Why does Google AdSense hate British people?

January 28, 2009 5:35 AM

Tax forms for a Brit trying to receive Google AdSense income...

Usually when I get money from US companies I fill-in a W-8BEN form, and thereby tell them my ITIN number (I'm UK born and resident but visited the embassy to get an International tax number). This stops them taking tax via the international tax treaty etc.

Google wants me to fill in a Form 8233 instead. I've had a look at the form and this seems entirely wrong -- it asks for a US address, a passport number, and so on. Most of the fields are entirely irrelevant.

Have you filled one of these in successfully? Why fields did you fill-in? Did you find a way of getting Google to accept a W-8BEN?

posted by deeper red to computers & internet (3 comments total)

Does your business have any "U.S. Activities"? e.g. does your business own a web server in the states, or have U.S. based employees? If not, then you don't need to fill in any tax forms for Google.

I assume that you have looked at their tax information page?
posted by sevenyearlurk at 8:39 AM on January 28

Does your business have any "U.S. Activities"? e.g. does your business own a web server in the states, or have U.S. based employees? If not, then you don't need to fill in any tax forms for Google.

No.

But won't Google just deduct 30% from what I earn?
posted by deeper red at 8:54 AM on January 28

I have yet to earn enough to be allowed to even fill out their tax forms, but my understanding is 'No'. If you are a non-US Business, with no US activities, you simply agree to a statement to this effect on their tax page, and then the payee does not pay taxes in the U.S..
posted by sevenyearlurk at 9:00 AM on January 28