United States

Last update: 2026-06-07

US USD$ 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.

Personal income

10 → 37%

progressive

Corporate

21%

flat

Capital gains

0 → 20%

progressive

VAT (standard)

NONE

i 6.9 HOLDING

i 6.3 DIVIDEND PIPELINE

i 2 CRYPTO HAVEN

i 2 PRIVACY GRADE

i 1.6 EASY CITIZENSHIP

i 1.3 VERY LOW TAX

─ On this page

01 Will United States tax what you earn? 02 Will United States tax what you own? 03 Is it easy to run a company in United States? 04 Is United States good for your holding company? 05 What does it cost to come and go from United States? 06 Will United States protect your privacy? 07 Is United States itself a liability? 08 Will you feel free in United States?

01/08

Will United States tax what you earn?

●income tax ●tax residency ●territorial system

YES, A LOT. United States taxes personal income heavily (top marginal rate 37%), and its definition of tax residence is wide: prolonged stay, economic centre of gravity, the net closes. The classic combo of high rate and broad catchment. Leaving is rarely as simple as buying a plane ticket.

Personal income taxi

10 → 37%

progressive · 7 brackets

Income simulatori

Income

Tax due

Effective rate

all-in

Marginal rate

+3.8%

Unearned income Medicare contribution tax on the lesser of net investment income or excess MAGI over thresholds (e.g., USD 200,000 for single taxpayers)

+0.9%

Additional Medicare tax on wages and self-employment income in excess of thresholds (e.g., USD 200,000 for single taxpayers)

Tax residence testi

16/183 days

● 183-day rule

○ Economic interest

○ Family centre

● Habitual abode

● Extended-stay test

● Just one rule above is enough to make you tax-resident here.

02/08

Will United States tax what you own?

●capital gains ●wealth tax ●inheritance ●dividends ●interest

YES, FAIRLY. Capital gains in United States are taxed at 20%, and there's also an annual wealth tax above a threshold (top rate 40%). Held wealth is hit twice: once while it sits, once when it moves.

Capital gainsi

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

Dividend taxi

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)

Interest incomei

37%

progressive

Wealth taxi

0 → 40%

progressive · threshold 12,075,664

Crypto · tax regimei

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-cryptoi

TAXABLE

each swap counts as a disposal — gains realised at every trade

FATF travel rulei

IN FORCE

VASPs must share sender / recipient data on transfers above the threshold

Inheritance systemi

APPLIES

system · 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.

03/08

Is it easy to run a company in United States?

●corporate tax ●criminal liability ●public registry ●VAT ●IP box

YES, BUT TAXED. Corporate tax in United States sits at a moderate 21%, softened for IP-heavy ventures by an IP-box regime at 13.1%. The legal frame around it is calm: no criminal liability for misuse of corporate assets and non-public corporate registries. The rate hurts a bit; nothing else does.

Corporate taxi

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

IP Box · Patent Boxi

13.1%

vs. 21% corp

patents copyrighted software trademarks designs trade secrets know how

Foreign-Derived Intangible Income (FDII) · net income

Misuse of corporate assetsi

NO CRIMINAL LIABILITY

N/A - Civil Matter / Breach of Fiduciary Duty

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 privacyi

PRIVATE

State Secretary of State Registries

Directors privacyi

PUBLIC

State Secretary of State Registries

Incorporation costi

Limited Liability Company (LLC)

Limited Liability Company

Delaware State Filing Fee (Certificate of Formation) EUR 78

Professional Service Fee (Incorporation, Operating Agreement, and EIN for Non-Residents) EUR 432

Minimum Capital Requirement EUR 0

Total EUR 509

VAT standard ratei

NONE

no general VAT · no consumption tax framework

04/08

Is United States good for your holding company?

●treaty network ●participation exemption ●withholding

YES. United States is built for holding. An extensive treaty network (71 signed agreements) cuts withholding on cross-border dividend, interest and royalty flows, and a full participation-exemption regime (100% on qualifying dividends and gains) lets value flow through without a domestic layer. The classic elite-tier setup: a holding structured here travels well across borders.

Territorial systemi

Individuals

WORLDWIDE

Corporates

WORLDWIDE

Individuals: worldwide income taxation regardless of source. Corporates: worldwide.

Participation exemptioni

100%

10% holding · 12 months min

CFC rulesi

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.

WHT · dividendsi

30%

non-resident outbound

WHT · interest

30%

non-resident outbound

WHT · royalties

30%

non-resident outbound

Tax-haven WHT

—

no punitive rate on record

Treaties signedi

active

Treaties pending

in negotiation

Tax treaty networki

origin · US 0% > 0% no treaty

⌖

Inspect a country

Hover any country on the map to read its withholding-tax treaty with US.

Country	Status	Dividends	Interest	Royalties

∅ // no treaties match

05/08

What does it cost to come and go from United States?

●exit tax ●territorial system ●dual citizenship

A LOT. Leaving United States is the expensive half. Worldwide taxation while you're resident and an exit tax on unrealised gains at departure: the friction of leaving is real money, not just paperwork. This is the chain that catches sovereigns who think they can simply move.

Exit taxi

APPLIES

triggers: tax residence change · basis: deemed disposal

Dual citizenship

ALLOWED

naturalised citizens may keep their existing nationality

Citizenship paths

● Residence

● Marriage

● Birth

● Descent

○ Investment

06/08

Will United States protect your privacy?

●info exchange ●corporate registries

YES. United States has joined almost none of the major automatic-exchange frameworks (CRS, FATCA, CARF, MLI, MAAC), and its corporate registries are non-public. Account flows stay out of foreign hands; ownership stays out of public ones. Discretion is built into the system.

Multilateral reporting frameworks 3/10 active · 2 pending

CRS

—

CARF

—

FATCA

—

MLI

—

BEPS

—

MAAC

1995

GLOBAL FORUM

—

EOIR

—

CRYPTO-CARF

—

CRYPTO TRAVEL RULE

—

07/08

Is United States itself a liability?

●blacklists ●FATF standing

SOMEWHAT. United States appears on one or two national blacklists despite holding FATF membership. Transactions may attract additional KYC/AML scrutiny in those specific jurisdictions, but the country isn't broadly stigmatised.

Blacklist exposure Listed by 1 authority

FATF

grey / black list

non-cooperative list

FRANCE

ETNC list

SPAIN

tax-haven list

PORTUGAL

favourable regimes

BRAZIL

low-tax list

08/08

Will you feel free in United States?

●press freedom ●crypto ●CBDC ●EU

PARTLY. United States scores in the middle band of the RSF press-freedom index (rank #57): civil society operates but the boundaries are real. Crypto sits in the standard regulated tier.

Press freedom · RSF indexi

57/180

score 65 · ↓ 2 ranks year-on-year

Central bank digital currencyi

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 →
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 →
Wholesale Digital Dollar US Federal Reserve	RESEARCH	—	announce →
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 →

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.

New Zealand NZ → Norway NO → Canada CA →

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

Norway NO → Canada CA → Poland PL →

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

Israel IL → Guam GU → Northern Mariana Islands MP →