Which W-8 form do I need?
Use a plain-English decision guide and private form finder to narrow down the likely form.
Read the guideW-8 learning centre
Choose the form. Understand every answer.
Plain-English, source-backed guidance for non-U.S. individuals and businesses completing U.S. withholding certificates. Start with the decision you need to make today.
Choose
Start with your status, the kind of income you receive, and your role in the payment. These guides help you identify the form to investigate before you enter personal information.
W-8BEN vs W-9
Understand how U.S. status, not your address, decides which certification a payer may request.
Read the guideW-8BEN vs W-8BEN-E
See how the individual and entity forms differ, and where sole traders and single-member companies land.
Read the guideForm W-8BEN-E explained
Which of the entity form's 30 parts apply to a normal operating company, and what chapter 4 status means.
Read the guideComplete
Work through the fields with the official form and instructions beside you. Examples use fictional details and explain when the safe next step is to ask a qualified adviser.
How to complete Form W-8BEN
A line-by-line guide to the current official form, with a completed fictional example.
Read the guideForeign tax identifying number, by country
Which number goes on Line 6 in 50 countries, where to find it, and when the line can stay blank.
Read the guideTreaty benefits and Line 10
When Line 10 is required, what to write in it, and the royalty rate and article for every treaty country.
Read the guideUnderstand
Learn what happens after signing, when a form normally expires, and why a withholding agent—not the IRS—usually asks for your certificate.
Tax treaties and W-8 forms, explained simply
Visual explanations of treaty countries, withholding, and what to check before claiming a benefit.
Read the guideHow long is Form W-8BEN valid?
Calculate the expiry date from your signing date and learn what ends a form early.
Read the guideWhere do you send Form W-8BEN?
Find out who receives the form and why you generally do not file it with the IRS.
Read the guideWhat happens after you submit?
A practical overview of review, withholding, Form 1042-S, changes in circumstances, and renewal.
Read the guide