Getting a US tax ID number?
Adrian Howard
Question for anybody who isn't a US citizen, but has done work for US organisations.
I'm a UK citizen, and based in the UK. I've done remote work for US companies in the past and I'm usually asked for a US bank account. I've avoided getting one so far by allowing invoices to be paid by paypal/credit card.
This time - I'm being asked for a US tax ID number too. I've not been asked for one before, I'm not entirely sure what one is, neither does my (UK) accountant, and a quick Google doesn't reveal much of use.
Has anybody gone through this process before? If so can you give rough indications of what the time/money costs for setting one up are? Do you need a US bank account to have one?
Just want to get some idea of whether the effort is going to be worth the pay off :-)
Ta,
Adrian
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Adrian Howard
Advice still welcome though :-)
Adrian
J. B. Rainsberger
> Ah. I've just discovered it's also referred to as a Employer Identification Number (EIN) which is leading to more useful search results.
>
> Advice still welcome though :-)
I don't know whether it was easier for me being a Canadian
corporation, but I believe you can start here:
http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html?portlet=4
Good luck. I mean that.
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Adrian Howard
On 27 Feb 2012, at 12:12, J. B. Rainsberger wrote:
>> Ah. I've just discovered it's also referred to as a Employer Identification Number (EIN) which is leading to more useful search results.
>>
>> Advice still welcome though :-)
>
> I don't know whether it was easier for me being a Canadian
> corporation, but I believe you can start here:
>
> http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/article/0,,id=102767,00.html?portlet=4
I'd just managed to find that before your mail... which means I'm now trying to find out how to get an ITIN so I can then apply for an EIN!
Somebody else has told me that it's probably most tax efficient in the UK to set up a separate US LLC too. All in all the process looks like it's going to take between 10-18 weeks with what I know now. This may be more trouble than it's worth...
> Good luck. I mean that.
Thanks! I'm now curious to know whether the US organisations I've worked for before were doing something naughty by paying my dev invoices directly :-)
Cheers,
J. B. Rainsberger
> I'd just managed to find that before your mail... which means I'm now trying to find out how to get an ITIN so I can then apply for an EIN!
Perhaps that was my shortcut: I just used my Canadian national
business registration number.
> Somebody else has told me that it's probably most tax efficient in the UK to set up a separate US LLC too. All in all the process looks like it's going to take between 10-18 weeks with what I know now. This may be more trouble than it's worth…
Can you work through a small US corporation that doesn't require that
you have an EIN?
> Thanks! I'm now curious to know whether the US organisations I've worked for before were doing something naughty by paying my dev invoices directly :-)
I don't think so. I don't really know.
Adrian Howard
On 27 Feb 2012, at 12:50, J. B. Rainsberger wrote:
> Can you work through a small US corporation that doesn't require that
> you have an EIN?
Possibly. I'm digging further with the client to find out why they need it. From what I can see from Googling the absolute most they should need would be an ITIN.
We shall see...
J. B. Rainsberger
>
> On 27 Feb 2012, at 12:50, J. B. Rainsberger wrote:
>
>> Can you work through a small US corporation that doesn't require that
>> you have an EIN?
>
> Possibly. I'm digging further with the client to find out why they need it. From what I can see from Googling the absolute most they should need would be an ITIN.
I put no SSN, no ITIN on my SS-4 form. I don't know whether you'd need
it, too. I was applying for an EIN to avoid the US withholding tax
from income. Are you applying for a different reason?
I suppose you could send in an SS-4 form without an ITIN and see what
they say. :)
Thanks.
George Dinwiddie
There's an online form that will give you an EIN immediately (maybe on a
provisional basis). I suspect that using the EIN will mean you'll have
to file a US tax return for the company. IANAL, and suggest you check
with a lawyer or tax accountant for advice.
- George
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Adrian Howard
On 28 Feb 2012, at 03:03, George Dinwiddie wrote:
> There's an online form that will give you an EIN immediately (maybe on a provisional basis).
Only if you already have an SSN (I'm not from the US) or ITIN (several week wait)
:)