What is Form 5472, and does doola file it?

Form 5472 is an information return the IRS requires from any US LLC that has a foreign owner or certain foreign-related transactions. It is not about how much tax you owe; it is a disclosure the government mandates, and the penalty for failing to file it is $25,000 per year. That severe penalty is why it dominates the compliance conversation for non-US founders.

doola files Form 5472 for you on its Total Compliance plan, submitted together with a pro-forma Form 1120 for a foreign-owned single-member LLC (or Form 1065 for a multi-member LLC). This is precisely why many international founders pay for Total Compliance rather than the cheaper Starter plan: the filing is mandatory, the penalty is large, and doing it correctly yourself from abroad is error-prone.

If you form on a plan that does not include the filing, the obligation still exists; you would need to handle Form 5472 through your own accountant. The requirement follows the company's ownership, not the service you used to form it, so it cannot be skipped by choosing a cheaper tier.

This is general information, not tax advice. Whether and exactly how Form 5472 applies depends on your ownership and transactions, so confirm your filing obligations with a qualified tax professional.