# United States

 Country code: US · Currency: USD · Language: English

**Pros**
- Strong legal protection of private property rights and robust enforcement of voluntary contractual agreements.
- Access to the world's deepest private capital markets and diverse venture funding for entrepreneurial growth.
- Relatively low barriers to entry for new businesses and a culture celebrating individual economic initiative.

**Cons**
- Highly complex federal tax system requiring significant resources for compliance and strategic financial planning.
- Massive national debt and unsustainable government spending posing risks to long-term monetary stability.
- Growing regulatory burden from an expansive administrative state and non-elected federal agency oversight.

Long story short: Here, you can set up a company in half a day from your couch, no notary, no absurd paperwork, and nobody will ever knock on your door for a stamp.

Don't celebrate too fast though: the federal tax authority chases you wherever you live on the planet, every state and city stacks its own extra layer of taxes and rules, and lawsuit culture is basically a national sport where one badly worded email can cost you a fortune in lawyers.

Other things worth knowing: the banking system is rock solid but obsessed with anti money laundering paperwork, highways are flawless while the subway falls apart, and in the capital's wealthy neighborhoods the insecurity you read about in the news simply won't touch you. Add world class food and an enormous market, and you'll see why so many people stick around.

## Will your income be taxed?

Long story short: YES, A LOT.
They'll shear you for up to **37%** at the top marginal rate in **United States**, and the taxman has *long arms*: linger a bit too long, park your economic interests here, and the net closes.

Steep rate, wide catchment: the classic combo of states that don't let go of their cash cows. Don't expect a plane ticket to fix it.

**01.1 Income tax**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Personal income tax | 10 → 37% | progressive · 7 brackets |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 11,925 | 10% |
| 11,926 – 48,475 | 12% |
| 48,476 – 103,350 | 22% |
| 103,351 – 197,300 | 24% |
| 197,301 – 250,525 | 32% |
| 250,526 – 626,350 | 35% |
| 626,351 + | 37% |

**01.2 Tax residence test**

_A single active rule is enough to make you tax-resident._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 183-day rule | exists here |  |
| Economic interest | does not exist here |  |
| Family centre | does not exist here |  |
| Habitual abode | exists here |  |
| Extended-stay test | exists here |  |

## Will your wealth be taxed?

Long story short: YES, FAIRLY.
**United States** taxes gains at **20%** *and* runs an annual wealth tax above a threshold (top rate **40%**).

Your pile gets hit twice: once while it sits, once when it moves. The kind of double-dipping that quietly bleeds a portfolio.

**02.1 Investment income**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Capital gains | 20% | progressive · +3.8% Unearned income Medicare contribution tax on net investment income for single taxpayers with MAGI over USD 200,000 or married filing jointly over USD 250,000 |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 48,350 | exempt |
| 48,351 – 533,400 | 15% |
| 533,401 + | 20% |

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Dividend tax | 20% | progressive · +3.8% Unearned income Medicare contribution tax applies to net investment income for taxpayers with MAGI above USD 200,000 (single/head of household), USD 250,000 (joint), or USD 125,000 (separate) |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 48,350 | exempt |
| 48,351 – 533,400 | 15% |
| 533,401 + | 20% |

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Interest income | 37% | progressive |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 11,925 | 10% |
| 11,926 – 48,475 | 12% |
| 48,476 – 103,350 | 22% |
| 103,351 – 197,300 | 24% |
| 197,301 – 250,525 | 32% |
| 250,526 – 626,350 | 35% |
| 626,351 + | 37% |

**02.2 Wealth & estate**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wealth tax | 0 → 40% | progressive · threshold 13,990,000 |

| Bracket (USD) | Rate |
| --- | --- |
| 0 – 13,990,000 | exempt |
| 13,990,000 + | 40% |

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Inheritance system | APPLIES | estate-based · single threshold · Headline rate — · Allowance USD 13,610,000 · spouses are typically exempt; flat rate applies above the allowance, regardless of heir class. |

**02.3 Crypto**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Crypto · tax regime | PROGRESSIVE | Rate: 20% · The IRS classifies cryptocurrency as property (Notice 2014-21). Long-term capital gains (assets held >12 months) are taxed at 0%, 15%, or 20%. Short-term gains (held ≤12 months) and professional trading income are taxed at ordinary income rates (up to 37%). High-income earners may be subject to an additional 3.8% Net Investment Income Tax (NIIT). Crypto-to-crypto swaps are taxable events. |
| Crypto-to-crypto | TAXABLE | each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade |
| FATF travel rule | SIGNED | committed but not yet enforced |

## Easy to run a company there?

Long story short: YES, BUT TAXED.
Corporate tax in **United States** is a *moderate* **21%**, softened for IP-heavy ventures by an *IP-box* at **13.1%**.

The legal frame around it is quiet: *no criminal exposure* on corporate assets, *non-public* registries. The rate stings a little; nothing else does.

**03.1 Rates**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Corporate tax | 21% | flat · +15% Corporate alternative minimum tax (CAMT) for corporations with average annual AFSI over USD 1 billion · +10% Base erosion and anti-abuse tax (BEAT) for certain large corporations (increases to 10.5% after 2025) · +30% Branch profits tax on foreign corporation's US branch earnings and profits · +20% Accumulated earnings tax · +20% Personal holding company tax · +4% Gross transportation income tax for foreign corporations on US-source gross transportation income · +30% Non-resident corporations on US-source income not effectively connected with a US trade or business |
| VAT standard rate | NONE | no general VAT · no consumption tax framework |

**03.2 Regime & registry**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| IP Box · Patent Box | 13.1% | Foreign-Derived Intangible Income (FDII) · net income · patents, copyrighted software, trademarks, designs, trade secrets, know how, plant varieties, industrial processes · vs. 21% corp |
| Misuse of corporate assets | NO CRIMINAL | no criminal liability · In the U.S., a sole shareholder-director cannot be criminally prosecuted for 'misuse of assets' or 'embezzlement' from their own solvent company because there is no 'other' victim; the owner is deemed to have authorized the use of funds. Such actions are primarily treated as civil matters (e.g., 'piercing the corporate veil' to hold the owner liable for debts) or tax matters (reclassifying expenses as 'constructive dividends'). Criminal liability only arises if the intent is to defraud third parties, such as the IRS (Tax Evasion under 26 U.S.C. § 7201) or creditors (Bankruptcy Fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 152). |
| Shareholders privacy | PRIVATE | State Secretary of State Registries |
| Directors privacy | PUBLIC | State Secretary of State Registries |

**03.3 Incorporation cost**

_In this country, the most standard company form is called Limited Liability Company (Limited Liability Company (LLC)). The costs below are for incorporating a company in its simplest form, for reference only._

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Delaware State Filing Fee (Certificate of Formation) | USD 90 |  |
| Professional Service Fee (Incorporation, Operating Agreement, and EIN for Non-Residents) | USD 500 |  |
| Minimum Capital Requirement | USD 0 |  |
| Total | USD 590 |  |

## A good fit for a holding?

Long story short: YES.
**United States** is built for holding, plain and simple. An *extensive treaty network* (**71** signed agreements) hacks down withholding on cross-border dividends, interest and royalties, and a *full participation exemption* (**100%** on qualifying dividends and gains) lets value flow through without a domestic tollbooth.

Top-shelf plumbing: a holding parked here travels the world without leaking.

**04.1 Substance & exemptions**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Territorial · individuals | WORLDWIDE | worldwide income taxation regardless of source |
| Territorial · corporates | WORLDWIDE | worldwide corporate taxation |
| Participation exemption | 100% | 10% holding · 12 months min |
| CFC rules | APPLY | Subpart F rules require US persons owning 10% or more of a CFC to include their share of specific undistributed income, such as passive earnings or foreign base company income, in their annual gross income. |

**04.2 Withholding tax · non-resident**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| WHT · dividends | 30% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · interest | 30% | non-resident outbound |
| WHT · royalties | 30% | non-resident outbound |
| Tax-haven WHT | NONE | no punitive rate on record |

**04.3 Treaty network**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Treaties signed | 65 | active |
| Treaties pending | 5 | in negotiation |

## Easy to come and go?

Long story short: A LOT.
Leaving **United States** is the expensive part. Worldwide taxation while you're in, *and* an exit tax on unrealised gains when you go: the door out costs real money, not just forms.

This is the trap that catches people who assumed they could simply pack up and fly.

**05.1 Exit & dual nationality**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Exit tax | APPLIES | triggers: tax residence change · basis: deemed disposal |
| Dual citizenship | ALLOWED | naturalised citizens may keep their existing nationality |

**05.2 Citizenship paths**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Residence | 5 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Marriage | 3 years | available path to naturalisation |
| Birth | jus soli | available path to naturalisation |
| Descent | 1 gen | available path to naturalisation |
| Investment | — | not available |

## Is your money watched?

Long story short: NO.
Nobody's reading over your shoulder in **United States**. It has joined *almost none* of the big automatic-exchange machines (CRS, FATCA, CARF, MLI, MAAC), and its corporate registries are *non-public*.

Your account movements stay out of foreign tax offices; your name stays out of search boxes. Here, discretion isn't a perk; it's the factory setting.

**Multilateral reporting frameworks — 3/9 active · 2 pending**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| CRS | None | — |
| CARF | None | — |
| FATCA | None | — |
| MLI | None | — |
| BEPS | Signed | — |
| MAAC | In force | 1995 |
| GLOBAL FORUM | Signed | — |
| EOIR | In force | — |
| CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE | In force | — |

## Is it blacklisted?

Long story short: SOMEWHAT.
**United States** shows up on *national* blacklists only (drawn from FR/ES/PT/BR), despite its FATF membership.

Expect extra KYC/AML questions in those specific corridors: annoying, not disqualifying. No supranational watchdog has flagged it, so the stain stays local.

**Blacklist exposure — Listed by 1 authority**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| EMBARGO | Clear | un / us / eu sanctions |
| FATF | Clear | grey / black list |
| EU | Clear | non-cooperative list |
| FRANCE | Clear | ETNC list |
| SPAIN | Clear | tax-haven list |
| PORTUGAL | Clear | favourable regimes |
| BRAZIL | Listed | low-tax list |

## Do you feel free there?

Long story short: PARTLY.
**United States** sits in the *middle band* of the RSF press-freedom index (rank **\#57**): civil society functions, but the walls are real and you'll learn fast where they stand.

Crypto lives in the standard regulated tier.

**08.1 Press freedom**

| Metric | Value | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Press freedom · RSF index | 57/180 | score 65 · ↓ 2 ranks year-on-year |

Central bank digital currency

    Program Status Cross-border Sources     Digital Dollar

In August 2020, the Fed published some findings of its "FooWire" trial, which was developed using the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain software. According to the central bank's researchers, that trial "highlighted the potential of DLT for certain payment uses, the quick speed with which a system could be implemented, the potential simplicity of smart contracts, and the range of functionality offered by such platforms. Additionally, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston announced it will work with researchers from MIT's Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) on a "multi-year collaboration" to build and test a "hypothetical" open-source central bank digital currency platform. In a speech announcing this project, Fed governor Lael Brainard stressed that the Fed has still yet to make a formal decision on whether to official pursue a digital currency launch.

US Federal Reserve

   CANCELLED   —   [announce →](https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/01/strengthening-american-leadership-in-digital-financial-technology/%0D%0Ahttps://emmer.house.gov/_cache/files/1/b/1b5d3177-a835-4d7f-857c-8eaa765dc2ec/C9A5E6203EC89BFB3F9DEF702726560B.cbdcs-final.pdf "Announcement")    Project Hamilton

In August 2020, the Fed published some findings of its "FooWire" trial, which was developed using the Hyperledger Fabric blockchain software. According to the central bank's researchers, that trial "highlighted the potential of DLT for certain payment uses, the quick speed with which a system could be implemented, the potential simplicity of smart contracts, and the range of functionality offered by such platforms. Additionally, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston announced it will work with researchers from MIT's Digital Currency Initiative (DCI) on a "multi-year collaboration" to build and test a "hypothetical" open-source central bank digital currency platform. In a speech announcing this project, Fed governor Lael Brainard stressed that the Fed has still yet to make a formal decision on whether to official pursue a digital currency launch.

US Federal Reserve

   PROOF OF CONCEPT   —   [announce →](https://dci.mit.edu/parsec "Announcement")    Wholesale Digital Dollar

US Federal Reserve

   RESEARCH   —   [announce →](https://www.federalreserve.gov/econres/notes/feds-notes/examining-cbdc-and-wholesale-payments-20230908.html "Announcement")    Project Cedar Phase II x Project Ubin+

Project Cedar Phase II x Ubin+ will enhance designs for atomic settlement of cross-border cross-currency transactions, leveraging wCBDCs (wholesale CBDC) as a settlement asset. The effort, which entails establishing connectivity across multiple heterogeneous simulated currency ledgers, aims to significantly reduce settlement risk, a key pain point in cross-border cross-currency transactions.

Monetary Authority of Singapore, US Federal Reserve

   PROOF OF CONCEPT   YES   [announce →](https://www.bis.org/about/bisih/locations/nyic.htm%20%0D%0Ahttps://twitter.com/joshualipsky/status/1570729430817075203%20%0D%0Ahttps://www.atlantafed.org/rprf/events/talk-about-payments/2022/06/09/all-about-project-hamilton/transcript.aspx "Announcement")

 programs 4

## Connected to the world?

Long story short: EXCELLENT.
**United States** is wired straight into the global money grid: **10/11** of the services we track work here.

*Stripe* onboards you, so you can charge cards from a laptop the day you land. *Amazon* delivers to your door like it would in Paris or Berlin. Wise, Revolut, PayPal: pick your rails, they all run.

**Accept payments — 5/6 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Stripe | Available | card payments |
| PayPal | Available | wallet payments |
| Adyen | Available | enterprise psp |
| Mollie | Not available | eu payments |
| GoCardless | Available | direct debit |
| Paddle | Available | merchant of record |

**Bank and move money — 3/3 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Wise | Available | multi-currency |
| Revolut | Available | personal banking |
| Revolut Business | Available | business banking |

**Buy and sell on Amazon — 2/2 available**

| Item | Status | Detail |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Amazon | Available | consumer delivery |
| Amazon Seller | Available | marketplace selling |

  SEE ALSO## Other jurisdictions worth comparing

Picked by similarity of strategic profile to United States. No editorial ranking — neighbours in the same scoring space.

  PROFILE-ADJACENT Same shape, comparable overall friction.

 [   United Kingdom GB  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/gb) [   Turkey TR  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/tr) [   Poland PL  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/pl)

  NOTABLY MORE FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, higher total score.

 [   Poland PL  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/pl) [   Portugal PT  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/pt) [   Serbia RS  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/rs)

  NOTABLY LESS FAVORABLE Same family of strategies, lower total score.

 [   Israel IL  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/il) [   Lebanon LB  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/lb) [   U.S. Virgin Islands VI  → ](https://stateless.sx/en/country/vi)