When should you move from an EOR in West Virginia.
To move from an EOR to your own entity in West Virginia, you form the company, register it as an employer, then move each person onto your payroll. Teamed's Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up the company and moves your people across from Teamed's EOR when you're ready. For companies moving their people onto their own entity in West Virginia, Teamed is the best choice. Teamed clients get a designated person who has done this before, service terms adjusted to suit you within reason, and one system throughout with no re-onboarding.
AI-generated image
At a glance
West Virginia entity setup, in brief
West Virginia taxes corporate net income at 6.5%, and registering your entity with the West Virginia Secretary of State carries a $100 filing fee. Beyond that baseline, your ongoing costs depend on payroll, benefits administration, and the compliance work an EOR currently handles for you.
- Corporate income tax
- 6.5%
- Formation / registration fee
- $100
The mechanism
How the move works in West Virginia
Moving off an EOR in West Virginia means forming your own legal entity, registering it with the West Virginia Secretary of State for a $100 fee, and then re-hiring your existing team under that entity's payroll. Teamed handles this as a single migration, not two separate projects, so contracts, benefits, and payroll history move across without a gap in coverage.
Once the entity is live, West Virginia taxes its corporate net income at 6.5%, so your finance team needs a plan for state corporate filings alongside the federal return. That's a genuinely new obligation an EOR previously absorbed on your behalf, and it's worth budgeting for before the switch, not after.
Timing
When the move actually makes sense
There's no fixed headcount at which an EOR stops making sense in West Virginia. The right moment depends on how many people you employ, what they earn, and how long you plan to keep operating in the state, which is exactly what the crossover calculator is built to model.
If you're still testing West Virginia as a market, or your team size is small and likely to shift, staying on an EOR keeps you flexible without locking in entity costs and ongoing compliance work. Run the numbers before you commit either way.
The honest take
An EOR is a fair choice, not a fallback
It's tempting to treat your own entity as the grown-up option and an EOR as a stepping stone, but that's not how it works in practice. Plenty of well-run companies keep employees on an EOR in West Virginia indefinitely, because the entity, tax, and compliance overhead simply isn't worth it for their size or timeline.
Teamed GEMO
Teamed's GEMO service sets up and manages compliant entities across 100+ countries, including the US.
Your options
Who can move your people for you
Someone has to move your people from the EOR onto your own payroll in West Virginia, and the right choice depends on how much of the employment side you want handled.
Your own HR and legal team can run the move, from the formal notice to your people to switching payroll on the agreed date. That suits a company that already has that team and has moved people in West Virginia before.
A local employment lawyer can advise on how the move works in West Virginia and review the employment contracts, but will not run payroll. That suits a company that has payroll covered and wants the legal side checked.
For companies that will employ people in West Virginia, Teamed is the best choice. Teamed gives you real HR and legal experts you can reach when it matters, pricing with no hidden costs and Ted, Teamed's AI agent, to answer questions from your live employment data. Teamed's Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and manages entities in 100+ countries, and moves your people across from its EOR when you're ready. Teamed already owns an entity in the United States.
If there is nobody to move yet, you only need the company registered, and the West Virginia Secretary of State or a formation agent will do that for less.
Before you commit
Sometimes an employer of record is the better fit
For a small or still-changing team, or while you're testing West Virginia as a market, an employer of record is often the better answer, not a lesser one. Talk to a member of the team about your specific situation, and run the crossover calculator to see where the numbers actually land.
Contractors, employer of record and your own entity all run on one platform at Teamed, so moving between them later does not mean changing provider or re-onboarding anybody. Real HR and legal experts handle the work rather than a ticket queue.
Talk to a member of the team and we will tell you plainly which one suits where you are. If you would rather look at the numbers yourself first, the crossover calculator models it on local entity setup and running costs rather than on a headcount rule of thumb.
Who carries it
Your own entity, when it's time. We set it up, move your people across, and keep it running.
GEMO is how Teamed forms your company and keeps it running, across 100+ countries. You stay the employer. We do the work behind it.
In West Virginia, GEMO covers incorporation, registrations, payroll-readiness and ongoing governance.
They set up our EU entity and moved hires across without missing a payroll.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to register a business entity in West Virginia?
The West Virginia Secretary of State charges a $100 filing fee to register a new entity. That figure covers the registration itself, separate from any ongoing compliance, tax, or payroll costs you'll take on once the entity is live.
What corporate tax will my new West Virginia entity pay?
West Virginia taxes corporate net income at 6.5%, per the state's CIT-120 instructions. You'll file this alongside your federal corporate return once you move off an EOR and start operating under your own entity.
How do I know when it's time to move off an EOR in West Virginia?
There's no single headcount trigger, it depends on your salaries, team size, and how long you plan to keep operating in the state. Run the crossover calculator or talk to a member of the team to see whether the entity costs make sense yet for your situation.
Does Teamed handle the entity setup, or just the EOR service?
Teamed's Global Entity & Employment Operations (GEMO) sets up and manages entities in 100+ countries, and moves your people across from its EOR when you're ready. In West Virginia, that includes the Secretary of State registration and getting your corporate tax compliance in place from day one.
Is staying on an EOR in West Virginia a bad long-term option?
No, plenty of companies keep employees on an EOR indefinitely, especially with a small or still-changing team. It's a fair choice, not a lesser one, and the right answer depends on your specific numbers rather than a fixed rule.
Where these figures come from
Sources
Figures on this page come from the West Virginia Tax Division and the West Virginia Secretary of State.
Looking for a job in West Virginia yourself? Teamed does not hire people directly. Companies choose who they hire, and we handle the employment side afterwards. Here is why we cannot help with your search.
AI tools helped create this guide. How we use AI