How to Switch From Doola and File Form 5472 for $299
Updated June 2026 · Reviewed by a Form 5472 specialist
Updated June 2026 · Reviewed by a Form 5472 specialist
The short answer
Key takeaways
Most switch because doola bundles Form 5472 into a $1,999/year compliance plan that costs far more than the filing itself. A standalone specialist files the identical Form 5472 plus pro forma 1120 for a flat $299, saving about $1,700 a year.
doola is a formation-and-compliance platform: it forms your LLC, then sells an annual bundle that includes bookkeeping, registered agent, and your Form 5472 filing. The problem for a simple foreign-owned single-member LLC is that you pay $1,999/year for a package when the only thing the IRS actually requires is one information return. If your LLC has no employees, no inventory, and a handful of transactions, you are paying for services you do not use.
A dedicated doola alternative unbundles the price: you pay only for the Form 5472 preparation and filing you legally need. See the full breakdown on our best doola alternative page, or compare flat fees on the pricing page.
| Provider | Annual price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| doola | $1,999/year | Bundle: formation upkeep + bookkeeping + Form 5472 |
| Firstbase | $999-$1,499/year | Compliance bundle including Form 5472 |
| form5472.online | $547 | Form 5472 + pro forma 1120 only |
| form5472.tax | $299 flat | Form 5472 + pro forma 1120, reviewed and filed |
Source: published provider pricing. Verified June 2026.
No. Your LLC was created by filing with a US state, not with doola, so cancelling a doola subscription does nothing to the entity. You keep the same LLC, the same EIN, and the same bank account — only the 1 compliance subscription ends.
This is the single biggest worry people have, and the answer is reassuring: doola is a service provider, not your company. Your LLC exists on the records of Wyoming, Delaware, New Mexico, or whichever state you formed in. Stopping a doola plan is exactly like cancelling a software subscription — the business it served keeps running unchanged.
The only item to confirm is your registered agent. If doola served as your registered agent, you will appoint a new one (any agent in your formation state works) so the state always has a valid contact. That is a simple state filing, not a dissolution. Your Form 5472 obligation, meanwhile, continues every year you have a reportable transaction.
No. The EIN is issued by the IRS directly to your business and never expires. Changing tax-filing providers does not cancel or reissue it, so your bank, Stripe, and Mercury accounts — all tied to that 1 EIN — stay fully intact.
An EIN is a permanent federal identifier. Once the IRS assigns it, it stays attached to your entity for life, no matter who prepares your returns. There is no “transfer” step and no reissue — your bank, payment processor, and bookkeeping never see a change. When you switch, you simply hand your new preparer the same EIN you already have.
| Item | Affected by switching? |
|---|---|
| Your LLC (state registration) | No — unchanged |
| Your EIN | No — never changes |
| Bank / Stripe / Mercury accounts | No — tied to the EIN |
| Registered agent (if doola was yours) | Yes — appoint a new agent |
| Who prepares your Form 5472 | Yes — that is the point |
Source: IRS EIN guidance; state LLC records. Verified June 2026.
There are 5 steps: gather your documents, confirm your reportable transactions, appoint a registered agent if needed, submit to a flat-fee filer, then cancel doola once your Form 5472 is filed. The whole switch takes about 1 week.
Collect your EIN confirmation letter (CP 575 or 147C), your articles of organization, and last year’s Form 5472 if doola filed one. These let your new preparer match prior reporting and avoid inconsistencies.
List money moving between you and the LLC: capital contributions, owner draws, loans, and any related-party payments. Virtually every foreign-owned SMLLC has a reportable transaction — funding the LLC counts — so almost all must file even with zero revenue.
If doola acted as your registered agent, line up a replacement in your formation state before you cancel, so the state never loses a valid contact.
Send your documents and figures to a standalone Form 5472 service. Start on the apply page — form5472.tax prepares Form 5472 and the pro forma 1120, reviews it, and files it for a flat $299.
Wait until your current-year filing is confirmed, then cancel the doola subscription so there is no coverage gap. Compare the math on the pricing page.
| Step | Action | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gather EIN letter, articles, prior 5472 | 1 day |
| 2 | List reportable transactions | 1 day |
| 3 | Appoint new registered agent (if needed) | 1-2 days |
| 4 | Submit to flat-fee filer | Same day |
| 5 | Cancel doola after filing confirmed | 1 day |
Source: form5472.tax onboarding workflow. Verified June 2026.
Yes. Form 5472 is filed fresh every tax year, so any provider can prepare your 2025 return no matter who handled prior years. Your new preparer only needs the prior return and your current reportable-transaction figures.
Form 5472 is not a multi-year contract — it is an annual information return tied to one tax year. There is no lock-in with whoever filed before. We use your prior-year Form 5472 to keep your entity name, EIN, business activity code, and owner details consistent, which is what the IRS wants to see year over year.
If a prior year was missed entirely, that is a separate exposure: the $25,000 penalty applies per form, per year, with no statute of limitations under IRC §6501(c)(8). Read the full rule on the penalty page before deciding how to handle back years.
A foreign-owned single-member LLC cannot e-file. The pro forma Form 1120 with Form 5472 attached must be mailed to P.O. Box 149342, Austin, TX 78714-9342, or faxed to 855-887-7737 — those are the only 2 accepted methods.
Because a disregarded entity is treated as a corporation for this reporting only (under T.D. 9796, effective for tax years beginning on or after January 1, 2017), there is no e-file path. Your preparer completes the pro forma 1120 with Form 5472 attached and submits it by mail or fax, keeping the certified-mail receipt or fax confirmation as proof of timely filing.
| Method | Where | Proof to keep |
|---|---|---|
| P.O. Box 149342, Austin, TX 78714-9342 | Certified-mail receipt | |
| Fax | 855-887-7737 | Fax transmission confirmation |
Source: IRS Instructions for Form 5472 (foreign-owned U.S. DE). Verified June 2026.
Switch at least a few weeks before April 15 so your Form 5472 can be mailed or faxed on time. Filing Form 7004 by April 15 extends the deadline to October 15. Missing it triggers a $25,000 penalty per form.
The deadline is the 15th day of the 4th month after your tax year ends — April 15 for a calendar-year LLC. A six-month extension via Form 7004 pushes filing to October 15, but a disregarded entity has no entity-level tax to pay with it. Give your new preparer a comfortable buffer; mail and fax take longer than e-file, and the $25,000 penalty applies even to an honest day-late filing, with an extra $25,000 every 30 days after a 90-day IRS notice.
Don’t cancel doola the moment you sign up elsewhere — confirm your filing first, then cancel, so there is no gap. When you’re ready, the apply page takes a few minutes.
Keep your LLC and EIN. We prepare, review, and file Form 5472 plus pro forma 1120 for a flat $299 — versus $1,999/year at doola.