How to fill in the tax form W8-BEN & where to get a Non-US Tax ID

Other stuff
#1

Hey guys, non-US resident here. I was trying to get my commissions paid today.

I ended up on this page:

https://www.spreadshirt.com/userarea/-C9016/section/personal

x49pUDd.png1045×688 37.7 KB

I downloaded the W8-BEN form.

Line 5 says I need to fill in a U.S. taxpayer identification number (SSN or ITIN), if required.
Line 6 say I need to fill in a Foreign tax identifying number and to see instructions.

Do I need to fill in Line 5?
Where are the instructions to fill in Line 6?

Is ‘a Foreign tax identifying number’ the same as a ‘Non-US Tax ID’ which the screen shot at the top of this post is asking me to fill in?

Where or how do I get one of those? From my country or the US?

From searching for answers to these questions, I found this filled in form someone on the old forum had uploaded as a demo

Hard to read but I think they filled in ‘12(1)’ on line 10 for ‘the provisions of article’.
Is that accurate?
Is the rest of what they filled in for line 10 accurate?

  • ‘0’ for % rate.
  • ‘Royalties’ for type of income.
  • ‘Design sales’ for reason.

That person also filled in five other pages of the forum but I did not see a download link for those. Are they no longer needed?

Sorry for the long post and thanks.

1 Like
#2

I’m in exactly the same situation…I would like an answer too :slight_smile:

Hope we get one :wink:

cheers,
Paul

#3

Hi there,
You can start by reading our recent blog post on the topic:

“Foreign tax identifying number” and “Non-US Tax ID” is the same thing. As it varies entirely by the country, there is unfortunately no other blanket term for it. You get it from your country.

As far as I remember, the W8-BEN form should have explanations/clarifications at the end. Maybe those can help you out? IRS-website also has some instructions on how to fill in the form and what the different fields mean.

1 Like
#4

Hey guys,

Did either of you ever make any progress on this? I’m finding it the most incomprehensible and unintuitive document that I have ever seen. Fans of Black Books will have a handy mental image of my progress thus far!

I also use Patreon and this has a handy drop down menu system for this that avoids much of the unneeded sections and was very simple to complete. Any idea how to avoid having to earn a degree in US tax law to complete the spreadshirt version?

Thanks,

Fitz

#5

Hey,

I’m using PDFfiller’s online tool for filling up the W-8 Form.
They also have dedicated pages with instructions for all other tax forms, for example:

IRS 8825 - https://form-8825.pdffiller.com/
IRS 8862 - https://form-8862.pdffiller.com/

Good luck!

#6

@Sara I have questions about FW8-BEN Form Please,

I am From Georgia ( :georgia: ) and there’s 2 things I am not sure what to put in this form:

  1. What Should I use as an Foreign Tax Identifying Number?( I don’t have an official job and I am not either a sole proprietor in Georgia).

  2. I see that FW8-BEN form is also requiring to Claim of Tax Treaty Benefits between USA and My Country, but even I can see Georgia listed on IRS Website( I am including the link of it down bellow) but This article refers to a treaty of 1971 between USA and USSR when Georgia was still under Soviet Union, Which makes me wondering if I (as a Georgian Citizen) am even eligible to avoid the 30 % income tax deduction from my future earned commissions on Spreadshirt?

Thank You So Much for your assistance :pray::pray::pray:

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/international-businesses/georgia-tax-treaty-documents

#7

Hi @Kosta_Ge

For both questions please refer to a local tax advisor in your county. I also googled it a little and I advise you to do the same on your end. I found this for example: http://www.rs.ge/en/4776#

1 Like
#8

Thank You Lena,

I will definitely follow your advice :pray::pray::pray:

#9

Hey, nobody responded on this. We do NOT have individual tax-ID in Europe. at least not in Netherlands. What do we write in the area “non-US tax ID”… this is irrelevant because we do NOT have such a number as european citizens… hello!! anyone from spreashirt… people have been asking on this since 2017???

1 Like
#10

Ahoy @User_NA-d2d58786,

every citizen has a kind of TIN/ Tax Identification Number. in some countries it is just called Tax number or has similar names. You need to enter this Tax- number into your account. Otherwise you wouldnt get any earnings.
The W8-BEN formular is optional and it leads to a lower reduction due to the withholding tax.