W-8BEN vs W-9 at a Korean bank — which form do I file? If you are a US citizen or green-card holder, you file W-9; if you are a non-US Korean national with the account, you file W-8BEN. The form proves your US tax status under FATCA and lets Korean brokers apply the right US…
Does the US-Korea tax treaty actually reduce the 30% default withholding on a software royalty paid to a Korean licensor? Yes — a US payer must generally withhold 30% on a US-source royalty, but the Korea tax treaty royalty article can cut the rate to 10% or 15% depending on the royalty type, provided the…
Who handles foreign artist withholding when a California venue books an international act? You do. The payer is the withholding agent for 30 percent federal tax on the gross fee and 7 percent California tax on payments over $1,500. Foreign artist withholding drops only when the artist hands you an IRS Central Withholding Agreement letter,…
What changed for FIRPTA in 2026 for foreign investors in U.S. real estate? Two Treasury releases moved the ground under cross-border deals — the 2025 proposed regulations on domestically controlled REITs repeal the lookthrough rule for U.S. corporate shareholders, and the 2025 final FIRPTA-adjacent Sec. 892 regulations give foreign governments a workable path to hold…
What were the key international tax developments in early-to-mid June 2026? The OECD pushed forward on the global minimum tax (Pillar Two) — releasing practical fixes to the GloBE Information Return (GIR) XML schema for first filings, an updated 2026 consolidated commentary, and new transfer-pricing guidance on intragroup services. In the EU, the Court of…
Are foreign athletes at the 2026 FIFA World Cup subject to US taxes? Yes — the 2026 FIFA World Cup tax rules require that nonresident alien athletes and entertainers have 30% federal withholding applied to US-source income, with relief available through Central Withholding Agreements and applicable tax treaties. The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set…
