Stripe Atlas
Stripe Atlas is a US company formation service: it forms a Delaware C corporation or LLC, gets the company's tax ID from the IRS, issues founder shares and files each founder's 83(b) election, from an online application open in almost any country.
It suits founders, in the US or outside it, who want a US company that can take Stripe payments and raise on SAFEs.
It costs $500 once, including the state fees and the first year of the registered agent Delaware requires, then $100 a year, as checked on 30 October 2026.
Reviewed by the IndieHacked team
- What it does
- Form a Delaware C corporation or LLC from almost anywhere, with the tax ID, founder shares and 83(b) filings done for you, and take Stripe payments before the EIN arrives.
- Our take
- Founders anywhere who want a US company for Stripe payments, US customers or a first raise. One application covers the Delaware filing, the tax ID, founder shares and the 83(b) elections, and the company can charge US cards on Stripe before the IRS has issued its EIN.
- Pricing
- PaidLow price$500 once, which covers Delaware formation with next-day processing and the state fees, the EIN, founder shares, the 83(b) filings and the first year of the registered agent. From the second year the registered agent is $100 a year and renews automatically; Atlas's terms ask for 30 days' notice before the renewal date to cancel it, with no refund of prepaid fees, as checked on 30 October 2026. Stripe refunds the $500 when you deposit $5,000 into a Stripe Treasury account within 90 days, or if Atlas cannot support your business. SAFEs and board approvals come at no extra cost. Delaware's own taxes are separate: a flat $300 a year for an LLC, and a franchise tax with an annual report for a C corporation, due by 1 March.
The IndieHacked breakdown
What it does
Stripe Atlas forms a Delaware C corporation, LLC or C corporation subsidiary from an online application: you give the company name, the founders, the ownership split and the officers, then sign. Atlas checks the name with Delaware, files the paperwork, gets the EIN from the IRS, issues founder shares or LLC units, files an 83(b) election for each founder and appoints the registered agent Delaware requires. Incorporation usually takes 1 to 2 business days. The documents come from templates created with Cooley LLP: bylaws, stock purchase and invention assignment agreements for a C corporation, an operating agreement for an LLC.
Once the company exists, it can take US card payments on Stripe and pay out up to $100,000 before the EIN arrives, open a Stripe Treasury account if eligible, and raise on post-money SAFEs from the YC template in the Dashboard, with board approvals and tracking per SAFE. Atlas companies get $2,500 in Stripe product credits for their first year and partner discounts that Stripe values at more than $50,000, from companies such as AWS, Mercury and Carta.
Who it suits
Founders outside the US who want a US company, to take Stripe payments, sell to US customers or raise from US investors. The application runs online from almost anywhere, and the company charges US cards on Stripe while the IRS works on the EIN. That wait is 1 to 2 business days for a founder with a US Social Security number, address and phone number, and 10 to 35 without one.
It fits founders who plan to raise. Stripe's docs describe C corporations as preferred by institutional investors, Atlas files the 83(b) elections that Stripe says investors expect, and the SAFEs come from the Dashboard. The LLC is the other structure on offer, which Stripe describes as common for founders who don't plan to raise venture capital.
Not the right fit for
Founders who want the company registered where they live, such as a Swedish AB or a UK limited company. Atlas forms Delaware companies only, and a Delaware company has Delaware's yearly taxes on top of the registered agent fee. Stripe adds that an LLC with several founders or a non-US founder can make tax filings complex.
Founders bringing valuable IP or other assets into the company, keeping prior inventions out of it, or wanting non-compete clauses in the formation documents. Stripe's docs list each of these as a reason to consider talking to a lawyer before using Atlas, and say plainly that "Atlas isn't a law firm and doesn't provide legal, tax, or accounting advice."
Report an error. Spotted a factual or language mistake? .