Doola vs Firstbase vs form5472.tax: Full 2026 Comparison
Updated June 2026 · Reviewed by a Form 5472 specialist
Updated June 2026 · Reviewed by a Form 5472 specialist
The short answer
Key takeaways
Both are US-company formation and compliance platforms for non-US founders. Doola leans into a single bundled $1,999/year compliance plan, while Firstbase sells tiered tax and agent add-ons totaling roughly $999–$1,499/year. Neither prices Form 5472 on its own.
Doola and Firstbase both started by helping founders outside the US form an LLC or C-corp, get an EIN, and open a bank account. Over time both layered on annual compliance: bookkeeping, registered agent, and the federal tax filing that, for a foreign-owned single-member LLC, contains Form 5472 attached to a pro forma Form 1120. The problem is that Form 5472 is a tiny part of a large, recurring bill. If your LLC is a simple e-commerce, SaaS, or consulting entity with one foreign owner, you are paying for services you may never touch.
That is exactly why a flat-fee specialist exists. See the doola alternative and the Firstbase alternative for the entity-by-entity breakdown.
Doola's compliance bundle runs about $1,999/year, Firstbase about $999–$1,499/year, and form5472.tax files Form 5472 plus pro forma 1120 for a flat $299. That is a saving of more than $700 versus Firstbase and roughly $1,700 versus doola.
Here is the three-way comparison side by side. The headline number is what you actually pay each year to get Form 5472 filed — and how much of that money buys the form itself versus extras.
| Provider | Annual price | What you get for Form 5472 |
|---|---|---|
| doola | ~$1,999/year | Form 5472 buried in a full compliance bundle |
| Firstbase | $999–$1,499/year | Form 5472 inside a tiered tax + agent package |
| form5472.tax | Flat $299 | Form 5472 + pro forma 1120, prepared and filed |
Source: published provider pricing pages. Verified June 2026.
For a fuller table that includes form5472.online and Stripe Atlas, see the Form 5472 filing cost comparison.
Doola and Firstbase bundle bookkeeping, registered agent, and BOI handling around the filing. form5472.tax includes one thing: Form 5472 plus the pro forma 1120, prepared, reviewed, and filed for a flat $299 with no recurring charge.
The bundles matter because they explain the price gap. Doola and Firstbase are paying staff to run bookkeeping and registered-agent services year-round, and that cost is baked into every plan whether you use those features or not. A specialist that does only Form 5472 carries none of that overhead.
| Feature | doola / Firstbase | form5472.tax |
|---|---|---|
| Form 5472 + pro forma 1120 | Yes (bundled) | Yes (core service) |
| Bookkeeping | Yes (bundled) | Not included |
| Registered agent | Yes (bundled) | Not included |
| Recurring annual fee | Yes | No — flat per filing |
Source: provider service pages; IRS Form 5472 requirements. Verified June 2026.
If you genuinely want bookkeeping and an agent, a bundle can make sense. If you only need the IRS form filed, the flat-fee pricing is far cheaper.
Any US LLC or corporation at least 25% owned by a non-US person with a reportable transaction must file. Because funding the LLC counts, virtually every foreign-owned SMLLC has a reportable transaction, so almost all must file — regardless of which platform formed it.
This rule applies no matter who you signed up with. Whether doola, Firstbase, or no platform at all formed your LLC, the IRS requirement comes from IRC §6038A and the 2017 regulations (T.D. 9796) that treat a foreign-owned disregarded entity as a corporation for this reporting purpose. The trigger is a reportable transaction, not profit — and moving money in to fund or capitalize the LLC is itself a reportable transaction.
That means a brand-new, zero-revenue foreign-owned single-member LLC almost always still has to file. The return is due April 15, or October 15 with Form 7004. Read how to switch from doola and file if you are leaving a platform mid-year.
No platform can e-file it. A foreign-owned single-member LLC cannot e-file Form 5472; the pro forma 1120 with Form 5472 attached must be mailed to P.O. Box 149342, Austin, TX 78714-9342, or faxedto 855-887-7737 — the only two accepted methods.
This surprises a lot of founders who expect a slick platform to submit everything online. The IRS has no e-file channel for a foreign-owned disregarded entity, so doola, Firstbase, and form5472.tax all end up sending the same paper or fax to the same Austin processing center. The deliverable is identical — only the price and the wait differ.
| Method | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| P.O. Box 149342, Austin, TX 78714-9342 | |
| Fax | 855-887-7737 |
Source: IRS Instructions for Form 5472 (foreign-owned U.S. DE). Verified June 2026.
Keep your certified-mail receipt or fax confirmation as proof of timely filing. The apply page walks you through it.
The penalty is $25,000 per form, per year, per entity, under IRC §6038A(d). There is no cap and no statute of limitations (§6501(c)(8)), and an extra $25,000 accrues every 30 days after a 90-day IRS notice.
This is the real reason to take Form 5472 seriously regardless of provider. The penalty applies even to an honest mistake or a missed deadline, and because there is no statute of limitations on an unfiled information return, a year you skipped long ago can still be assessed today. No bundle protects you from this — only a correct, on-time filing does.
We do not offer penalty-abatement or IRS representation; we prevent the penalty by filing correctly and on time. Compare the full provider lineup on the Stripe Atlas vs doola comparison.
For Form 5472 alone, form5472.tax wins. A flat $299 beats Firstbase's $999–$1,499/yearand doola's $1,999/year by hundreds of dollars, and the filed return is identical because all three mail or fax the same form.
If you want bookkeeping, a registered agent, and BOI guidance all under one roof and one login, doola or Firstbase can be a reasonable choice — you are paying for breadth. But note that under FinCEN's March 2025 interim final rule, US-formed entities including foreign-owned US LLCs are exempt from BOI reporting, so that line item is worth less than it used to be. Form 5472 remains separate and still required.
If your LLC is a simple single-member entity and your only real federal obligation is Form 5472, paying $1,999/year or even $999/year for a bundle is hard to justify. The flat $299 filing does exactly what you need and nothing you do not. Start on the apply page or compare on the pricing page.
Form 5472 and pro forma 1120, prepared, reviewed, and filed for a flat $299. Or message us first — we answer every question.