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Guidelines, Policies, and Forms
Tax Treatment for Payments to Photographers
Tax reporting and treatment for payments made under Dreamstime's [Payment Policy to Photographers] is summarized below. This page does not constitute tax advice; recipients of payments should consult their own tax advisors for such advice.
Select the option that applies best in your case:
For individuals: I'm a US Citizen or US Resident Alien
For individuals: I'm NOT a US Citizen or US Resident Alien
For Companies: My Company is an LLC, Partnership or Corporation Organized under US Law
For Companies: My Company is NOT an LLC, Partnership or Corporation Organized under US Law
If I'm NOT a US Citizen or US Resident Alien
If you are an individual that is not a US citizen and not a US resident alien, you will need to check if you are resident of a country with an income tax treaty with the United States. For your convenience, please click here for a list of countries that have income tax treaties with the United States.
List of countries and applicable withholding rates
If you are an individual resident of a country with an income tax treaty with the United States, in order to benefit from any reduced rate of US withholding tax, you will need to submit to Dreamstime a properly completed Form W-8BEN. If you have any questions on properly completing the Form W-8BEN, please consult the link to the Form W-8BEN Instructions below. Please also submit to Dreamstime a certified copy of an official document (such as a driver's license or passport) issued by an authorized governmental body showing your name, address and photograph. If the official document is more than three year old, please also submit to Dreamstime a recent bank statement, utility bill or medical bill showing your current residence.
If you are an individual that is not a resident of a country with an income tax treaty with the United States, you will still need to submit a W-8BEN to Dreamstime. However, in that case, a 30% US withholding tax rate is applicable to payments made by Dreamstime to you.
Click here to fill online W-8BEN Form | W-8 BEN Instructions | Click here for an example of the filled form
W-7 Form [PDF]
Please note that aggregate payments of $100 or more during a calendar year to photographers that are "non-resident aliens" will be reported on a 1042-S form as "Royalties."
THE ABOVE DISCUSSION IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TAX ADVICE OR A SUBSTITUTE FOR CAREFUL TAX PLANNING WITH A TAX PROFESSIONAL. YOU ARE STRONGLY URGED TO CONSULT YOUR OWN TAX ADVISOR ABOUT THE US FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL INCOME TAX CONSEQUENCES OF PAYMENTS MADE BY DREAMSTIME TO YOU, INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO TAX REPORTING AND RECORD KEEPING REQUIREMENTS.
IRS Circular 230 disclosure:
To ensure compliance with requirements imposed by the Internal Revenue Service, we inform you that any U.S. tax advice contained on this Website is not intended or written to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (i) avoiding penalties under the Internal Revenue Code or applicable provisions of state and local tax law or (ii) promoting, marketing, or recommending to another party any transaction or matter addressed herein.