Free Form W-8BEN Generator Certify your foreign status online

Fill out IRS Form W-8BEN for a U.S. payer, platform, or bank, and claim a tax treaty rate if one applies. Each answer lands on the official form as you type, ready to download as a PDF or print.

View the form on IRS.gov

How to fill it out: IRS instructions for Form W-8BEN

Who you are

Form W-8BEN is for individuals only. A company or other entity uses Form W-8BEN-E.

The individual who is the beneficial owner of the income. If you own a disregarded entity, enter your own name here, not the entity’s.

Dual citizen? Enter the country where you’re both a citizen and a resident. U.S. citizens can’t use this form; they give a Form W-9.

Permanent residence address

Where you live for income tax purposes. Don’t use a P.O. box, an in-care-of address, or a bank’s address.

Mailing address (line 4) Only if different

Tax ID numbers and date of birth

Fill in what your payer or bank asks for. Most people only need some of these.

Line 5. Only if required, for example to claim treaty benefits without a foreign tax ID. Apply for an ITIN on Form W-7.

Line 6a. The tax number your country of residence issued you. Banks and brokers with U.S. offices usually need it.

Line 8. Usually required by banks and brokers. Printed as MM-DD-YYYY.

Line 7. An account number or code the requester asked you to include.

Tax treaty benefits

Part II. Claim a reduced rate of, or exemption from, U.S. withholding under an income tax treaty.

Are you claiming treaty benefits?

Sign and date

By signing, you certify under penalties of perjury that you’re the beneficial owner, that you’re not a U.S. person, and that the form is correct.

Read the certification
  • I am the individual that is the beneficial owner (or am authorized to sign for the individual that is the beneficial owner) of all the income or proceeds to which this form relates or am using this form to document myself for chapter 4 purposes;
  • The person named on line 1 of this form is not a U.S. person;
  • This form relates to: (a) income not effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States; (b) income effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business in the United States but is not subject to tax under an applicable income tax treaty; (c) the partner’s share of a partnership’s effectively connected taxable income; or (d) the partner’s amount realized from the transfer of a partnership interest subject to withholding under section 1446(f);
  • The person named on line 1 of this form is a resident of the treaty country listed on line 9 of the form (if any) within the meaning of the income tax treaty between the United States and that country; and
  • For broker transactions or barter exchanges, the beneficial owner is an exempt foreign person as defined in the instructions.

You also agree to submit a new form within 30 days if any certification on it becomes incorrect.

Leave blank to use your name from line 1. Agents enter their own name.

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Form W-8BEN, explained

Form W-8BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting (Individuals), tells a U.S. payer or financial institution that you’re a foreign person. It’s also where you claim a reduced rate of, or exemption from, U.S. withholding when your country of residence has an income tax treaty with the United States.

Brokers, banks, online marketplaces, and companies that pay nonresident individuals U.S.-source income, such as dividends, interest, or royalties, ask for it before they pay. Without a valid form, the payer may have to withhold 30%. You hand the form to whoever asked for it, never to the IRS, and it generally stays valid until the end of the third calendar year after the year you sign it, unless something on it changes. Companies and other foreign entities use Form W-8BEN-E instead.

Getting your Form W-8BEN done in minutes

Enter your name and country of citizenship, then the address where you live for tax purposes, not a P.O. box. Add a U.S. or foreign tax number if your payer needs one, decide whether you’re claiming treaty benefits, and sign. The treaty step only asks for the article and rate details when your claim needs them.

Each answer shows up in its box on the official IRS page while you type, and the download and print buttons unlock once the required fields are complete. The PDF is built in your browser. Need another form? See all tax form generators.

Answers to common Form W-8BEN questions

Who needs to fill out Form W-8BEN?

Nonresident alien individuals who receive income from U.S. sources, or who hold an account with a financial institution that asks for it. Typical examples are investors with a U.S. brokerage account and authors, artists, or creators paid royalties by U.S. companies. U.S. citizens and resident aliens use Form W-9, and entities use Form W-8BEN-E.

Where do I send my completed W-8BEN?

To the withholding agent, payer, or financial institution that asked for it, usually by upload or email. Give it to them before the payment is made. Don’t send Form W-8BEN to the IRS.

How do I claim a tax treaty rate?

Choose yes in the treaty step and enter the country where you’re a resident for treaty purposes (line 9). Line 10 is only for claims with extra conditions, such as certain royalties, scholarships, or business profits; there you name the treaty article, the rate, and the type of income. To claim most treaty benefits you also need a U.S. taxpayer identification number on line 5 or a foreign tax ID on line 6a. The IRS publishes the treaties at IRS.gov; if you’re unsure which article applies, ask a tax professional.

Do I need a U.S. tax ID (SSN or ITIN)?

Often not. Line 5 is only required in certain cases, for example when you claim treaty benefits without giving a foreign tax ID on line 6a, or when you’re a partner in a partnership with a U.S. trade or business. If you need an ITIN, you apply on Form W-7.

How long is a W-8BEN valid?

Generally from the date you sign it until the last day of the third calendar year after that. A form signed in 2026 stays valid through December 31, 2029. If anything on it becomes incorrect, for example you move to the United States, you must tell the payer within 30 days and give them a new form.

Can I sign Form W-8BEN electronically?

Only if your withholding agent accepts electronic signatures. The IRS instructions note that simply typing your name isn’t an electronic signature for this purpose. If the person asking for the form wants a handwritten signature, tick “I’ll sign by hand” in the last step, print the form, and sign and date it in ink.

Is my information safe?

Yes. Everything stays in your browser. The PDF is created on your device, and nothing you type, including your tax ID or date of birth, is uploaded to or stored by forms.app. Closing the page clears it, so download your form first.

Is this W-8BEN generator free?

Yes. You can fill out, sign, download, and print Form W-8BEN as often as you need, with no account and no fee.