# Setting up a company abroad as a creator: when does a US LLC make sense?

> Your own company abroad, up to a US LLC: what a foreign entity can do for creators, what it cannot do, and the right order to set it up.

Source: https://impulse.management/en/blog/setting-up-a-company-abroad-as-a-creator-us-llc/
Updated: 2026-09-18

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**Short answer:** A company separates the business from you personally: its own contracts, its own account, clean bookkeeping. A US LLC is popular because it is quick to form, cheap to run and platforms deal with it smoothly. What it is not: a way to shed the tax liability of the country you actually live in.

Many agencies stop at content. The real work begins once your income can carry a structure behind it. A company of your own abroad, up to a US LLC, can be part of that structure. This article explains what such a setup can do, what it cannot, and the order to do things in. It does not replace tax or legal advice.

## What a foreign company gives you

A company separates the business from the person: its own contracts, its own account, clean bookkeeping. A US LLC is popular with creators because formation is fast, running costs are modest, and US platforms and payment providers work with it smoothly. In states like Wyoming, a high degree of privacy in the public register comes on top.

## What it does not give you

The most important sentence in this article: a company abroad does not lower your taxes while you yourself live in Germany or Austria. Taxes follow your residence and the place where decisions are made, not the letterhead. If you live in Germany and run a US LLC from there, the profits are still taxed at home, with extra paperwork added. How income is taxed is covered in the article on [tax on OnlyFans income](https://impulse.management/en/blog/tax-on-onlyfans-income-in-germany/).

The setup becomes interesting the moment your residence moves too: first the relocation, then the foreign structure starts to work. How to plan such a move is described in the article on [relocating abroad as a creator](https://impulse.management/en/blog/relocating-abroad-as-a-creator/).

## What it gives you and what it does not

| | While you live in Germany or Austria | After you move |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Separating business from person | yes — own contracts, own account | yes |
| Works smoothly with US platforms and payment providers | yes | yes |
| Privacy in the public register | high in states such as Wyoming | high |
| Lower taxes | **no** — tax follows your residence and where decisions are made | then yes |
| Administrative burden | additional, in both countries | once |

The fourth row is the most important sentence in this article. The move comes first; only then does the structure do anything.

## Properly set up, not quickly clicked

An LLC can be formed online in an hour, and that is exactly the trap. Properly set up means: the structure fits your residence and your plans, the reporting duties in both countries are clarified, the company account is in place, and an accountant who knows both sides has checked the construct before formation, not after. Set up by specialists and matched to your situation, not an off-the-shelf template.

## The right order

Business first, structure second. While your income is still building, a [registered business](https://impulse.management/en/blog/do-i-need-to-register-a-business-for-onlyfans/) and a proper business account at home are entirely sufficient. A foreign entity pays off once income is stable and a move is realistically planned. At that point, [banking](https://impulse.management/en/blog/international-banking-for-creators/) belongs on the checklist next to the company, so money arrives where you are.

A good agency does not leave you alone with these questions but brings the right professionals to the table when the time comes.

## Sources

- [IRS: Limited Liability Company (LLC)](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/limited-liability-company-llc)
- [Section 7 AStG — German CFC rules](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/astg/__7.html)
- [Section 12 AO — permanent establishment](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ao_1977/__12.html)
- [Federal Central Tax Office: foreign business relationships and reporting duties](https://www.bzst.de/)
- [Section 138 AO — notifying a foreign holding](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/ao_1977/__138.html)