South Korea Guide
Form 5472 for Korean LLC Owners
Everything South Korea residents need to know about filing IRS Form 5472 for their foreign-owned US LLC.
If you are a Korean citizen or resident and you own a US single-member LLC, you are required to file IRS Form 5472 every year. This applies even if your LLC had zero revenue, no business activity, or was completely dormant during the tax year.
Form 5472 is an information return — it reports transactions between you (the foreign owner) and your US entity. No US tax is owed on the form itself, but the penalty for not filing is $25,000 per form per year, with no cap and no statute of limitations.
IRS Penalty
$25,000
per form · per year · no cap
Deadline
Apr 15
following tax year
Extension
Oct 15
via Form 7004
Popular states
Wyoming, Delaware
for Korean owners
Common use cases
Why Korean entrepreneurs form US LLCs
E-commerce and Amazon FBA
SaaS and tech products
Freelancing for US companies
Digital content and gaming
Regardless of why you formed your LLC, the Form 5472 filing requirement applies. The most popular states for Korean LLC owners are Wyoming, Delaware.
Your filing package
What you need to file
Form 5472
Reportable transactions between you and LLC
Pro forma 1120
Cover sheet — mostly zeros for disregarded entity
Fax to IRS
+1-855-887-7737 — instant confirmation
As a KoreanLLC owner, you file these two forms together. The pro forma Form 1120 is essentially a cover sheet — most lines are zero because your LLC is a disregarded entity for US tax purposes. Write “Foreign-owned U.S. DE” at the top of the 1120. The real substance goes on Form 5472, specifically Part V where you list all reportable transactions.
The IRS does not accept electronic filing for this form. You must submit by fax to +1-855-887-7737 (recommended — instant confirmation) or by mail to the IRS Ogden campus. Your fax confirmation serves as proof of timely filing.
Part V
Reportable transactions
Money that moved between you and your LLC during the tax year.
Capital contributions
You → LLC
Distributions
LLC → You
Payments for services
LLC pays you
Customer payments
Client → LLC
Vendor payments
LLC → AWS
You must report any money or property that moved between you personally and your LLC during the tax year. Capital contributions (money you transferred from your South Korea bank account to your US LLC), distributions (money you took back out), and payments for services all go on Part V of Form 5472.
Third-party transactions — like customer payments to your LLC or vendor expenses — are not reported on Form 5472. The IRS only cares about owner-to-LLC and LLC-to-owner flows on this form.
Deadlines
When to file
Form 5472 is due April 15 following the end of the tax year. For tax year 2025, the deadline is April 15, 2026. You can request a 6-month automatic extension by filing Form 7004 before the deadline, which extends it to October 15.
If your LLC was formed mid-year, your first Form 5472 covers the period from your formation date through December 31 of that year, and is due the following April 15.
Penalties
What happens if you don't file
The IRS imposes a $25,000 penalty per Form 5472 for each year you fail to file. Penalties compound — if you missed 3 years, your total exposure is $75,000. There is no maximum cap and no statute of limitations.
However, the IRS typically grants penalty abatement for first-time filers who voluntarily come into compliance through the Delinquent International Information Return Submission Procedures (DIIRSP). If you have unfiled years, it is always better to file late than not at all. Late filing with reasonable cause is infinitely better than no filing.
South Korea-specific notes
Korean residents must report worldwide income to the NTS. Foreign financial account reporting (FBAR equivalent) requirements may apply.
The US-Korea Tax Treaty provides credits to prevent double taxation but does not eliminate your Form 5472 requirement.
FAQ
Common questions
Skip the paperwork
File your Form 5472 with Filabl
Upload your bank statement, answer a few questions, and we generate and fax your forms to the IRS. From $30/year.
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