Getting paid from Kenya
Stripe lists Kenya in its extended network: Kenyan businesses sign up through Paystack, which Stripe owns. Paystack Kenya takes M-Pesa, cards and bank payments, and Kenyan businesses can be paid out in US dollars to a USD account at a Kenyan bank. It is built for selling to customers in Kenya and Africa.
PayPal works in Kenya for receiving money. Through the M-PESA PayPal service from Safaricom you withdraw your USD balance to M-Pesa, in shillings at the rate shown before you confirm; Equity Bank customers can also withdraw to their bank account. Shopify Payments is not available to Kenyan businesses.
With a US LLC, an EIN and a US bank account you can apply for a US Stripe account and US PayPal Business, with payouts in dollars. Stripe decides on each application after checking the business and the owner's passport.
At home
How Kenya taxes residents
Kenya taxes resident individuals on worldwide employment income, and on other income that accrues in or is derived from Kenya. Where the work is actually done matters for that second test, also when the client pays a foreign company.
Kenya has no specialised controlled foreign company rules, but a company that is managed and controlled in Kenya is treated as a Kenyan resident company. How this applies to an LLC run from Nairobi depends on the facts; ask a certified public accountant before the LLC has real income.
Kenya has no income tax treaty with the US, so there is no treaty relief to rely on if both countries claim tax. Keep clear records of where the work is done and who signs contracts.
Sending money to the US company
Kenya abolished exchange controls in the 1990s, and residents can hold foreign currency accounts at Kenyan banks. Funding your LLC is a normal outgoing transfer, but your bank will ask about the purpose and the source of the money under anti-money laundering rules. Keep the formation document and EIN letter at hand.
Getting paid in Kenya
Money you take out of the LLC arrives as an incoming transfer to a shilling or USD account. A USD account at a Kenyan bank lets you convert when you choose. Keep invoices and the LLC's records so you can show what each transfer is.
The US side is the same for everyone
Where you live does not change the US part. It is done online, without travelling, without a US address and without an SSN.
- Choose a state: Wyoming or New Mexico for low running costs, Delaware if you plan to raise money from investors.
- The formation document is filed with a registered agent in that state, within 48 hours.
- The EIN is requested from the IRS as soon as the state approves. No SSN or ITIN is needed.
- You get the operating agreement that banks and payment providers ask for.
- With those documents you apply for a US business bank account, for example at Mercury.
- Every year: the registered agent, the state's annual report where there is one, and Form 5472 for a single-member LLC owned by a foreign person.
Which state?
With no people or premises in the US you can choose any state. Most founders abroad choose on yearly cost and speed.
Sources checked on November 2, 2026
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and fees change; check your own situation with a certified public accountant in Kenya before you form the LLC.
