W-8BEN
Form W-8BEN certifies to a US payer that you're a foreign person, so they apply the correct US withholding to your income, anywhere from 0% to 30% depending on income type and tax treaty. Individuals file W-8BEN; foreign companies file the W-8BEN-E variant. Amazon, payment processors and US brands collecting it from you aren't being difficult: without a valid form on file they're required to withhold 30% by default.
Every foreign seller meets this form in a marketplace tax interview. For straightforward sales of goods there's usually no US withholding to reduce, the form simply documents your foreign status so the platform doesn't treat you as a US taxpayer or apply backup withholding. Where the treaty fields earn real money is on royalty and service income: a UK author on KDP, for example, claims the US-UK treaty rate of 0% on royalties instead of losing 30% off the top. On $80,000 of royalties, a correctly completed form keeps $24,000 that a blank one would forfeit.
Details that bite: the form expires at the end of the third calendar year after signing, so platforms will re-ask and suspend payouts if ignored; and filing as the wrong entity type, individual versus company, causes mismatches with your EIN or ITIN that stall verification. We handle marketplace tax interviews start to finish for international sellers.
Where this shows up in our work
This isn’t textbook material for us; it’s the day-to-day of keeping seller books right. See how we handle it in practice:
International Sellers→Related terms