Tax Documentation

To ensure tax compliance with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, you are required to update your tax documentation to receive payment. We are required by the U.S. Government to withhold 30% of your royalties earned from sales made by U.S. customers for artists residing in a country that has an absence of a tax treaty with the U.S.. There is no withholding tax for sales made by non-U.S customers for all artists

Reducing Your U.S. Tax

The U.S. has tax treaties with a number of foreign countries. Under these treaties, residents (not necessarily citizens) of foreign countries are taxed at a reduced rate, or are exempt from U.S. taxes.

We do require your tax information to receive payment. You can submit this information using our simple online step-by-step tax interview located in your account tax center.

Requested Tax Information

TurboSquid has conducted a rigorous analysis of its obligations to the IRS. The tax experts that we consulted have advised us that in order to be fully compliant with the Internal Revenue Code, TurboSquid is required to file an information return with the IRS on behalf of all artists. To do so, we must collect the following information:

U.S. Person or Organization

If you are a U.S. person or organization, you will need to provide us with your name, address, and Social Security Number (SSN) or your Employer Identification Number (EIN). As a U.S. person or organization you are entitled to a 0% withholding rate. This rate will be applied after we have validated your Tax Identification Number against the IRS database.

Completing the step-by-step tax interview will generate a completed IRS W-9 form, which you can print from the tax center and keep for your own records. For more information about the W-9 form and request for your taxpayer identification number, please review the W-9 help article on the IRS website.

Non-U.S. Person or Organization

If you are a non-U.S. person or organization, you will need to provide us with your name, address, date of birth, and Tax Identification Number also known in some countries as your National Security Number or Personal Identification Number. If you have previously filed with the IRS and have been provided with an Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN), you should also provide this information. The rate of withholding depends on your country of residence and if there is an active tax treaty with the U.S.

Completing the step-by-step tax interview will generate a completed IRS W-8BEN form for individuals, which you can print from the tax center and keep for your own records. Business entities need to submit an IRS W-8BEN-E form via email to accounting@turbosquid.com. For more information about these forms, please review the W-8BEN article and W-8BEN-E article on the IRS website.