Filling out the W-8BEN and W-8BEN-E tax form (for nonresident aliens)

Medium works with Tipalti, a trusted mass payments partner, to collect taxpayer information using standardized forms on our submission page.

This page is for taxpayers submitting a W-8 form. If you are a US taxpayer submitting a W-9 form, please see our answers "Filling out the W-9 tax form (for US taxpayers)."

If you are submitting a W-8 form, below are answers to some questions commonly encountered while adding tax information using these forms.

Filling out the tax form

Section 1, "Address" tab

Please enter your details as they appear on your bank records.

1. Type — Select "Individual" or "Company" based on your bank account. Although the button defaults to "Company", you should change to "Individual" if you are an individual.
2. Email address — This email does not need to match the email address attached to your Medium account.
3. First / Middle / Last Name — These names need to match the name on your income tax return. These names do not need to match the name on your Medium account.
4. Address — Include the building number and street name (e.g., "42 Wallaby Way"). P.O. Boxes are not allowed.
5. Address 2 — Include the apartment, suite, unit, building, or floor number.

Section 2, "Select Your Tax Form" tab

If you click "Start the tax form questionnaire" within the form. If you are not a citizen of the United States, you can consult the IRS's W-8BEN instructions for non-US based guidance,

If you are a citizen of the United States or otherwise qualify based on the IRS's W-9 instructions, then you should select the radio button "W9," and the rest of this current article will not apply to you.  For help filling out your W-9, please see our answers in "Filling out the W-9 tax form (for US taxpayers)."

Section 3, "W-8BEN"/”W-8BEN-E” tab

Identification of Beneficial Owner (Part I):

1. For W-8BEN: Name — Enter your legally given name as shown on your income tax return. These names need to match the name entered earlier in this form on the "Address" tab.
2. For W-8BEN-E: Name of Organization  — Enter the full legal name of your organization. If you are a disregarded entity, enter the name of the entity that owns the disregarded entity.
3. Address (State, City, Address, Address 2, Zip) — For Address, include the building number and street name (e.g., "42 Wallaby Way"). For Address 2, include the apartment, suite, unit, building, or floor number. This address is not required to match the address entered earlier in this form on the "Address" tab.

Identification of Beneficial Owner (Continued):

1. U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) — For individuals with a social security number (SSN), the TIN is that SSN.
2. Foreign Tax Identifying Number — Enter your tax identification number issued from your country of residence.

Medium requires a taxpayer identification number (TIN) in order to validate your taxpayer information as approved to earn through the Partner Program. For more information, see our answer in “I am a nonresident alien. Do I need to include a TIN or claim treaty benefits?”

Claim of Treaty Benefits (Part II):

If you reside in one of the countries listed below, please take a moment to re-submit your W-8 form and select your country of residence under the section “Claim of Treaty Benefits (Part II)”. For more information, see our answer in “I am a nonresident alien. Do I need to include a TIN or claim treaty benefits?”

Certification (Part III):

1. Contact email — This email does not need to match the email address used for your Medium account, but is required to match the email entered earlier in this form on the "Address" tab.

If you are not filing as an individual or have other special cases, please refer to the IRS's forms for guidance.

If you used autofill or autocomplete and encountered errors, try entering all fields manually.