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EDIT : So, I also opened a thread in Topcoder's Forum and I filled the "Reference number" field as "-" and in the tax treaty section, I just filled my country and all the other boxes were filled with "-". I've successfully received the full amount. Hope this helps someone going through the same issue.

I'm from India and I'm a student currently. I recently joined Topcoder (online programming challenges basically) and was filling the payment method section. So, I came across their terms and all and they need me to fill W-8BEN form. Now, I'm kind of confused about how to fill the form.

I've got the basic things down like name, DOB and address. But, I'm stuck on 2 things.

There is this column for "Reference Number". I'm not sure what should I fill in this section. Where can I get the Reference Number? Is it my bank account number?

And at last, there is the Tax Treaty Benefits section. I'm a student and I'm a India citizen, living in India.

These are all required fields and I am not sure how to fill these.

I know that there's DTAA signed between India and USA. Meaning that I won't be taxed in USA, but in India. So, whatever money I win from Topcoder, they'll send me the full money and then I'll tax it in India.

I'm confused about just 2 things, i.e., the "reference number" box and the "tax treaty benefits" section.

Here's the form : https://www.scribd.com/document/369719360/TopCoder-Member-Tax-Form-W-8BEN

I'm not sure what article and paragraph of the DTAA treaty is applicable and what would be the % of withholding and what type of income should I specify there.

Xonshiz
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2 Answers2

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Yeah, I faced exactly the same problem.
So, according to the topcoder forums, some people have advised to keep the fields related to tax treaties plus the reference number 'blank'. As the new form doesn't allow us to keep the fields blank, you can put N/A there.

Hope it helps. :)

P.S: Here is the link to the forum https://apps.topcoder.com/forums/?module=ThreadList&forumID=563559