u/Akuri22

I have a tax/payment question before I move forward with this.

A U.S. company wants to pay for online training/classes, but the actual work will be done by a small company in South Asia. The U.S. company doesn’t seem comfortable sending money directly overseas and mentioned 1099/reporting.

I’m not keeping the money. If they pay $10k (per year) , the full $10k is supposed to go to the foreign company providing the service.

What’s the clean way to handle this?

Should they pay the foreign company directly with an invoice and W-8BEN-E instead of a 1099?

If they won’t do that, is it better for them to pay me personally, or should I create a U.S. LLC and have the LLC pay the foreign company?

Also, if the foreign company owns the U.S. LLC, what filings should I worry about? I’ve heard about Form 5472 and pro forma 1120, but I’m not sure how that works.

Not trying to avoid taxes. Just trying to do it correctly and not create a mess with the IRS or banks.

Location: Texas

A U.S.-based company wants to pay for online classes/training services that will actually be delivered by a company based in South Asia. The issue is that the U.S. company does not seem comfortable sending the payment directly overseas, and they want proper tax/reporting documentation on their side. They mentioned paying through a 1099 or otherwise reporting the transaction properly.

The full payment is supposed to go to the foreign company because they are the actual service provider. I am not trying to keep any money personally.

My questions are:

If the U.S. company wants documentation for their records, can they pay the foreign company directly using an invoice and W-8BEN-E instead of issuing a 1099?

If they refuse to pay a foreign company directly and want to issue a 1099, should they pay me personally, or would it be better to create a U.S. LLC?

If I personally receive the payment under a 1099-NEC and send the full amount to the foreign company, how would that be reported on taxes? Would it be treated as income to me first and then deducted as a business expense/payment to the foreign service provider?

If I create a U.S. LLC, can the U.S. company pay the LLC, and then the LLC pay the foreign company using invoice/contract documentation?

If the LLC receives $10,000 and sends the full $10,000 to the foreign company, with no profit kept in the U.S., would there usually be income tax owed, or mainly filing/bookkeeping requirements?

If the foreign company owns the U.S. LLC, what forms or filings would be required, especially Form 5472, pro forma 1120, franchise tax, or other compliance issues?

What is the safest structure when the U.S. company wants to report the payment properly but the actual service provider is a foreign company?

I’m not trying to avoid taxes. I’m trying to make sure the U.S. company has proper documentation and that I don’t accidentally create personal tax issues by receiving money that fully belongs to the foreign company. Any CPA, tax attorney, or business owner experience with U.S. companies paying foreign service providers would be appreciated.

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Hello everyone,

I recently started a tech services company based in Asia. We provide web development, mobile app development, ERP solutions, AI automation, digital marketing, and software support for small businesses, startups, and agencies.

My goal is to build long-term relationships with clients in the US and other international markets. I’m not trying to spam or promote here — I’m genuinely looking for advice from people who have already built or worked with service-based agencies.

For those who have done this before, what worked best for getting your first few clients?

Was it:

• LinkedIn outreach
• Cold email
• Upwork/Fiverr
• Referrals
• Partnering with agencies
• Local networking
• Paid ads
• Content marketing
• Direct outreach to small businesses

Also, what helped you build trust with clients when your company was new and didn’t have many case studies yet?

Any practical advice, mistakes to avoid, or examples of what worked would be really helpful.

Thank you.

Hello everyone,

I recently started a tech services company based in Asia. We provide web development, mobile app development, ERP solutions, AI automation, digital marketing, and software support for small businesses, startups, and agencies.

My goal is to build long-term relationships with clients in the US and other international markets. I’m not trying to spam or promote here — I’m genuinely looking for advice from people who have already built or worked with service-based agencies.

For those who have done this before, what worked best for getting your first few clients?

Was it:

• LinkedIn outreach
• Cold email
• Upwork/Fiverr
• Referrals
• Partnering with agencies
• Local networking
• Paid ads
• Content marketing
• Direct outreach to small businesses

Also, what helped you build trust with clients when your company was new and didn’t have many case studies yet?

Any practical advice, mistakes to avoid, or examples of what worked would be really helpful.

Thank you.

Hello all,

I have recently setup a company in Asia that deals with everything related to tech. I am planning to take a project from the US or other countries and outsource it to my company that is in Asia. How do I go about it? How do I find clients that are willing to give me projects?

I have all the tech products I need at this point but i wanna justify buying a tablet. I see people using a tablet with attaching a keyboard. To me it feels same like a laptop.

I got a monitor, phone, laptop and all that. Besides media consumption and the same thing we do on a phone, I don't see anything that tablet is useful for.

How are you all using your tablets that is different that using other products? I don't want people saying using it as a laptop cause we got laptop for that. attaching a keyboard would just make it a laptop.

How is a tablet different than all these other products when it comes to productivity?

I have BSIT , MSIT and currently doing PhD IT, I have been doing software engineering work for 5 plus years now. I was layed off like 9/ 10 months ago. Since then, I have been trying to find a job. I have gotten none. Now, I am trying to divert my job hunting to a non software engineering job. I have applied to a lot in this non SE jobs as well, I don't get anything.

I tailor resume for like more than an hour to apply for a specific job and still I don't even get anything.

IS there any besides coding that Is could apply for? any thing that would take a beginner? I don't even care about the pay anymore. I just need a job to afford living atp.

Is there a certification that I could get and apply as a beginner?

Please, help me.

PS : It's the US job market.

The thing is everyone or most people are saying to tailor the resume according to the JD and apply. But my question is, " What to do about LinkedIn". Linkedin is only one and can't just keep on changing it accordingly to the JD cause you be applying to multiple companies.