TL;DR: Stripe Atlas helps you form your Delaware LLC or C-corp and files your EIN application. After that, you're responsible for keeping your company compliant. Here’s the order to follow: start your EIN application and choose a banking partner in the first week, set up bookkeeping, register for state tax accounts before hiring anyone, pay your Delaware franchise tax on time (March 1 for corporations, June 1 for LLCs), and make sure you don’t miss the 30-day deadline for an 83(b) election if you’re issuing founder equity.
Week 1: Get your EIN & Pick a Bank
Stripe Atlas gives you a certificate of incorporation, standard legal documents, and files your EIN application with the IRS. This completes your company’s formation, but you’re not fully operational yet. The first week is about bridging that gap.
Track your EIN application, since the timeline depends on who is applying.
The IRS processes applications quickly online (about four business days), by fax, or by mail (around four weeks). If you have a US Social Security number, US address, and US cell phone, you can usually use the faster options. Many Atlas users outside the US apply by mail or fax and should expect a longer wait, especially during busy times. You’ll need a confirmed EIN before running payroll or filing taxes, so wait for the confirmation (CP 575) before scheduling either.
Open a business bank account as soon as you can.
Most Atlas banking partners, like Stripe Treasury, Mercury, Brex, and Rho, let you open an account right after incorporation, even before your EIN arrives. Novo is the exception and needs the EIN first. No matter which partner you choose, open your account before you accept any revenue or make any purchases with a company card. Mixing personal and business funds, even for a short time, can quickly weaken your liability protection.
Know what your registered agent does.
Every Delaware company needs one, and Atlas includes this in your package. Your registered agent is not just a mailbox. They are your legal contact for lawsuits, state mail, and franchise tax notices. If you change agents, update the Delaware Division of Corporations right away. Outdated agent info is a common reason for missing tax notices and getting penalties.
Month 1: Set Up the Compliance Systems Before You Need Them
Start bookkeeping from day one, even with zero revenue.
Every dollar in and out needs a home before your first tax filing forces you to reconstruct it. This doesn't need to be sophisticated, but it needs to exist.
Check whether you actually owe a BOI report, because the rule changed again on August 11, 2026.
Under the original Corporate Transparency Act rules, nearly every newly formed company had to file a Beneficial Ownership Information report with FinCEN within 30 days of formation, with penalties running as high as $25,000 per violation. FinCEN narrowed that requirement for domestic companies in interim relief back in March 2025, and then went further with a final rule effective August 11, 2026: US companies and US persons are now exempt from BOI reporting entirely, according to FinCEN's own guidance. A Delaware LLC or C-corp formed through Stripe Atlas is a domestic reporting company, so in most cases, you no longer need to file at all. The exception: foreign entities registered to do business in the US (not the common Atlas path) may still have a limited reporting obligation, though even they don't need to report US-person beneficial owners. One more nuance worth knowing: the rule is being challenged in court (National Small Business United v. Bessent), so "permanent" here means permanent under the current final rule, not immune from further change.
Register for state tax accounts before hiring anyone outside your home state.
Forming your company in Delaware doesn’t remove tax obligations in other states where your team works. For example, if your co-founder is in California and your first engineer is in Texas, you’ll need to register for state withholding, unemployment insurance, and sometimes file as a foreign entity with that state’s Secretary of State before running payroll. You can use a state-by-state payroll tax guide to see what’s needed, or automate these filings with Warp.
Before Your First Anniversary: Franchise Tax and Annual Reports
Every Delaware company must pay an annual franchise tax, and the amount and deadline depend on your company type. If you’re deciding between an LLC and a C-corp, check out our guide comparing Delaware LLCs and C-corps for startups.
C-corporations must file an annual report and pay franchise tax by March 1. Delaware uses two calculation methods, and you can pick the cheaper one: the authorized shares method (minimum $175 for up to 5,000 shares, $250 for 5,001 to 10,000, plus $85 for each extra 10,000 shares or part of it) or the assumed par value capital method (minimum $400, based on your total assets and issued shares from your federal tax return). Both methods have a $200,000 cap. Many early-stage startups with lots of authorized shares but few assets end up overpaying if they don’t check both methods.
LLCs owe a flat $300 franchise tax due June 1, with no annual report requirement. Simpler, but just as easy to miss if nobody keeps track.
Either way, the notice goes to your registered agent, not to your inbox by default. If your registered agent information is out of date or nobody's monitoring it, the first sign of a problem is a penalty notice, not a friendly reminder.
When You Hire Your First Person: Payroll, Compliance, and Benefits
Three things happen at once the moment you make an offer: payroll needs to be right, compliance boxes need to be checked, and benefits decisions start shaping who you hire.
Payroll: get the classification and the mechanics right before the first paycheck.
Before anything else, confirm whether the person you're bringing on is an employee (W-2) or a contractor (1099). This isn't a formality: misclassifying an employee as a contractor is one of the most common and expensive mistakes new companies make, and it can trigger back taxes, penalties, and unpaid benefits liability later. Once that's settled, you need state withholding and unemployment insurance accounts in every state where an employee works, and a completed I-9 and W-4 on file.
On top of what you withhold from an employee's paycheck, you start owing employer-side payroll taxes too: Social Security and Medicare matching, plus federal and state unemployment insurance, and depending on how much you withhold, the IRS will place you on either a monthly or a semiweekly deposit schedule for those funds. From there, decide whether you're running payroll yourself, using payroll software, or outsourcing employment entirely to a PEO.
Neither option automatically handles state registrations or tax notices unless you've checked that it does (Warp does!).
Compliance: a few deadlines start the moment you hire.
Federal law requires you to report every new employee to your state's new hire directory within 20 days of their start date, a rule that's been in place since 1996 mainly to support child support enforcement; it doesn't apply to contractors at the federal level, though a handful of states ask for that too.
Most states also require workers' compensation insurance starting with your very first employee. A few set a higher bar (Virginia at two employees, several states at three to five), and Texas and South Dakota are notable exceptions where it isn't mandatory, but "most states, from employee one" is the safe assumption to start with.
On top of that, you're on the hook for the federal and state labor law posters your workplace is required to display, which change depending on where your employee actually sits, not just where you're incorporated.
Benefits: you can offer more, earlier, than most founders think.
Benefits decisions usually come up soon after hiring. Even a two-person company can offer health insurance, and doing so early can help you hire more competitively. An ICHRA (individual coverage health reimbursement arrangement) is a good option for small teams, since it lets you reimburse employees for individual health plans instead of setting up a group policy. This is often more practical before you have enough people for group coverage to make sense. PTO, 401k, and equity are also common starting benefits.
Protect the Cap Table While You're Building: Equity Basics
If you or your co-founders get restricted stock, you have 30 calendar days from the grant date to file an 83(b) election, and there are no extensions. Missing this deadline can mean paying ordinary income tax on the stock as it vests, instead of at its usually low grant-date value. This is a small filing, but getting it wrong can be costly. It’s one of the first equity decisions you’ll need to make, often before you finish setting up the rest of your compliance. It’s also smart to model early how much of the company you’re giving away as you add co-founders, advisors, or early hires. Warp’s equity dilution calculator can help you see this before your next fundraising round.
A Deepening Partnership: Where Warp Fits Into the Stripe Atlas Journey
Stripe Atlas handles forming your company. After that, things like state tax registrations, payroll, compliance filings, and benefits can take up a lot of your time and lead to unexpected accountant fees. That’s where Warp comes in.
Warp is now a preferred partner for Stripe Atlas and Stripe Startups, joining companies like Ramp, Claude, AWS, and Vercel. Claire Hughes Johnson, Stripe’s former COO, is one of Warp’s angel investors, connecting the team behind Stripe’s operating discipline with the team building Warp. Both companies believe that today’s founders need to do more with smaller teams, and the winners are those who can move quickly without sacrificing compliance.
Stripe Atlas shares the same optimism: starting and running a company shouldn’t be held back by paperwork. Stripe helps you turn your idea into a Delaware legal entity. Warp supports you from incorporation through IPO, covering every state you expand into, every employee you hire, and every benefit you add, so your early team can focus on building, not compliance.
If you incorporate through Stripe Atlas or join Stripe Startups, you’ll get preferred terms with Warp as part of this partnership.
FAQ
What's the very first thing I should do after incorporating with Stripe Atlas?
Get your EIN application tracked and pick a banking partner. You don't have to wait for the EIN to open a bank account with most of Atlas's partners (Stripe Treasury, Mercury, Brex, Rho), but you do need the EIN confirmed before running payroll or filing taxes.
Do I still need to file a BOI report after incorporating in 2026?
In most cases, no. FinCEN's final rule, effective August 11, 2026, exempted US companies and US persons from Beneficial Ownership Information reporting. A Delaware LLC or C-corp formed through Stripe Atlas is a domestic reporting company and is generally covered by this exemption. Foreign entities registered to do business in the US may still have limited reporting obligations. Confirm your specific situation with a tax professional, since exemptions have edge cases and the underlying law is currently facing a court challenge.
How much is the Delaware franchise tax for a new startup?
For corporations, it depends on the calculation method: minimum $175 under the authorized shares method or $400 under the assumed par value capital method, due March 1 each year, capped at $200,000 either way. LLCs owe a flat $300, due June 1. Most early-stage corporations should check both C-corp calculation methods, since defaulting to authorized shares often means overpaying.
When do I need to register for taxes in another state?
As soon as you have an employee or contractor with nexus-triggering activity, or in some cases a physical presence in a state other than where you're incorporated. This usually requires state withholding and unemployment insurance registration, and sometimes a separate foreign qualification filing with that state's Secretary of State, before you can legally pay someone there.
Do I need workers' compensation insurance for just one employee?
In most states, yes. The majority of states require workers' comp coverage starting with your very first hire. A handful set a higher threshold (Virginia at two employees, several states at three to five), and Texas and South Dakota don't mandate it at all. Check your specific state before you assume you're covered by a general rule.
What's the deadline for an 83(b) election?
30 calendar days from the date equity is granted, with no extensions available. This is one of the strictest deadlines founders encounter after incorporating, and missing it can significantly increase the tax owed on vesting equity.
Last updated: August 19, 2026. This piece reflects FinCEN's BOI rule change effective August 11, 2026. General information only, not legal or tax advice: confirm your specific entity's obligations with a tax professional.
