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Getting IRS Forms from Fiverr?


jonathantoler

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Hey guys,

I’ve had a couple of great experiences with Fiverr but I am struggling in getting a W-8 IRS form form the company. This is the form that lets me tell my accounting people that Fiverr is not based in the US.

Has anyone run into this issue? Since Fiverr’s name is on my CC statement instead of the seller…I can’t just ask the seller for his/hers.

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You don’t need that form. You also should get a new accountant.

If you live in the U.S. and earned money, even from a company that is not based in the U.S. you just go ahead and pay taxes on your income.

There is no reason to tell anyone that fiverr is not based in the U.S. as you pay the same taxes no matter where it is.

I was just reading about that form so if you are a foreigner in the U.S. then you may need it, I’m not sure:

Purpose of Form
This form is used by foreign entities to document their
status for purposes of chapter 3 and chapter 4, as well as
for certain other Code provisions as described later in
these instructions.
Foreign persons are subject to U.S. tax at a 30% rate
(the foreign-person withholding rate) on income they
receive from U.S. sources that consists of:
Interest (including certain original issue discount (OID));
Dividends;
Rents;
Royalties;
Premiums;
Annuities;
Compensation for, or in expectation of, services
performed;
Substitute payments in a securities lending transaction;
or
Other fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains,
profits, or income.

So you may indeed need that form. It is my understanding that since fiverr has many offices located in the U.S. then that qualifies them as a U.S. company even if their headquarters is in another country as far as being a U.S. company for tax purposes.

If you have contacted customer support than I have no answer for how to get that form.
I think you need to pay tax to the U.S. government at a 30% rate if you earned over $600.

I don’t see that you have any reviews and you just joined in December of 2016 so you may not have earned enough to worry about taxes.

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You don’t need that form. You also should get a new accountant.

If you live in the U.S. and earned money, even from a company that is not based in the U.S. you just go ahead and pay taxes on your income.

There is no reason to tell anyone that fiverr is not based in the U.S. as you pay the same taxes no matter where it is.

I was just reading about that form so if you are a foreigner in the U.S. then you may need it, I’m not sure:

Purpose of Form

This form is used by foreign entities to document their

status for purposes of chapter 3 and chapter 4, as well as

for certain other Code provisions as described later in

these instructions.

Foreign persons are subject to U.S. tax at a 30% rate

(the foreign-person withholding rate) on income they

receive from U.S. sources that consists of:

Interest (including certain original issue discount (OID));

Dividends;

Rents;

Royalties;

Premiums;

Annuities;

Compensation for, or in expectation of, services

performed;

Substitute payments in a securities lending transaction;

or

Other fixed or determinable annual or periodical gains,

profits, or income.

So you may indeed need that form. It is my understanding that since fiverr has many offices located in the U.S. then that qualifies them as a U.S. company even if their headquarters is in another country as far as being a U.S. company for tax purposes.

If you have contacted customer support than I have no answer for how to get that form.

I think you need to pay tax to the U.S. government at a 30% rate if you earned over $600.

I don’t see that you have any reviews and you just joined in December of 2016 so you may not have earned enough to worry about taxes.

Hey Misscrystal thanks for answering but I thing I made a mistake in my description of my issue.

I am a buyer and I work for a corporation that buys services on Fiverr. So I have spent about $600 bucks on Fiverr so far in 2017 and my accounts payable team says that our company needs some sort of proof that Fiverr is either a US Corporation (W-9 Form) or not a US corporation. (W-8 Form)

Essentially what the form does for a buyer like me is that it tells our auditors that we gave Fiverr a few thousand dollars and we are not responsible for any tax liability.

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Hey Misscrystal thanks for answering but I thing I made a mistake in my description of my issue.

I am a buyer and I work for a corporation that buys services on Fiverr. So I have spent about $600 bucks on Fiverr so far in 2017 and my accounts payable team says that our company needs some sort of proof that Fiverr is either a US Corporation (W-9 Form) or not a US corporation. (W-8 Form)

Essentially what the form does for a buyer like me is that it tells our auditors that we gave Fiverr a few thousand dollars and we are not responsible for any tax liability.

You should figure out a way to work around this in case you never get that form from fiverr.

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Hey Misscrystal thanks for answering but I thing I made a mistake in my description of my issue.

I am a buyer and I work for a corporation that buys services on Fiverr. So I have spent about $600 bucks on Fiverr so far in 2017 and my accounts payable team says that our company needs some sort of proof that Fiverr is either a US Corporation (W-9 Form) or not a US corporation. (W-8 Form)

Essentially what the form does for a buyer like me is that it tells our auditors that we gave Fiverr a few thousand dollars and we are not responsible for any tax liability.

I think there must be some sort of confusion there. Logically, if a corporation is not a US corporation, then does it have to follow US IRS regulations and issue you a form for that?

Where is Fiverr incorporated anyway? I assumed due to the full name that it is not in the US. I was looking at the ToS a few weeks ago too and it was mysteriously silent on jurisdiction (unless I missed it).

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A foreign corporation that has an office in the U.S. and gets some of it’s income from the U.S. has to comply with U.S. tax laws.

I’m just not aware of any law that says if you buy something you have to pay tax on it, aside from sales tax. You certainly don’t have to pay any federal tax if you are the buyer.

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A foreign corporation that has an office in the U.S. and gets some of it’s income from the U.S. has to comply with U.S. tax laws.

I’m just not aware of any law that says if you buy something you have to pay tax on it, aside from sales tax. You certainly don’t have to pay any federal tax if you are the buyer.

That’s right. I need to quit looking at the forums when I’m tired. And I should have remembered - I just had a lot of trouble getting sales tax figured out.

Don’t forget use tax too.

@jonathantoler, it looks to me like the W-8 is for foreign people and businesses and their dealings with the IRS (i.e. when they pay taxes). I do see that the IRS appears to have rules for what you have to assume if you don’t have a W-8.Please check with the IRS.

Wait a minute…

I had someone install 2 doors last year, and this year they sent me a W-9. I thought it was a mistake - I have no idea what I’d do with it. The W-9 mentions that it’s needed if someone requests it to file an information return and then gives examples (i.e. a 1099 I think). Is a W-8 the same way?

In any case, make sure your accounts payable people understand that Fiverr is a platform, not the person you actually bought something from. And consult with the IRS and a trusted tax adviser (not me 🙂).

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That’s right. I need to quit looking at the forums when I’m tired. And I should have remembered - I just had a lot of trouble getting sales tax figured out.

Don’t forget use tax too.

@jonathantoler, it looks to me like the W-8 is for foreign people and businesses and their dealings with the IRS (i.e. when they pay taxes). I do see that the IRS appears to have rules for what you have to assume if you don’t have a W-8.Please check with the IRS.

Wait a minute…

I had someone install 2 doors last year, and this year they sent me a W-9. I thought it was a mistake - I have no idea what I’d do with it. The W-9 mentions that it’s needed if someone requests it to file an information return and then gives examples (i.e. a 1099 I think). Is a W-8 the same way?

In any case, make sure your accounts payable people understand that Fiverr is a platform, not the person you actually bought something from. And consult with the IRS and a trusted tax adviser (not me 🙂).

A W 9 asks for your social security number which you are obligated to give to anyone who requests it on that form. You will then get a 1099 from them which tells you how much money you received from them and you will need to pay tax on it. This is a new rule this year.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hey guys so all is well now.

Anastasia, one of the Fiverr customer support reps, was able to get in touch with Fiverr’s finance & accounting teams and they were able to provide the W-8 form.

Yeah I think for most people, this isn’t an issue since most of Fiverr’s buyers are individuals / sole proprietors but since I am getting reimbursed by a large, publicly traded corporation…(with a strong audit / compliance department) that’s why I needed the form.

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