W-8/1042-S Compliance When Making Payments to Non-U.S. Persons

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As IRS compliance efforts intensify, especially in the area of nonresident alien tax regulations, it’s critical for organizations to understand their responsibilities when it comes to payments made to foreign vendors and contractors. This one-day, in-depth seminar is designed to help accounts payable professionals, tax specialists, and compliance teams navigate the often-confusing rules surrounding IRS Form 1042-S, tax withholding, and proper documentation for foreign payees.

Whether you outsource work to overseas contractors, bring in short-term foreign talent, or process invoices for international consultants, you’ll gain practical knowledge on how to classify and report payments accurately. With real-world examples and actionable guidance, this webinar will demystify the process of determining when a payment is reportable on a Form 1042-S versus a Form 1099, and how to stay compliant while avoiding costly IRS audits and penalties.

Your Benefits For Attending:
  • Learn to distinguish a 1042-S reportable nonresident alien payee from a 1099 reportable resident alien or U.S. citizen payee.
  • Get tips on recognizing how to handle visas, green cards, and using the IRS substantial presence test to identify when a payment should be 1042-S or 1099 reportable.
  • Discover why the location of services performed is critical in determining your 1042-S reporting responsibilities.
  • Learn how to use IRS Forms W-8 and 8233 to validate payee claims for treaty benefits.
  • Address the specific rules for 1042-S tax withholding and how to report it accurately.

Why This Webinar Is a Benefit to Attend:
By attending this session, you’ll strengthen your ability to manage cross-border payments with confidence, reduce your organization's exposure to compliance risks, and ensure your reporting processes align with current IRS standards.

Who Should Attend:
  • Professionals responsible for making payments to foreign vendors
  • AP specialists and compliance staff managing Forms W-8 and 1042-S
  • Individuals with a solid grasp of 1099 rules looking to expand into international tax compliance

Level: Intermediate
Format: Live webcast
Instructional Method: Group: Internet-based
NASBA Field of Study: Taxes (2 hours)
Program Prerequisites: None
Advance Preparation: None

  1. Introduction
  2. The Big Picture: 1042 S Audits Up! 00:01:14
  3. W-8 Validation Issues to Watch! - The W-8BEN 00:23:00
  4. W-8 Validation Issues to Watch! - W-8BEN-E 00:32:17
  5. W-8 Validation Issues to Watch! - W-8ECI 00:40:49
  6. W-8 Validation Issues to Watch! - W-8IMY 00:42:44
  7. The W-9 00:46:23
  8. W-9/W 8 Validation For 1042/1042 S Filing - U.S. Persons 00:52:01
  9. W-9/W 8 Validation For 1042/1042 S Filing - W-9 to W-8 00:53:40
  10. Validation For 1042/1042-S Filing - Payments & Payees 00:57:45
  11. Validation For 1042/1042-S Filing - Treaty Benefit Case Study 00:58:23
  12. Who is My Payee - Red Flags for Non-U.S. Payees 00:59:40
  13. Who is My Payee - U.S. or Non-U.S.? 01:01:43
  14. Who is My Payee –Resident Alien Visas “Green Card” Test 01:02:41
  15. Who is My Payee - Resident Alien Visas - Substantial Presence Test (SPT) 01:07:08
  16. Who is My Payee - Special Entity Rules 01:07:35
  17. Who is My 1042-S Payee –Dual Residents 01:08:22
  18. 1042-S Reportable Income: Purchase Invoices 01:09:40
  19. 1042-S Reportable Income: How Income is Taxed 01:11:26
  20. 1042/1042-S Payment Sourcing 01:11:55
  21. 1042/1042-S & Treaty Benefits 01:16:46
  22. Wrap Up of General Pre-1042/1042-S Filing Validation Tips 01:20:20
  23. 1042/1042-S Compliance - Extensions 01:22:41
  24. 1042/1042-S Compliance - Box Issues 01:29:00
  25. 1042/1042-S Compliance -  Complete the Form 01:29:42
  26. 1042/1042-S Compliance - Penalty Rates 01:30:35
  27. Protect Yourself 01:34:52
  28. Attendee Questions 01:36:7:29
  29. Presentation Closing 01:43:02
  • Steven Mercatante

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IRS Credit

Preparer Tax Identification Number

    • Accounts Payable (AP) 00:06:02
    • Artificial Intelligence (AI) 00:13:10, 00:20:37
    • Audit 00:06:32, 00:54:25, 01:03:20, 01:21:39
    • Backup Withholding 00:04:11, 00:54:28, 01:10:36
    • DBA -Doing Business As 00:51:57
    • Disregarded Entity 00:34:10
    • Due Diligence 00:23:06, 00:57:52
    • EIN 01:00:49
    • Exempt 00:34:21, 01:04:07, 01:10:00, 01:17:08
    • Expatriate 01:03:41
    • FATCA 00:02:39, 00:50:13, 01:24:16
    • Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) 01:04:07
    • Foreign Taxpayer Identification Number - FTIN  00:29:07, 00:35:01, 01:18:27
    • Form 1042 00:23:17, 01:22:45, 01:29:11
    • Form 1042-S 00:00:07, 00:01:23, 00:02:00, 00:03:35, 00:07:20, 00:15:21, 00:23:18, 00:40:04, 00:45:18, 00:54:01, 01:07:44, 01:22:45, 01:29:11
    • Form 8233 00:52:13, 01:17:19
    • Form 945 00:54:36
    • Form W-8 00:00:05, 00:03:46, 00:23:02, 00:27:30, 00:50:07, 01:06:14, 01:17:31
    • Form W-9 00:03:50, 00:07:51, 00:24:19, 00:28:05, 00:46:28, 00:49:51, 01:03:13, 01:06:12, 01:07:44
    • Green Card 01:02:05, 01:03:34
    • Green Card Test 01:02:41
    • Internal Revenue Code (IRC) 00:01:29, 00:11:36
    • Invoice 00:25:16
    • ITIN 01:00:41
    • Limited Liability Company (LLC) 00:48:50, 00:51:54
    • Nonresident Alien (NRA) 00:01:56, 00:05:10, 00:23:21, 00:25:41, 01:02:49, 01:04:27
    • PTP - Publicly Traded Partnership 00:42:30
    • Resident Alien 01:01:36, 01:02:47, 01:06:05, 01:07:34
    • Substantial Presence Test (SPT) 01:07:11
    • Tax Gap 00:04:52, 00:06:58
    • TIN 00:29:00, 00:35:22, 00:49:24, 01:00:20, 01:17:21
    • TIN Match Program 01:18:28
    • Vendor 00:24:03, 00:39:05, 01:21:02, 01:23:42
    • W-8BEN 00:24:26, 00:28:34, 00:35:09, 00:43:46, 01:20:47
    • W-8BEN-E 00:24:28, 00:32:18, 00:45:46
    • W-8ECI 00:41:06
    • W-8EXP 00:28:43, 00:52:21
    • W-8IMY 00:42:50, 00:44:34

    Accounts Payable (AP): The amount of money a company owes creditors (suppliers, etc.) in return for goods and/or services they have delivered.

    Artificial Intelligence (AI): Artificial intelligence is intelligence demonstrated by machines, as opposed to the natural intelligence displayed by humans or animals.

    Audit: A formal examination of an organization's or individual's accounts or financial situation

    Backup Withholding: Backup withholding is the tax that is levied on investment income, at an established tax rate, as the investor withdraws it. Backup withholding helps to ensure that government tax-collecting agencies (such as the IRS or Canada Revenue Agency) will be able to receive income taxes owed to them from investors' earnings. (www.investopedia.com)

    DBA -Doing Business As: Sometimes it makes sense for a company to do business under a different name. To do this, the company has to file what's known as a DBA, meaning "doing business as." A DBA is also known as a "fictitious business name," "trade name," or "assumed name."

    Disregarded Entity: A disregarded entity refers to a business entity with one owner that is not recognized for tax purposes as an entity separate from its owner. A single-member LLC ( “SMLLC”), for example, is considered to be a disregarded entity. (www.pntax.com)

    Due Diligence: Due diligence is a process or effort to collect and analyze information before making a decision or conducting a transaction so a party is not held legally liable for any loss or damage. The term applies to many situations but most notably to business transactions.

    EIN: The Employer Identification Number, also known as the Federal Employer Identification Number or the Federal Tax Identification Number, is a unique nine-digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service to business entities operating in the United States for the purposes of identification.

    Exempt : Exempt employee is a term that refers to a category of employees set out in the Fair Labor Standards Act. They do not receive overtime pay, nor do they qualify for the minimum wage

    Expatriate: An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person residing in a country other than their native country. ... However, the term 'expatriate' is also used for retirees and others who have chosen to live outside their native country. Historically, it has also referred to exiles.

    FATCA: FATCA was enacted in 2010 by Congress to target non-compliance by U.S. taxpayers using foreign accounts. FATCA requires foreign financial institutions (FFIs) to report to the IRS information about financial accounts held by U.S. taxpayers, or by foreign entities in which U.S. taxpayers hold a substantial ownership interest. (www.treasury.gov). FACTA (Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act) is an amendment to FCRA (Fair Credit Reporting Act ) that was added, primarily, to protect consumers from identity theft. The Act stipulates requirements for information privacy, accuracy and disposal and limits the ways consumer information can be shared.

    Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA): The Federal Insurance Contributions Act is a United States federal payroll contribution directed towards both employees and employers to fund Social Security and Medicare—federal programs that provide benefits for retirees, people with disabilities, and children of deceased workers.

    Foreign Taxpayer Identification Number - FTIN: An FTIN is a taxpayer identification number issued by a country other than the United States. If aforeign person does not provide its FTIN, it must provide the withholding agent with an explanation ofwhy an FTIN has not been provided.

    Form 1042: Form 1042, also "Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons", is used to report tax withheld on certain income of foreign persons.

    Form 1042-S: Form 1042-S is used to report amounts paid to foreign persons (including persons presumed to be foreign) who are subject to income tax withholding. For an individual taxpayer, Form 1042-S is a document provided to you (and the IRS) by the payer of the income reported.

    Form 8233: IRS Form 8233 must be completed when a non U.S. citizen is claiming tax treaty exemption from income taxes for income received for services provided as an independent contractor.

    Form 8832: Form 8832 is the Entity Classification Election form from the IRS. It is filed to elect a tax status other than the default status for your entity. For example, an LLC can elect to be taxed as a C Corporation.

    Form 945: IRS Form 945 is titled Annual Return of Withheld Federal Income Tax. Form 945 is used to report withheld federal income tax from nonpayroll payments, including distributions from qualified retirement plans.

    Form W-8: Form W-8 is filled out by foreign entities (citizens and corporations) in order to claim exempt status from certain tax withholdings. The form is used to declare an entity's status as non-resident alien or foreign national who works outside of the United States.

    Form W-9: Form W-9 (officially, the "Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification") is used in the United States income tax system by a third party who must file an information return with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). It requests the name, address, and taxpayer identification information of a taxpayer (in the form of a Social Security Number or Employer Identification Number). - Wikipedia (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/)

    Green Card: A Green Card, also known as a Permanent Resident Card, is an identification card issued by USCIS (.gov) to foreign nationals who have been granted lawful permanent resident status in the United States. It serves as proof that the holder is authorized to live and work permanently in the U.S. While the physical card has an expiration date (usually 10 years), the underlying status as a lawful permanent resident does not automatically expire.

    Green Card Test: You are a resident, for U.S. federal tax purposes, if you are a lawful permanent resident of the United States at any time during the calendar year. This is known as the "green card" test. You are a lawful permanent resident of the United States, at any time, if you have been given the privilege, according to the immigration laws, of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant. You generally have this status if the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) issued you a Permanent Resident Card, Form I-551, also known as a "green card."

    ITIN : An Individual Taxpayer Identification Number is a United States tax processing number issued by the Internal Revenue Service. It is a nine-digit number that begins with the number 9, and the 4th and 5th digits, also known as second section, range from 70 to 88, 90 to 92 and 94 to 99.

    Invoice: An invoice, bill or tab is a commercial document issued by a seller to a buyer, relating to a sale transaction and indicating the products, quantities, and agreed prices for products or services the seller had provided the buyer. Payment terms are usually stated on the invoice.

    Limited Liability Company (LLC): An LLC is a corporate structure where members cannot be held accountable for the company’s debts or liabilities. This can shield business owners from losing their entire life savings if, for example, someone were to sue the company. Can be a single member (much like a sole proprietor) or a multi-member. It shares certain traits of both corporations as well as partnerships or sole proprietorships. It is not a corporation.

    Nonresident Alien (NRA): This income is taxed at a flat 30% rate, unless a tax treaty specifies a lower rate. Nonresident aliens must file and pay any tax due using Form 1040NR, U.S. Nonresident Alien Income Tax Return or Form 1040NR-EZ, U.S. Income Tax Return for Certain Nonresident Aliens with No Dependents.

    PTP - Publicly Traded Partnership: A publicly traded partnership (PTP) is a business organization owned by two or more co-owners whose shares are regularly traded on an established securities market. A publicly traded partnership is a type of limited partnership managed by two or more general partners that can be individuals, corporations or other partnerships, and that is capitalized by limited partners who provide capital but have no management role in the partnership.

    Resident Alien : A resident alien is a foreign person who is a permanent resident of the country in which he or she resides but does not have citizenship. To fall under this classification in the United States, a person needs to either have a current green card or have had one in the previous calendar year.

    Substantial Presence Test (SPT) : The Substantial Presence Test (SPT) is a criterion used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States to determine whether an individual who is not a citizen or lawful permanent resident in the recent past qualifies as a "resident for tax purposes" or a "nonresident for tax purposes"; it is a form of physical presence test. The SPT should be used in conjunction with the Green Card Test (the criterion that the individual possessed a valid Green Card at any time of the year). An individual who satisfies either one or both of these tests is treated as a resident for tax purposes.

    TIN: A Taxpayer Identification Number is an identifying number used for tax purposes in the United States and in other countries under the Common Reporting Standard. In the United States, it is also known as a Tax Identification Number or Federal Taxpayer Identification Number.

    TIN Match Program: TIN Matching is part of a suite of Internet-based pre-filing e-services that allows “authorized payers” the opportunity to match 1099 payee information against IRS records prior to filing information returns.

    Tax Gap: The gross tax gap is the difference between true tax liability for a given tax year and the amount that is paid on time. It is comprised of the nonfiling gap, the underreporting gap, and the underpayment (or remittance) gap.

    Vendor: A vendor is a person or business that supplies goods or services to a company. Another term for the vendor is the supplier. In many situations, a company presents the vendor with a purchase order stating the goods or services needed, the price, delivery date, and other terms.

    W-8BEN: Form W8-BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for U.S. Tax Withholding, is used by a foreign person to establish both foreign status and beneficial ownership, and to claim income tax treaty benefits with respect to income other than compensation for personal services. Give Form W-8 BEN to the withholding agent or payer if you are a foreign person and you are the beneficial owner of an amount subject to withholding. Submit Form W-8 BEN when requested by the withholding agent or payer whether or not you are claiming a reduced rate of, or exemption from, withholding.

    W-8BEN-E: W-8BEN-E is an important tax document which allows businesses operating outside of the U.S. to claim tax exemption on U.S.-sourced income. The official document title is Certificate of Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting (Entities).

    W-8ECI: Form W-8ECI is the Certificate of Foreign Person's Claim for Exemption From Withholding on Income Effectively Connected With the Conduct of a Trade or Business in the United States. You must give Form W-8 ECI to the withholding agent or payer if you are a foreign person and you are the beneficial owner of U.S. source income that is (or is deemed to be) effectively connected with the conduct of a trade or business within the United States.

    W-8EXP: A foreign government must provide Form W-8EXP to establish eligibility for exemption from withholding for payments exempt from tax under section 892 or for purposes of establishing its status as an exempt beneficial owner.

    W-8IMY: This form may serve to establish foreign status for purposes of sections 1441, 1442, and 1446. The W-8IMY is used by an intermediary, a withholding foreign partnership, a withholding foreign trust, or flow-through entity.


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    Frequently Asked Questions

    Form W-8 is a family of IRS forms that foreign entities and individuals provide to U.S. withholding agents to establish their non-U.S. tax status and claim applicable tax treaty benefits. You must collect a W-8 form from a payee before making a payment when there is reason to believe the payee is a foreign person—indicated by a foreign address, foreign bank account, or non-U.S. entity type. The specific W-8 variant required depends on the payee's situation: W-8BEN is used by foreign individuals claiming beneficial ownership; W-8BEN-E is used by foreign entities; W-8ECI is for income effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business; W-8EXP is for foreign governments and tax-exempt organizations; and W-8IMY is for intermediaries and flow-through entities. Without a valid W-8 on file, the withholding agent is generally required to apply the default 30% NRA withholding rate. W-8 forms generally expire after three years. Steven Mercatante of TIR Consulting covers W-8 collection, validation, and compliance in Aurora Training Advantage's on-demand accounting webinar eligible for 2.0 CPE and IRS credits.
    Form 1042-S (Foreign Person's U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding) is the information return used to report U.S.-source income paid to foreign persons, including non-resident aliens, foreign corporations, foreign partnerships, and other foreign entities. It is filed with the IRS and provided to the recipient by March 15 each year. Reportable income types include compensation for services performed in the U.S., rents, royalties, interest, dividends, scholarships, prizes, and gambling winnings paid to foreign persons. The form captures the income amount, applicable withholding rate, tax withheld, income code, exemption code, and any treaty benefit claimed. A companion Form 1042 (Annual Withholding Tax Return for U.S. Source Income of Foreign Persons) is filed to remit the withheld taxes. IRS audit activity on 1042-S filings has intensified in recent years as the agency works to close the tax gap on payments to foreign persons. Steven Mercatante of TIR Consulting covers 1042-S compliance in depth in Aurora Training Advantage's Accounting webinar.
    Determining 1042-S withholding obligations requires analyzing both the nature of the income and the status of the payee. First, establish whether the payee is a foreign person—using the W-8 form they provide, visa information, or IRS Substantial Presence Test analysis. Second, determine whether the income is U.S.-sourced: compensation for services performed in the U.S., rents on U.S. property, and royalties from U.S. intellectual property are generally U.S.-sourced and reportable. Third, identify the applicable withholding rate—the default is 30% for non-resident aliens, but tax treaties between the U.S. and the payee's home country may reduce or eliminate this. Fourth, check for valid W-8 documentation supporting any reduced rate or treaty exemption claim. The location where services are performed is a critical factor: payments for services performed entirely outside the U.S. are generally not 1042-S reportable. Steven Mercatante of TIR Consulting covers the full sourcing analysis in Aurora Training Advantage's W-8/1042-S compliance webinar.
    Accepting and relying on an invalid W-8 form is one of the most common compliance risks for organizations making payments to foreign vendors. Common validation issues include: accepting forms with blank required fields such as the payee's country of residence or tax identification number; failing to notice that the W-8BEN was submitted when the payee is an entity (which requires W-8BEN-E); accepting forms signed by an unauthorized representative without a power of attorney; failing to update expired W-8 forms (which generally expire after three calendar years); and accepting W-8ECI forms without verifying that the income is truly effectively connected with a U.S. trade or business. Disregarded entities—such as a single-member LLC—present special complexity because the W-8 form should reflect the entity's tax classification rather than its legal structure. Using the wrong W-8 variant can result in incorrect withholding determinations and 1042-S reporting errors. Steven Mercatante covers W-8 validation red flags in detail in Aurora Training Advantage's on-demand accounting compliance webinar.
    The IRS has significantly increased audit activity and penalty enforcement for 1042-S compliance failures in recent years. Penalties can arise from failure to file Form 1042-S, failure to furnish recipient copies, filing incorrect information returns, and failure to withhold the correct tax amount. The penalty for each incorrect information return is tiered: lower amounts for early corrections and significantly higher amounts for late or non-corrections—up to $330 per form for failures not corrected by August 1. Intentional disregard carries a minimum penalty of $660 per form with no annual cap. Most significantly, withholding agents who fail to withhold required tax remain personally liable for the tax that should have been withheld, plus interest and potential penalties—even if the foreign payee ultimately pays the tax. In cases involving negligence or failure to maintain proper W-8 documentation, penalties can compound quickly. Steven Mercatante's Aurora Training Advantage webinar provides practical guidance on protecting organizations from 1042-S penalty exposure through proper documentation and validation procedures.