's return only when the owner is federally classified as a corporation, so an LLC owned by you as an individual files its own return. Tennessee has no personal income tax. Taxable sales carry 7% state sales tax plus up to 2.75% local, and businesses grossing $100,000 or more in a Tennessee county or city also pay the business tax. Dividends a C-Corp pays to non-US shareholders carry 30% federal withholding unless a treaty lowers it.

We confirm the state's processing time when we file. TNCaB keeps a draft for up to 14 days, and a rejected filing can be corrected and resubmitted within 14 days. By fax, the EIN generally arrives within 4 business days; by mail, in about 4 weeks. If the business needs a Tennessee business licence, registration with the Department of Revenue can take up to 10 business days. An ITIN, if you need one, takes about 7 weeks, or 9-11 weeks when you apply from overseas.

The bank follows the company's real ties to the US. Run from abroad, a company usually starts with a fintech platform of the Mercury or Relay type, applied for online. A traditional bank becomes realistic once there is a US footprint, such as staff or premises. We choose the route with you, build the application from the company papers and your KYC file, and connect ACH, wires and Stripe once the account is open. The decision stays with the bank; if your file has a weak point, you hear it from us first.

Treating it as a pass-through with nothing to file in Tennessee. A single-member LLC owned by an individual is a separate taxpayer for franchise and excise tax, so it files a Tennessee return by the 15th day of the fourth month after year-end and pays at least $100, even in a year without trading. Form 5472 with a pro forma 1120 falls due on the same date for a calendar-year company, and money the owner puts in or takes out counts as a reportable transaction, even in a year without sales. Missing the form costs $25,000. The annual report, from $300, is due by 1 April for a calendar year, and a company that misses it may be dissolved. The Secretary of State has also warned about third-party solicitors targeting business renewals, so check who is asking before you pay.

It depends on where the business operates. A business located in Tennessee registers with the Department of Revenue and takes a licence from the county or city clerk: a minimal activity licence when gross receipts are over $3,000 but under $100,000, a standard licence at $100,000 or more, with a $15 registration fee. An out-of-state business needs no county licence, but registers and pays business tax once its Tennessee sales reach $100,000 a year. Which side a company run from abroad falls on depends on its activity in the state, and we confirm it for your case.

A company formed in another US state. The word refers to where the company was formed, not to where its owners live, so a Tennessee LLC owned by you is a domestic LLC. A Delaware or Wyoming company that wants to transact business in Tennessee files a Certificate of Authority, from $300 for an LLC or $600 for a corporation, and keeps its own Tennessee registered agent. FinCEN draws its line elsewhere: a company formed outside the US that registers to do business in a state still reports its non-US beneficial owners, while one formed in Tennessee files no BOI report under the final rule in force since 14 August 2026.

Form where the business runs. If your staff or premises are in Tennessee, a Delaware or Wyoming company would need the Certificate of Authority as well and would still pay franchise and excise tax, so forming here saves a second registration and a second agent. Tennessee's tax also reaches companies with no office in the state: $500,000 of Tennessee receipts, $50,000 of property or payroll there, or 25% of the company's total property, payroll or receipts creates nexus. If nothing ties you to Tennessee and investors are the plan, look at Delaware first.