Form W-8BENW-8BEN
Certifies you are not a US person, so a payer withholds at the treaty rate instead of the flat 30%.
Edition 10/2021
Version last read from the agency on September 28, 2026
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About Form W-8BEN
Who fills it in
A nonresident alien who is the beneficial owner of an amount subject to U.S. withholding gives Form W-8BEN to the withholding agent or payer — whether or not they claim a reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding.
Where it goes
Give it to the person who asked for it, before the payment is made or credited to you. Do not send Form W-8BEN to the IRS.
When
It generally stays in effect from the day you sign it until the last day of the third calendar year after that — a form signed on September 30, 2015 was valid through December 31, 2018 — unless a change makes it incorrect.
Watch out for
- Give a new form when a change in your circumstances makes anything on it incorrect.
- The form carries your foreign tax identifying number and address, so send it the way you would any document with that information.
Read from the agency’s pages on October 8, 2026: IRS — About Form W-8 BEN · IRS — Instructions for Form W-8BEN
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Related documents
All forms- Form W-2GW-2GA casino or lottery reports your gambling winnings and any tax already withheld.
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