W-8 form and tax ID number for Australian authors?

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1

Hi, I’m trying to complete the W-8 form form and am baffled by the tax numbers it needs (i.e. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) or Foreign Tax ID Number)

Just wondering if any Australians have filled this out and what did you use? Can we use our Tax File Number or do we need to apply for an ITIN?

And do we then just declare any income on our BAS or tax return like with any other income from inside Australia?

Apologies if this has been asked before - I’ve searched the forum but couldn’t find an answer.

Many thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

2

I’m not form Australia unfortunately, but if you don’t have an IRS issued tax number, then you should be using a foreign tax ID. That’s basically the number that your country’s tax office uses to identify you as an individual taxpayer. ‘Tax File Number’ sounds as good as any for that.

3

Thanks for your reply. I just filled it out then using my TFN as the Foreign Tax ID Number as you suggested. We’ll see how it goes! I guess I’ll see if it worked next time there’s a sale.

In the meantime, are there no Aussie authors here who can shed some light on this?