Shutterstock Photographer Forum :: View topic - Withholding taxes

claudiodivizia · Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 338 Location: www.postpop.co.uk

in case ITIN is absolutely necessary (I hope not) may you please post a sample W-7 form to show how we should fill it?

reason: [page 1]; should we check letters a) and h) ?

exceptions: [page 6] 1(d) - is your email a valid "signed letter"? if not, will you send a proper signed one?

notarized or certified copy [page 3]: certified by whom? any civil officer in our country or a special public notar recognised by the USA?

ivanhoe · Joined: 17 Jan 2008 Posts: 171

I think if SS doesn't move from USA, it will lose thousands of photographers...including me. I understand I am not very important to Shutterstock, but I am sure there are many very important photographers who are unsatisfied with this. I just got my first raise (from 25 cents to 33 cents, which means about 30%) and now I got this email. That's not discouraging, that's cruel.
We get miserable 25 cents for image, and we have to pay taxes to US and to our countries. Maybe you should also take my soul...it would be easier to survive all this without one.

christopherhall · Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:05 pm

Are we considered as employees of Shutterstock or as submitters to Shutterstock?

Given the volume of people affected, what help is Shutterstock going to provide in submitting these forms.

What evidence is Shutterstock going to provide to show that we have paid tax on the amount earned from Shutterstock. We will need this when returning tax forms for our own counties.

What benefits do we receive for paying tax as non-resident aliens.

If tax is witheld how will Shutterstock aid anyone who earns less than $3,000 in the US gain a refund from where the money is held.

sistersnl · Joined: 30 Jul 2008 Posts: 43 Location: Netherlands

Could you please explain why this ITIN number is only required for shutterstock and not for other stock sites? Thanks

hilaryaq · Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:06 pm

cajoer · Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Posts: 65

1. If taxes are withdrawn before we get our ITIN, how do we get our money back? Will SS take care of that?

2. How do we get a "certified copy" of our passport? Can we ask our grampa to sign the copy, do we have to go to the embassy, the police, what? Who should sign it?

joseelias · Joined: 06 Sep 2006 Posts: 313 Location: Portugal

Portugal has an agreement with the US government, where I would have to pay 10%.

Does this agreement allow that I use the 10% paid to the IRS, to be deducted in my Portuguese tax obligations? If not, wouldn't I be being taxed twiced for the same thing?

Will the IRS or SS send me any official documentation so that I show in the Portuguese Tax Offices?

Since I'm financing the US (I guess the money will be used to pay for your police, fireman, army), do I have any benefits? Just seems fair...

José Elias

hilaryaq · Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:09 pm

Why should users pay tax to the US on 100% of their Shutterstock earnings, if only (for example), 10% of those sales were made to US downloaders, and 90% to Europe?

borodaev · Joined: 28 Aug 2008 Posts: 13

swhite You are wrong. This case is good (i am about 3 year), when you have SSN in USA, in case with people from other countries - you need ITIN.

But i have more question:

W-8BEN allows to use EIN. EIN is much simplier to apply. Perhaps people could use EIN instead ITIN.

Patrick Hermans · Joined: 20 Mar 2005 Posts: 347 Location: belgium

dolgachov · Posted: Wed May 27, 2009 6:14 pm

devy · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 692 Location: Here Now

OK...

I've read the whole thread...
I don't understand several things:

1. Why involves Shutterstock themselves in personal matters from submitters since we are no employees...and we also don't live and work in the USA.
I think they make a mistake in this since in my opinion the submitter has to live and to work in the country itself and have residence in another country before they can apply these rules to that.
Since this is not the case, they cannot apply these taxrules on SS submitters.
In the Netherlands, where I am from officially, everyone is themselves responsible for filling in the taxforms and the earnings whatsoever they come from. I am not living and working in the USA so the USA has nothing to do with my taxes which I've to pay in the Netherlands.

2. Shutterstock has allready a copy of our passport. So, I don't understand why they need more proof and need certified or notarized copies of passport.

3. It would have been fair if Shutterstock would have come with a compromise in this, means that for present submitters they could have raised the price per download to compensate the tax which they think they have to ask from us now, if they want to do so.
It's not fair just to present to us now this without that something is coming from the site of Shutterstock.
Many of us have built up through the years large portfolio's and now suddenly asking this from us, sounds really unfair. Many of us feel placed against the wall.

4. For me personally it's rather impossible to meet the asked requirements since I don't live in the Netherlands right now but in Portugal. And it is rather ridiculous to have to go only for this to the Netherlands. This is 2500 km away.

5. I think Shutterstock cannot just withdraw 30% from my income since IRS Withholding Rates for Copyright Royalties for the Netherlands is 0%

6. I hope Shutterstock will soon clear up a lot of worries which is amongst the submitting photographers right now, about this subject and come with a compromise which is ok for both parties and not only for Shutterstock.

Thank you!

Greetings
Devy

claudiodivizia · Joined: 14 May 2007 Posts: 338 Location: www.postpop.co.uk

madburst · Joined: 11 Jan 2007 Posts: 93 Location: Belgium

Dear Shutterstock,

Just thought you would like to know that my earnings have been computed - and I will be leaving by the 15th of the month.

Best regards,
- J -