Stripe Atlas is one of the best-known ways for a foreign founder to get a US company, and for a Delaware startup that plans to raise money it's an excellent choice. It can't form a Florida LLC, though. If Florida is where your company should live, our Non-US Founder Package is the comparison that matters. We sell that package, so allow for our bias.
Does Stripe Atlas work in Florida?
No. Atlas files in Delaware and in no other state.
What Stripe Atlas offers
Atlas is designed around venture funding. Cooley drafts the documents, and Atlas files 83(b) elections, issues stock, and sets up SAFEs. Delaware's filing fee and a year of agent coverage are already inside the $500, and Atlas expedites filing to the next day. Stripe adds $2,500 in credits and partner perks it values at about $50,000. The fee comes back if you deposit $5,000 in Stripe Treasury.
- Best for: Delaware C-corps aiming at investors.
- Not included: annual Delaware tax, Form 5472 help, a mailing address.
Feature comparison
| Stripe Atlas | Our Non-US Founder Package | |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront price | $500 one-time | $399 one-time |
| State fee | Included (Delaware) | Extra: $125 Florida filing fee |
| What's included | Delaware LLC or C-corp, registered agent year one, EIN, 83(b) filing, equity tools | Florida LLC, registered agent for year one, EIN, bank account application |
| Recurring cost after year 1 | $100/yr registered agent; Delaware annual tax extra | $99/yr registered agent; Florida annual report fee extra |
| EIN without SSN | EIN included; no-SSN process not described | Yes, SS-4 by fax |
| Bank account help | Stripe Treasury; fee refunded on a $5,000 deposit | We help you set up a bank account with our partners; your application is ready as soon as you sign |
| Annual state filing | Not included | Not included |
| US tax filing (5472) | Not included | Not included |
| States | Delaware only | Florida |
Stripe Atlas details as published on stripe.com/atlas, September 29, 2026.
The Florida numbers
| Stripe Atlas (Delaware LLC) | Our package (Florida LLC) | |
|---|---|---|
| Year one | $500 ($0 net after the Treasury refund) | $524 |
| Each later year, agent | $100 | $99 |
| Each later year, state charge | $400 Delaware LLC tax | $138.75 Florida annual report |
| Each later year, total | $500 | $237.75 |
Atlas is $24 cheaper to start, and cheaper still with the refund. Afterward, Florida's lower state charge makes our side about $262 a year less.
Our approach
We form in Florida. We send your Articles to Florida's Division of Corporations, and our Florida office serves as your registered office, a physical street address as the law requires.
We prepare a bank application rather than offer an account type. Atlas steers its customers to Stripe Treasury. For our package, the application for our partners is completed from your order and carries your filed Articles; it's ready when your SS-4 is signed, and it's sent after you approve. The IRS keeps working on the EIN in the meantime. Our partners make every decision to approve or decline, so we can't guarantee an account.
We deal with the EIN for owners without an SSN. Our team completes Form SS-4, you sign electronically, and we fax it. Most EINs arrive within two to eight weeks; the IRS doesn't expedite these.
The annual report question
Delaware's tax stays your job with Atlas, just as Florida's report stays your job with us. Florida's version costs $138.75 and opens on January 1, with May 1 as the last on-time day. Miss May 1 and there's a $400 penalty, and a report still outstanding by the third Friday in September can lead to administrative dissolution.
Making the call
Go with Stripe Atlas if you're building a Delaware C-corp for investors, need SAFEs or an 83(b) election soon, or already process payments through Stripe and can hold $5,000 in Treasury.
Go with us if you want an operating LLC in Florida, a bank application prepared for you, and lower yearly upkeep. Tax filings such as Form 5472 are outside both offers.
Start my Florida LLC as a foreign founder
See everything in our Non-US Founder Package
FAQ
Is Florida available on Stripe Atlas?
No. Stripe Atlas forms companies in Delaware only, as LLCs or C-corps.
What does each cost to start?
Atlas is $500 including Delaware's fee and a year of agent service, or effectively $0 after a $5,000 Stripe Treasury deposit. Our package is $399 plus Florida's $125, so $524.
What are the yearly costs after that?
For a Delaware LLC through Atlas: $100 agent plus $400 Delaware tax. For a Florida LLC through us: $99 agent plus the $138.75 Florida report. You pay the state charge in both cases.
Does Atlas suit a founder raising venture capital?
Yes, better than we do. It offers a Delaware C-corp with 83(b) filing, stock issuance, SAFEs, and Cooley documents. We form Florida LLCs only.
Where does the bank account come from?
Atlas relies on Stripe Treasury. Our side is an application for our partners, finished once you've signed the SS-4 and submitted with your approval. Neither company guarantees an account.