W-8BEN (Oct 2021)

The W-8BEN object contains the form fields included in IRS Form W-8BEN. The object appears in the data property of the form object where the formType is w8benOct2021. Properties are named so that they can be easily traced back to the official IRS form. You may want to compare the object to the official IRS Form W-8BEN for reference.

Form W-8BEN includes space for one signature. The signer is identified as the beneficialOwner in the party property of the signature object.

The IRS revises tax forms from time to time. When forms are revised by official bodies, a new form type will be provided by Nextform, and the old form type will remain available, to avoid unexpected changes in fields and disruptions to integrations.


Example Object
{
  "name": "Martin Abades",
  "citizenshipCountry": "es",
  "residenceAddress": "C. de Jaime Vera, 27,",
  "residenceCity": "Madrid",
  "residenceState": "Madrid",
  "residencePostalCode": "28011",
  "residenceCountry": null,
  "mailingAddress": null,
  "mailingCity": null,
  "mailingState": null,
  "mailingPostalCode": null,
  "mailingCountry": null,
  "usTaxId": null,
  "foreignTaxId": "X2482300W",
  "foreignTaxIdNotRequired": false,
  "referenceNumber": null,
  "birthDate": "1975-05-15T00:00:00.000Z",
  "taxTreatyCountry": "es",
  "taxTreatyCitation": "12(2)",
  "taxTreatyRate": 0.05,
  "taxTreatyIncomeType": "copyright12",
  "taxTreatyExplanation": null
}

Properties

name string required

The full name of the beneficial owner.


citizenshipCountry string required

The two-letter ISO country code associated with the beneficial owner's citizenship.


residenceAddress string required

The physical address of the beneficial owner's residence.


residenceCity string required

The city of the beneficial owner's residence.


residenceState string required

The state of the beneficial owner's residence.


residencePostalCode string required

The postal code of the beneficial owner's residence.


residenceCountry string required

The two-letter ISO country code associated with the beneficial owner's residence.


mailingAddress string optional

The mailing address of the beneficial owner, if different than the physical address.


mailingCity string optional

The city of the beneficial owner's mailing address.


mailingState string optional

The state of the beneficial owner's mailing address.


mailingPostalCode string optional

The postal code of the beneficial owner's mailing address.


mailingCountry string optional

The two-letter ISO country code associated with the beneficial owner's mailing address.


usTaxId string optional

A nine-digit U.S. tax identification number, which can be either a Social Security Number (SSN) or an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).


foreignTaxId string optional

The tax identification number associated with the beneficial owner's country of residence.


foreignTaxIdNotRequired boolean optional

A boolean value indicating when a foreign tax id is not legally required. Take note that this is a negative statement, mirroring the wording on the official W-8BEN form. As such, a true value indicates that a foreign tax ID is not legally required. For the countries listed on this IRS web page, a foreign tax ID number is not legally required. The IRS may add countries to this list over time.


referenceNumber string optional

Optional field for reference numbers. Note that if you would like to attach an internal user account number to the form, you will want to set the reference field on the session object rather than rely on the reference number field.


birthDate date optional

The date of birth of the beneficial owner. This field is typically only required for financial accounts.


taxTreatyCountry string optional

The two-letter ISO country code of the country for tax treaty purposes.


taxTreatyCitation string optional

The article and paragraph of the citation claimed for tax treaty purposes.


taxTreatyRate float optional

The withholding rate claimed for tax treaty purposes. For example, a 15% rate would be represented as 0.15.


taxTreatyIncomeType enum optional

The type of income for tax treaty purposes. Valid values are:

  • interest1 (Interest Paid by U.S. Obligors)
  • dividend6 (Dividends Paid by U.S. Corporations)
  • dividend7 (Dividends Qualifying for Direct Dividend Rate)
  • pension15 (Pensions and Annuities)
  • socialSecurity (Social Security)
  • equipment10 (Industrial Equipment)
  • knowhow10 (Know-How/Other Industrial Royalties)
  • patent10 (Patents)
  • film11 (Film & TV)
  • copyright12 (Copyrights)

taxTreatyExplanation string optional

An optional explanation for the tax treaty claimed.