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I am negotiating doing some work for a US-based organisation as a contractor. I am now being asked to provide a W9 form. Google provides a link, but it seems to apply to residents/citizens. Is this correct? If so what is its purpose and how does a non-resident file a W9 form?

Andra
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  • are you sure you're not a resident? – user102008 May 09 '14 at 21:55
  • If you are a non-resident, how is this on-topic? – Flimzy May 09 '14 at 23:20
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    @Flimzy what about foreign students? I understand that in this particular case the OP is probably not in the US and is not an expat, but the actual question is still relevant. – littleadv May 10 '14 at 04:50
  • @littleadv: I don't understand how being a student would change this... He appears to be doing work as a contractor for a US based company from outside of the US. This is not about expatriation... it probably fits on Personal Finance & Money, but it has nothing to do with the topic of this site from what I can see. Being a student wouldn't change that. – Flimzy May 11 '14 at 12:12
  • @Flimzy students are in fact frequently find themselves asking exactly the same question, and being non-residents for tax purposes - receive exactly the same answer. – littleadv May 11 '14 at 18:59
  • @littleadv: That doesn't answer how the question should be on-topic here. – Flimzy May 13 '14 at 12:51
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    @Flimzy it does, you just don't understand it. – littleadv May 13 '14 at 16:04
  • @littleadv: If I don't understand it, then it doesn't answer it. That's why I'm asking for an explanation. – Flimzy May 13 '14 at 16:05
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    "What is the purpose of W9" is one of the first things an expat asks when arriving to the US. The difference between W9 and W8 crucial for many expats, especially foreign students in the US. Clear enough? Coming from someone who asks tax questions non-related to being an expat, you really shouldn't be so strict on others. – littleadv May 13 '14 at 16:07
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    I am an expat, but explaing the expat part of the question would make the question only unreadable, that is why i tried to be as generic as possible – Andra May 13 '14 at 16:40

1 Answers1

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If you're non-resident and non-citizen you do not submit form W9 to anyone. Form W9 is used to certify that you are a US resident for tax purposes.

If you're not a US resident for tax purposes, you use form W8, not W9. There are several different kinds of form W8, most will either need W8-BEN or W8-ECI, depending on what kind of income they're expecting.

Form W8/W9 is used by the payer to know how to treat your payments from tax perspective. Payments to foreigners (those providing form W8) may be subject to withholding. You need to talk to a US-licensed tax adviser (EA/CPA) about what it means for you and what your options may be (some treaties reduce or eliminate the withholding, some payments don't require it).

littleadv
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