Business taxes

Business tax basics for startup founders.

Note

Stripe Atlas doesn’t provide tax or legal accounting advice. Consult tax and legal professionals for advice on how to meet ongoing legal, tax, and accounting obligations that apply to you and your company.

Companies formed in Delaware are subject to yearly tax obligations, including:

US federal and state corporate income tax as applicable.
Delaware franchise tax (for C corporations) or annual LLC tax (for Limited Liability Companies).
An annual tax if your company also operates in other US states.

Our partners can help with meeting tax requirements for states outside Delaware. Review key tax season dates to meet any tax deadlines that apply to your business.

File US Income Tax

The information you need to prepare your US income taxes depends on your company structure as C corporations and LLCs have different tax requirements. Before meeting with an accountant, gather your company’s year-end financial data as part of your bookkeeping responsibilities.

Be sure to have the following information for your LLC as it stands on the last day of your filing fiscal year:

General business information: This includes your EIN.
Company financials: You can learn about year-end financial reports in our guide to tax season.
Company ownership: Your LLC might have multiple owners (“members”). Make sure the information reflects the current ownership.
Additional information: If your company employs people, owns property, operates locally in the US, or operates abroad, you might have additional tax and reporting requirements. Some of the taxes you might want to ask your accountant about include:
- Transfer pricing (if you’re based outside the US).
- State taxes (if you have business activity in any US state).
- Sales taxes.
- Employment taxes.

If you’re still waiting for your EIN, you can enter Applied For and the application date (which you can find on your Form SS-4 in the Dashboard) in your tax forms.

Tax partners

Atlas partners with startup-focused tax and accounting services who can help you with corporate income taxes. These services offer discounts to Atlas users.

File taxes in Delaware

Your company’s tax and reporting obligations in Delaware depend on whether your company is a C corporation or an LLC.

Delaware LLCs pay an annual LLC tax, sometimes referred to as the Business Entity Tax. You can file this tax yourself, or work with one of our tax partners, or a tax advisor of your choice.

Annual LLC tax

All LLCs formed or registered in Delaware must pay an annual LLC tax, currently at a flat rate of 300 USD. There’s no requirement to file an annual report. If the annual LLC tax isn’t submitted by June 1 2025, there is a 200 USD penalty and interest of 1.5% per month on the tax amount (and penalty) originally due.

Pay the annual Delaware LLC tax

Complete the following steps to pay your annual Delaware LLC tax. You can save your work and return to it later. Make sure to save your session number. The Delaware portal gives you the option of sending this number to an email address for easier access.

Login to the State of Delaware’s website with your seven digit Delaware Business Entity File Number.
- You can find your company’s file number in two ways:
  - Use Delaware’s entity search tool with your company’s legal name.
  - Find the State of Delaware stamp on page 2 of your Filed Certificate of Incorporation, accessible in your Dashboard.
Click the green Pay taxes button. You should see a flat 300 USD fee for LLCs.
- You can pay your Delaware LLC tax fee either by credit card or ACH.
- After entering your payment information, click the green Submit button to finalize your Delaware state taxes.

State taxes beyond Delaware

If your company operates in any US states other than Delaware, it might be subject to annual taxation, registration, and reporting requirements in the other states. Our partners can help you understand the requirements that apply to your business.

2025 key tax season dates

Plan ahead to meet any tax deadlines that apply to your business. Refer to the following information if your company was active in 2024.

March 15, 2025: US LLC partnership income tax due, or due date to submit an extension to file taxes later in the year.
April 15, 2025: US individual income tax due date.
June 2, 2025: Delaware annual LLC tax due.
September 15, 2025: If you filed for an extension, this is the due date for filing US LLC partnership income tax.

If your US company has employees or makes payments to US vendors, you might also be required to file a US W-2 or 1099 form by January 31, 2025.

Tax obligations when dissolving your company

Even if you are no longer operating your company, you might need to file taxes annually until you officially dissolve your company. Dissolution itself might trigger final tax obligations. Our tax partners can help determine your specific requirements.

C corporations need to pay franchise tax and file an annual report before dissolution. LLCs can be dissolved only after they pay the annual LLC tax (no annual report is required).

To start the dissolution process, visit the Company tab in your Atlas Dashboard. Consider consulting a lawyer to ensure your company is fully dissolved.