Setting up your freelance business
The paperwork around working for yourself in the US: whether to form an LLC, what an EIN is for, which bank account and bookkeeping software to pick, and when you need a license or insurance. We compare other companies here, including ones SoloWOS doesn't compete with, using prices from their own sites and the date we checked. Every legal and tax claim is checked against the IRS, the SBA, FinCEN or the state agency, with the date and the source listed. Nothing here is tax or legal advice.
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Articles
- Business bank accounts for freelancers, comparedMercury, Relay, Novo, Found, Lili or a credit union: fees from each site, who opens for a sole proprietor, and what each costs over 3 years.
- DBA for freelancers: when you need one and how to file itWhen a freelancer needs a DBA, where to file, what it costs in Los Angeles County, Travis County and Florida, and how it changes your bank account and W-9.
- Delaware or Wyoming LLC: which one for a freelancer?Why forming in Delaware or Wyoming usually costs a US freelancer more: two sets of state fees, an out-of-state agent and no tax savings.
- Do freelancers need a business license?Most freelancers need no federal or state license, but many cities require a business registration. How Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco handle it.
- Do freelancers need an EIN?When the IRS requires an EIN for freelancers and single-member LLCs, why many get one anyway to keep their SSN off W-9s, and how to get it free.
- Do freelancers need business insurance? General liability vs E&OGeneral liability vs professional liability (E&O) for freelancers: when clients require a certificate, what Hiscox and NEXT charge, and 3-year costs.
- Do LLCs still file a BOI report with FinCEN?No for US-formed LLCs: FinCEN's final rule of August 2026 made the 2025 exemption permanent. Who still files, and what US owners can ignore.
- Does forming an LLC save taxes?A single-member LLC pays the same 2026 federal tax as a sole proprietor: worked example at $80,000 of profit, and the one election that changes it.
- How to close an LLC and stop the annual feesSteps to dissolve an LLC: wind down, final tax returns, the state cancellation filing, closing the EIN account, and why fees keep running until you do.
- LLC annual fees by state, from official sourcesFormation and yearly LLC fees for 15 states, each taken from the state's own site on October 23, 2026, with contradictions and hidden costs noted.
- LLC formation services compared: what you pay over 3 yearsStripe Atlas, LegalZoom, ZenBusiness and Northwest vs filing your LLC yourself: upfront price, agent renewals and the 3-year total.
- LLC vs sole proprietor: which one should a freelancer pick?LLC or sole proprietor as a US freelancer: what an LLC protects and what it doesn't, 3-year costs with California's $800 tax, and 3 profiles.
- Owner's draw vs salary: how to pay yourself as a freelancerHow to pay yourself as a sole proprietor, single-member LLC or S corp: owner's draw vs salary and distributions, with 2026 examples at $100,000.
- Registered agent: what it is and whether you need to pay for oneWhat a registered agent does, when you can be your own, why your address becomes public, and what Northwest, ZenBusiness and Stripe Atlas charge.
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