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I am about to register a corp in Delaware. I need to find a bank that can help me in opening a bank account, without having to go there in person. I have been told that this is possible if the bank has a branch in Delaware as well as in my own city. They will verify my credentials at my residence and then open a bank account in Delaware. (Please note that I need the account in company's name.)

Nature of Business -

Its purely online business with 50 telecommuting employees from all over the world. I am from India, while most of my employees are from Brazil, Canada and UK - (only three exec level employees from USA.) we have no brick and mortar offices anywhere. Currently I pay everybody by PayPal. In my country I am listed as a freelancer (thats how I started this business.) Its becoming increasingly to difficult to handle everything by paypal.

What I Want -

  1. I want to be able to transfer some money back to India (my salary.)
  2. I don't want to pay any taxes in Delaware.

Is that possible?

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2 Answers

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What's the point of opening a bank account in Delaware? You don't need one to have a corp, you just need a registered agent.

If the point is to have an American bank to solidify the trust of American clients making deposits, you can use the Bank of America (has their name on it ;) ). BoA has branches in Mumbai, Bangalore, New Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Barakhamba.

But as for avoiding taxes your out of luck! Even if it's a pass-though org like an LLC, you'll have to pay franchise tax, and corp income tax since you won't be paying individual income tax.

Paypal may be less of a hassle and at 3% commission, it's a good way to go. If you want to pay others, get an intl bank in your town and just cut electronic money orders or checks. Still the fee is going to be comparable to paypal.

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Thanks for your reply Emilie. I want to have to a US bank account because some of my customers don't prefer paypal. Also, PayPal has constant non-compliance issues with India's central banking system (Reserve Bank of India.) BoA sounds good to me! Can you please clarify this point - I am not conducting business in Delaware, do I still need to pay those taxes? I thought there were no taxes on Delaware corps operating outside the state. Thanks. – Prateek Mishra Dec 17 '10 at 13:01
@Prateek, yea even if you are not operating in the state of Delaware you will still have to pay what is called a franchise tax if you register in Delaware. For an LLC it's $250/year, for a Corp it's based on the par value of your shares (odd measure but that's case). Also the requirement is that you have a registered agent in Delaware and that'll cost $100+ – Emile Dec 19 '10 at 8:30
up vote 2 down vote

Strongly consider opening a bank account for your business with a local Small business bank. I use wells fargo, bofa, and chase for my personal bank accounts, but none of them are geared towards business, and could care less about your small operation.

A smaller business bank, or credit union might have a little higher in fees, but overall you are likely going to save $$$, gain access to capital for expansion, deal with experts in SBA loans, and get a lot more flexibility.

Small business banks, without ties to wallstreet can give you a big advantage when you are small.

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