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# Tax withholding for artists outside the US

If you're not a US person, US law requires us to withhold tax from your royalties before we pay you. The standard rate is **30%**. If your country has a tax treaty with the US, you can usually lower it by confirming your treaty claim and adding your own country's tax ID in **Settings → Tax Documents**.

## How it works

1. You complete a **W-8BEN** (see *Tax forms: W-9 and W-8BEN*).
2. Until a treaty rate applies, 30% is withheld from your royalties at each payout.
3. If your country has a treaty with the US, a lower rate, sometimes 0%, can apply once you confirm the claim and your tax ID is on file.

## Lower your withholding with a treaty claim

1. Go to **Settings → Tax Documents**.
2. Find the **Tax treaty benefit** card. It shows two numbers side by side: **Withheld from your royalties today** and the rate **With your claim confirmed**.
3. Under **Confirm what you are claiming**, pick the benefit that matches what we pay you. For royalties, that's usually the royalty benefit.
4. Enter your tax ID in **The taxpayer number your country issued you**. This is the number your own tax authority knows you by, such as a National Insurance number, SIN or equivalent. It isn't a US number.
5. Read the declaration and click **Confirm claim**. The button shows the rate that will be withheld.

The new rate applies from your next payout. The card then shows **Your confirmed treaty rate.**

|| Confirming the claim is what makes the treaty rate apply. A claim that's on your form but not confirmed here doesn't lower your withholding.

## If you don't have a tax ID

Some countries don't issue one. Send us a message from the chat on this page, or email team@ammdistro.com, and tell us your country.

## If you see "We haven't added your country's treaty yet"

Send us a message from the chat on this page, or email team@ammdistro.com, and tell us your country. Until it's added, the standard 30% applies.

## Your form's expiry

A W-8 is valid for three calendar years. When yours expires, the statutory rate applies until you file a new one; confirming a treaty claim again won't restore your rate. We send you a new form before your next payout.

## Withdrawing a claim

If you stop being a tax resident of the country you claimed, click **Withdraw this claim**. Withholding returns to 30% on your next payout.

## Common questions

### Is withheld tax lost?
It's paid to the US tax authority on your behalf. Whether you can claim it back or offset it in your own country depends on your country's rules; ask a tax professional.

### I'm a US citizen living abroad.
You're a US person, so you complete a W-9, not a W-8BEN, and this withholding doesn't apply.

### Which rate applies to me?
The **Tax treaty benefit** card shows your current rate and the rate you can get. We can't give tax advice.

**Related:** [Tax forms: W-9 and W-8BEN](https://help.ammlabs.io/en/article/05-tax-forms-w-9-and-w-8ben-11qz1fk/) · [When do I get paid?](https://help.ammlabs.io/en/article/03-when-do-i-get-paid-1undybi/) · [Payout fees](https://help.ammlabs.io/en/article/04-payout-fees-kqv8g/)