W-8BEN for Fiverr Freelancers
This article was created with AI assistance and has not been reviewed by a human editor. It is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute tax, legal, or financial advice.
Generate your W-8BEN for Fiverr in minutes
If you earn money on Fiverr and live outside the US, you may need to submit a W-8BEN form. Our tool helps you generate a completed, ready-to-submit form tailored to your situation.
AI-generated imageWhy Fiverr may ask for tax information
Fiverr and other US platforms often need tax documentation from freelancers who are not US taxpayers. Form W-8BEN is the standard way to show you are a foreign person.
Work you do from outside the United States is not US-source income, so there is no US tax to withhold from it. Without a valid form the payer may hold your payment, or apply 24% backup withholding if it cannot document you as foreign.
It confirms you are a foreign person. A treaty claim in Part II matters only for US-source royalties.
How it works
Answer the wizard's questions
About you, where you live and how Fiverr pays you.
Get the completed form
A filled W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E PDF, ready to check and sign.
Check Part II
The wizard leaves it blank or fills the treaty line, depending on the income type.
Give the platform the signed form
Give the signed form to Fiverr when it asks for US tax information, and keep a copy. A W-8 stays valid until the end of the third calendar year after you sign it.
Ready to start? Start now
Sample: Sophie Marlow's W-8BEN for Fiverr
Sophie's UK UTR is on line 6a and Part II is blank — work done in the UK is not US-source income.
Example only. Sophie Marlow, 41 Gloucester Road, Bristol BS7 8AD, is fictional.
What type of income is Fiverr income?
Income from Fiverr gigs is usually treated as payment for freelance services—business-like income, not wages from a US employer.
Because you do the work outside the United States, the fees are not US-source and you need no treaty article: Part II stays blank. A treaty article matters in two cases: work you perform inside the United States (an individual then uses Form 8233, not W-8BEN), and a licence for your code, design or content used in the US, which is a royalty.
Worked example: a UK voiceover artist on Fiverr
Sophie Marlow records commercial voiceovers and e-learning narration for US-based clients from a treated home studio in Bristol.
Most of Sophie's sessions are recorded in Bristol, which makes that income foreign-source, so her W-8BEN needs no treaty claim. In 2025 she spent two weeks recording in a New York studio for one client, and that portion is US-source. A W-8BEN can't claim a treaty exemption for personal services performed in the US — for that fee she gave the client Form 8233, citing Article 7 of the US–UK treaty (no permanent establishment in the US).
- Work recorded in Bristol: foreign-source — W-8BEN, no treaty claim.
- Two weeks recorded in New York: US-source — treaty exemption claimed on Form 8233, not on the W-8BEN.
What goes on the W-8BEN for Fiverr
- Line 6a: your UK Unique Taxpayer Reference (10 digits). Google and other payers also accept a National Insurance number.
- Part II: leave it blank. Work you do in the UK isn't US-source income.
- Give the signed form to Fiverr when it asks for US tax information, and keep a copy.
Fiverr fees on your UK Self Assessment
Fiverr earnings are normally reported to HMRC through Self Assessment as self-employment income, whether or not the US withheld anything.
Services billed to a client outside the UK (Fiverr's payouts are typically treated this way for VAT purposes) usually fall outside the scope of UK VAT under the general B2B place-of-supply rule—but you may still need your own VAT registration once your turnover crosses the threshold. Confirm your registration status and thresholds with an accountant, since figures change.
- Keep your Fiverr tax confirmation and any Form 1042-S you receive.
- Report Fiverr income through Self Assessment, independent of US withholding.
- Check the VAT registration threshold as your freelance income grows.
Fiverr & W-8BEN FAQ
Do Fiverr freelancers need a W-8BEN?
You need it when Fiverr asks for US tax information on your account. As an individual outside the US the right form is W-8BEN; W-8BEN-E only if a company you own sells on the account. It certifies that you are not a US person, so payments for your work are not treated as payments to a US payee.
Does Fiverr withhold US tax?
Not on work you do outside the US once you are documented as a foreign person: service income is sourced where the services are performed, so it isn't US-source and there is no US tax to withhold. A missing form is the risk — a payer that can't document you as foreign may apply 24% backup withholding.
What tax applies to Fiverr income?
No US tax if you work outside the US, and the W-8BEN needs no treaty claim for that. Fiverr income is taxed in your country of residence as business or self-employment income, after Fiverr's fees, at your normal rates.
Is Fiverr income US-source income?
No, if you do the work outside the US — even when the buyer is American and pays through Fiverr. The IRS sources personal-service income by where the services are performed. A translator in Kyiv delivering for a New York client earns foreign-source income. Only work done while physically in the US, say during a two-week stay, is US-source.
Can I avoid US tax as a non-US freelancer?
W-8BEN is not a way to avoid tax. It helps payers apply the correct withholding when you are a foreign person and, when applicable, claim treaty benefits. You may still have tax obligations in your home country.
Do I need an ITIN?
Not everyone needs an ITIN or SSN to complete W-8BEN. Some treaty claims can be made with a foreign tax identification number. The IRS form instructions explain what applies to you.
Generate your W-8BEN form now
Create your form, sign it, and upload it where Fiverr or your payer asks—start below.
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