So, Dreamstime is going to withdraw 30% from now on for all residents on non treaty countries?
What happened to the fact that Dreamstime is not a US based company?

Needs work.  Kept refusing my submission because I didn't include an Employer ID.  Finally gave up and put my SSN in both the SSN and Employer ID fields and got past that hurdle.

Same here :-)

So, Dreamstime is going to withdraw 30% from now on for all residents on non treaty countries?
What happened to the fact that Dreamstime is not a US based company?

It is legally based in Tennessee, USA.

Thanks Lisa - hadn't seen that.
Steve

As FT backed down on the requirement for an ITIN, I am sure DT will as well.  Just look at the forum and it is already full of people demanding them to drop the ITIN requirement.  What will it be like when everyone finds out?  I find it hard to believe that they haven't sent out an email about this.  Don't the sites care about us anymore?  What happens to the people that don't read forums?

deleted

is there a date cut? like before the date all the payment isn't taxed?

if there is a date, contributors who got affected should drawn it before the date.

is there a date cut? like before the date all the payment isn't taxed?

if there is a date, contributors who got affected should drawn it before the date.

15th September

Oh God... here we go again.  I'm sure we all remember seeing some non-US contributors go through all the hoops, travel miles, spend the money etc to get an ITIN, only to find that they never needed it in the first place with both SS and FT - and Veer.  Those agencies obviously discovered something very precise in the legal wording that caused them to change their policy.  Does anyone know exactly what they discovered, so we can point DT to that information?

^ Yes. Although I doubt many people leave any significant amounts there.

Well, there may be exceptions, like FD :]]

So, Dreamstime is going to withdraw 30% from now on for all residents on non treaty countries?

No. If you read their statement any tax witholdings will only apply to earnings from US sales. As a European contributor your US sales are likely to be 15-20% of total earnings. If so, for a non-treaty contributor, your witholdings will therefore be closer to 6-7% to total earnings.

At least that is one point that SS appear to have learned from the mistakes at SS & FT.

Thanks Lisa for the heads-up on this issue.

Quote from: gostwyck on September 01, 2010, 03:35

Quote from: Dreamframer on August 31, 2010, 12:51

So, Dreamstime is going to withdraw 30% from now on for all residents on non treaty countries?

No. If you read their statement any tax witholdings will only apply to earnings from US sales. As a European contributor your US sales are likely to be 15-20% of total earnings. If so, for a non-treaty contributor, your witholdings will therefore be closer to 6-7% to total earnings.

At least that is one point that SS appear to have learned from the mistakes at SS & FT.

Thanks Lisa for the heads-up on this issue.

On SS it's also only US sales but on FT it's all sales (it still is, they haven't changed it). I really don't understand why it comes to this difference?

Sorry, you're wrong. On Fotolia the withdraw only for sales in the US. At least for me...

Quote from: LostOne on September 01, 2010, 04:08

Quote from: gostwyck on September 01, 2010, 03:35

Quote from: Dreamframer on August 31, 2010, 12:51

So, Dreamstime is going to withdraw 30% from now on for all residents on non treaty countries?

No. If you read their statement any tax witholdings will only apply to earnings from US sales. As a European contributor your US sales are likely to be 15-20% of total earnings. If so, for a non-treaty contributor, your witholdings will therefore be closer to 6-7% to total earnings.

At least that is one point that SS appear to have learned from the mistakes at SS & FT.

Thanks Lisa for the heads-up on this issue.

On SS it's also only US sales but on FT it's all sales (it still is, they haven't changed it). I really don't understand why it comes to this difference?

Sorry, you're wrong. On Fotolia the withdraw only for sales in the US. At least for me...

You are right , for a non-treaty contributor on FT its only for sales in US , but you have to fill the form anyway , if u dont they take from every sale , at least it was like that for me

Quote from: peresanz on September 01, 2010, 04:11

Sorry, you're wrong. On Fotolia the withdraw only for sales in the US. At least for me...

You submitted the form right? I didn't and they withdraw tax on all of my sales.

I guess I did. So I understand that you didn't and now you cannot revert it and send the correct one?

Quote from: Dreamframer on August 31, 2010, 12:51

So, Dreamstime is going to withdraw 30% from now on for all residents on non treaty countries?

No. If you read their statement any tax witholdings will only apply to earnings from US sales. As a European contributor your US sales are likely to be 15-20% of total earnings. If so, for a non-treaty contributor, your witholdings will therefore be closer to 6-7% to total earnings.

At least that is one point that SS appear to have learned from the mistakes at SS & FT.

Thanks Lisa for the heads-up on this issue.

Yes, I forgot about that. That's not too bad. Thx

^ Yes. Although I doubt many people leave any significant amounts there. Well, there may be exceptions, like FD :]]

Ah, you have been spying on the DT forum!   - Yes I forgot to ask payout for a while and I was stuck with about 1300$. As soon as I found out the rule would be applied after Sept 15, I rushed to ask payout. I hope they'll do it before Sept 15.  

Here's the IRS site:
http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96287,00.html

"Who needs an ITIN?
IRS issues ITINs to foreign nationals and others who have federal tax reporting or filing requirements and do not qualify for SSNs. A non-resident alien individual not eligible for a SSN who is required to file a U.S. tax return only to claim a refund of tax under the provisions of a U.S. tax treaty needs an ITIN.

Other examples of individuals who need ITINs include:
   � A nonresident alien required to file a U.S. tax return
   � A U.S. resident alien (based on days present in the United States) filing a U.S. tax return
   � A dependent or spouse of a U.S. citizen/resident alien
   � A dependent or spouse of a nonresident alien visa holder


How do I know if I need an ITIN?
If you do not have a SSN and are not eligible to obtain a SSN, but you have a requirement to furnish a federal tax identification number or file a federal income tax return, you must apply for an ITIN.
If you have an application for a SSN pending, do not file Form W-7. Complete Form W-7 only if the Social Security Administration (SSA) notifies you that a SSN cannot be issued.
To obtain a SSN, see Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security Card. To get Form SS-5 or to find out if you are eligible to obtain a SSN, go to Social Security Administration Website or contact a SSA office. By law, an alien individual cannot have both an ITIN and a SSN.
IRS processes returns showing SSNs or ITINs in the blanks where tax forms request SSNs. IRS no longer accepts, and will not process, forms showing "SSA205c," "applied for," "NRA," blanks, etc."

It sounds to me like if you don't have to file US income taxes you don't need one and the way it sounds is that you don't need one unless you are filing for a refund..Am I understanding that right???

Here is something else that may be a concern

"The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Individual Tax Identification Number (ITIN) Program is announcing a moratorium effective January 1st through April 30th, 2010 on all new Forms 13551, Application to Participate in the IRS Acceptance Agent Program.

During the moratorium, the IRS will not accept or process Forms 13551, Application to Participate in the IRS Acceptance Agent Program. Only amendments to existing, approved agreements will be accepted during the moratorium. The ITIN Program will resume accepting applications during the new 2010  Acceptance Agent Open Season, effective May 1 through August 31, 2010."

I personally don't need one because I am in the Us...this is just info for those of you that have questions..

Last post on page 7 by Achilles:

For now we will accept the W8BEN forms without the ITIN number and will continue to investigate this. To be 100% safe we continue to recommend to use the "applied for" option and to send the documents to the IRS.

There is no guarantee we will be able to withhold at the treaty rate if you didn't provide an ITIN and you didn't use the "applied for" option. But once again we will investigate this and for now we will use the same withholding rates as if you provide the ITIN, given that you are from a treaty country.

Considering that the launch is not far, it is better to make sure that the W8BEN forms are filled. If you encounter any issues please email support. Hope this makes everyone comfortable.

http://www.dreamstime.com/forumm_23797_pg7

Hi Donding  
I've seen your post on DT forum. 5 minutes ago.
Thank you for taking the time to investigate this.
You're an American citizen, you live in Texas, it has nothing at all to do with you, thank you for trying your best to help us out

Fingers crossed

Heh I gotta look out for you Anna...

Hahahah Donding !
Someone's got to do it and I'm glad it's you

Hopefully Dreamstime will do the right thing and spare us the hassle.
I'm keeping my hopes high

At least they have made a sensible decision quickly.  I hope they can soon set this up the same way as the other sites.

At least they have made a sensible decision quickly.  I hope they can soon set this up the same way as the other sites.

Sharpshot, they have not made a sensible decision quickly.  This is what they have been asking us to do from the beginning.  They want you to tick the "applied for" option to cover their own arse.  If you tick this box and never apply for it and the decision about the ITIN turns around then you have not covered yourself.  Do you really want, 10 years down the track, the IRS chasing you for money you owe them because you ticked that box, did not apply for an ITIN and dreamstime didn't withhold 30%.  The IRS and tax company will also charge you interest on anything owed to them.  Do you really want this type of headache down the track?  At least with FT and SS, who only charge the treaty amount without the ITIN have come up with a solution and have spoken to the IRS.  Contributors are covered with them.  It is better to hold off and lose some tax dollars while DT sorts themselves out, then you getting caught out later on.

Please, rethink ticking the applied for option unless you're absolutely certain you will apply for it. 

Adios

(this is sunnymars)

Quote from: sharpshot on September 01, 2010, 16:53

At least they have made a sensible decision quickly.  I hope they can soon set this up the same way as the other sites.

Sharpshot, they have not made a sensible decision quickly.  This is what they have been asking us to do from the beginning.  They want you to tick the "applied for" option to cover their own arse.  If you tick this box and never apply for it and the decision about the ITIN turns around then you have not covered yourself.  Do you really want, 10 years down the track, the IRS chasing you for money you owe them because you ticked that box, did not apply for an ITIN and dreamstime didn't withhold 30%.  The IRS and tax company will also charge you interest on anything owed to them.  Do you really want this type of headache down the track?  At least with FT and SS, who only charge the treaty amount without the ITIN have come up with a solution and have spoken to the IRS.  Contributors are covered with them.  It is better to hold off and lose some tax dollars while DT sorts themselves out, then you getting caught out later on.

Please, rethink ticking the applied for option unless you're absolutely certain you will apply for it. 

Adios

(this is sunnymars)

I never had any intention of ticking the applied for option as I'm not applying for it.  I was referring to their post that they will now accept the form without the ITIN and will investigate further.  If the only option is to tick the applied for box, I wont fill out the form.  I wont look until September 14th, hopefully we wont have to tick the applied for box by then.

Quote from: concerned on September 01, 2010, 18:34

Quote from: sharpshot on September 01, 2010, 16:53

At least they have made a sensible decision quickly.  I hope they can soon set this up the same way as the other sites.

Sharpshot, they have not made a sensible decision quickly.  This is what they have been asking us to do from the beginning.  They want you to tick the "applied for" option to cover their own arse.  If you tick this box and never apply for it and the decision about the ITIN turns around then you have not covered yourself.  Do you really want, 10 years down the track, the IRS chasing you for money you owe them because you ticked that box, did not apply for an ITIN and dreamstime didn't withhold 30%.  The IRS and tax company will also charge you interest on anything owed to them.  Do you really want this type of headache down the track?  At least with FT and SS, who only charge the treaty amount without the ITIN have come up with a solution and have spoken to the IRS.  Contributors are covered with them.  It is better to hold off and lose some tax dollars while DT sorts themselves out, then you getting caught out later on.

Please, rethink ticking the applied for option unless you're absolutely certain you will apply for it. 

Adios

(this is sunnymars)

I never had any intention of ticking the applied for option as I'm not applying for it.  I was referring to their post that they will now accept the form without the ITIN and will investigate further.  If the only option is to tick the applied for box, I wont fill out the form.  I wont look until September 14th, hopefully we wont have to tick the applied for box by then.

Things are going fast. This is a recent post by a DT Admin:
Message posted at 09/02/2010, 03:11:56 AM by Tano - member is an admin     
   
Originally posted by Kaspri:
Quoted Message: Not true, actually -- since it is still impossible to submit the form without checking the "applied for (10%)" button in section 6!


We have fixed this.
You don't need to fill the ITIN field anymore

They repeated the same steps as SS and FT did before. Is unbelievable how unprofessionally can be a company conducted. Yesterday, after the rush of complaints in their forum they stated that they where assisted by layers and they where sure about the ITIN number and all that $hit.  A few ours later they tell us to tick the box and wait what happens. Now, no ITIN anymore... Sounds very amateur to me.

What does seem amateur is the deadline of September 15th, when people on vacation wont know about this.  They also haven't sent an email, lots of people wont know anything about this and that's really bad.

Well DT put up a very big fat notice on the front page. I can't imagine any serious contributor not checking DT at least once per 3 days or so.

Finally got an email form them.

Please note that IF you are a resident of Brazil, which has no income tax treaty with the United States, we will be required to deduct a 30% withholding tax from your Dreamstime earnings coming from US buyers.

Any idea of the % of the sales at DT that come from US?  In FT it is a minority, so it didn't affect me much.

Finally got an email form them.

Quote

Please note that IF you are a resident of Brazil, which has no income tax treaty with the United States, we will be required to deduct a 30% withholding tax from your Dreamstime earnings coming from US buyers.

Any idea of the % of the sales at DT that come from US?  In FT it is a minority, so it didn't affect me much.

Hey! I received email too, my witholding tax is 0%, but that must be mistake... Croatia is non treaty country like Brazil.. It has to be 30%...

Quote from: madelaide on September 10, 2010, 06:26

Finally got an email form them.

Quote

Please note that IF you are a resident of Brazil, which has no income tax treaty with the United States, we will be required to deduct a 30% withholding tax from your Dreamstime earnings coming from US buyers.

Any idea of the % of the sales at DT that come from US?  In FT it is a minority, so it didn't affect me much.

Hey! I received email too, my witholding tax is 0%, but that must be mistake... Croatia is non treaty country like Brazil.. It has to be 30%...

I got an email saying thanks for filling out the form , they have processed it and they will now take 30% witholding according to my country's tax treaty. Only problem is I'm an American Citizen, they shouldn't withold anything.
Maybe they have us mixed up borg - due to my Croatian last name. 

They're looking into it,

just got the email and the form wants the ITIN. Nice of them to give us 5 days notice to go through a process that takes a couple of months (even though we dont need to)

Erm....should I say my case, or should I keep silent...   

I had been blissfully unaware of this until I got an email today. But the online form is pre-filled and all I had to do was check for correctness and sign and upload ID. Very grateful it was so simple this time around! 

I got an email from DT where they say that my withholding rate is 0% while it should be 5% (as stated correctly in the W8 form).

It should be 30% in my case - as they had already pointed out - but the confirmation email also said 0%, so I suppose it's a standard text, by mistake.

Got my first taxed subs today - 24c.   

Unlike FT, it isn't clear that a sale came from USA.  In the subs case, it was clear, but I had a credit sale, getting me US$1.10 - how to tell? 

I just got three 24� subs.  DT has never been that low before.  I don't know whats going on... but I just sent in the tax info....  Maybe they're deducting? 

Yep, he changed his mind. Achilles now says -

"In regards to the withholding tax, it is now live. The earnings that enter your account already have this tax withheld. Unlike the initial scenario, where the taxes would be removed at payment request, we decided to remove them from each sale. This way you will be able to request payment immediately as you hit $100. Furthermore, we will pay these taxes no matter if you reach the $100 or not."

Sure would have been nice to let us know before the fact. It doesn't affect me (US) but I don't like it when things are changed without any announcement. Sure, they are fine-tuning this new tax setup but let the contributors know what's up. Many (most?) do not read the DT forums post by post and this is buried.

I just got the exact same e-mail from Erin adressed to Brad Calkins also, probably a mistake....

I just got the exact same e-mail from Erin adressed to Brad Calkins also, probably a mistake....

Yes, me too... I guess they are now flooded with mails from all non-Brad Calkins'es 

Bad news.. I received the same letter again asking for ITIN but with my name this time....

Well, I applied for an ITIN anyhow, because I need it for other purposes as well. But it is a nuisance.

new e-mail:

You received the letter because you marked "applied for" for the ITIN on your W-8 form. If you want to apply for the ITIN, you will need the letter below and this is the reason we sent it. If you are not applying for the ITIN, then please just disregard the letter.

alright, same email here too. He apologized afterall.
Why does every agency have to go through this "ITIN hysteria" everytime they discover we need to be taxed?
How frustrating  

This Brad Calkins is gonna be real famous! ahahah

I was kind of hoping to get my few minutes of fame some other way