Stripe Atlas

ATLAS

Stripe Atlas

1 Intros

2 Disclaimer

3 What is Stripe Atlas

4 U.S. incorporation process

5 Equity, Taxes, Banking

6 Key items to remember

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ATLAS

Stripe Atlas

1 Intros

2 Disclaimer

3 What is Stripe Atlas

4 U.S. incorporation process

5 Equity, Taxes, Banking

6 Key items to remember

3
ATLAS

Disclaimer

Stripe Atlas cannot provide legal or tax advice for

your specific company.

4
ATLAS

Stripe Atlas

1 Intros

2 Disclaimer

3 What is Stripe Atlas

4 U.S. incorporation process

5 Equity, Taxes, Banking

6 Key items to remember

5
ATLAS

Our mission

Our mission is to increase

the GDP of the internet.

Stripe is a technology company that builds economic

infrastructure for the internet. Businesses of every
size—from new startups to public companies—use
our software to accept payments and manage their
businesses online.

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ATLAS

Our work

Building a startup is hard. Stripe wants to remove as many legal,

financial, and administrative burdens for founders as possible so you can
focus on building great products for your customers.

What this currently includes:

● Legal entity in Delaware (C Corp)
● U.S. Tax ID → “Employer Identification Number” (EIN)
● Founder stock issuance
● Banking via partners
● Stripe payments tools for startups
● Community and partner benefits (AWS credits, tax advice, etc.)

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ATLAS

Stripe Atlas

1 Intros

2 Disclaimer

3 What is Stripe Atlas

4 U.S. incorporation process

5 Equity, Taxes, Banking

6 Key items to remember

8
ATLAS

U.S. incorporation - overview

Why incorporate?
● U.S. customers -> charge in USD
● Fundraise from U.S. investors
● Hire team members in the U.S.

What happens after incorporation?

● Legal U.S. entity until it the business is sold or dissolved
● Issue stock to founders soon after incorporation
● Register the business in U.S. states where it will do business
● Annually, file taxes and renew Delaware registered agent

Read more in our guide: stripe.com/atlas/guides/incorporaiton

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ATLAS

U.S. incorporation - process

Incorporation process
1. Enter company and founder details: stripe.com/atlas (~10 minutes)

2. Stripe reviews information, sends founders docs for signature (~1 day)

3. Stripe submits paperwork to Delaware to form company (~1 day)

4. Stripe applies for the company’s IRS tax ID (~30 – 60 days)

5. Issue stock, open bank account (~1 day)

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ATLAS

Stripe Atlas

1 Intros

2 Disclaimer

3 What is Stripe Atlas

4 U.S. incorporation process

5 Equity, Taxes, Banking

6 Key items to remember

11
ATLAS

Equity – overview

Founders can use Stripe Atlas create and sign stock issuance documents.

After completing stock issuance documents, founders must complete:

1. Purchase of shares (and keep a record of the purchase)
2. Consider filing 83(b) election with the IRS

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ATLAS

Equity – key items to remember

● Non-U.S.-based founders should consult an attorney to ensure there

are no tax repercussions for your home country

● Issue founder stock before a valuation change

● Signatures (including spouses of any equity holders)

● Purchase your stock

● 83b election

Read more in our equity guide: stripe.com/atlas/guides/equity

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ATLAS

Taxes – overview

Every year a U.S. company is in existence, it will owe taxes in the U.S.

Stripe Atlas companies must file, at minimum (even with $0 in revenue):

● U.S. federal taxes
● Delaware state taxes
● Based on your business activity, you may owe taxes in more states

Every year, Stripe Atlas sends email reminders about tax due dates and
shares opportunities to engage with tax firms that specialize in startups.

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ATLAS

Taxes – key items to remember

● Your company owes taxes for any year in which it exists, even if the
company did not earn revenue.

● When you file Delaware Franchise Tax on the state’s online tax tool,
the default settings will initially display a much higher estimate for
taxes owed than is actually owed. This estimate will update after
entering your company’s details in the state’s online tool.

Read more in our guides for taxes:

stripe.com/atlas/guides/tax-season
stripe.com/atlas/guides/business-taxes
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ATLAS

Banking – overview

After the IRS creates a tax ID for the company, founders can open a
business bank account and accept payments on Stripe.

Banking providers will request key company information and documents

during application process.

After creating a company on Stripe Atlas, founders can access partner

banks and apply for a free account in a few minutes.

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ATLAS

Stripe Atlas

1 Intros

2 Disclaimer

3 What is Stripe Atlas

4 U.S. incorporation process

5 Equity, Taxes, Banking

6 Key items to remember

17
ATLAS

Key items to remember

● Your company must file taxes annually, even with $0 in revenue

● Issue stock soon after the incorporation process is complete
● Bookkeeping from the beginning will help greatly later

You can learn more through our Stripe Atlas resources:

● Read our Stripe Atlas guides: https://stripe.com/atlas/guides
● Read our Stripe Atlas docs: https://stripe.com/docs/atlas
● Email: atlas@stripe.com

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