Non-US individual developer stuck on Form W-9 with no path to W-8BEN (Paid Applications Agreement)

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Created 2w

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I'm a sole proprietor, tax resident in Spain — not a U.S. person or U.S. tax resident. I'm trying to complete the tax form step of the Paid Applications Agreement in App Store Connect so I can offer in-app purchases.

Going to Business → Agreements, Tax, and Banking → Agreements tab → Tax Forms → "Add Tax Info" (also tried the (+) → "Paid Apps" path) takes me directly to an electronic Form W-9: "Identification of Beneficial Owner," a "Type of Beneficial Owner" dropdown with only U.S.-specific categories (Individual/Sole proprietor, C Corporation, S Corporation, Partnership, Trust/estate...), and Part I asking for a U.S. SSN or EIN. There is no field, checkbox, or preliminary question anywhere in this flow that lets me indicate foreign status.

I don't have a U.S. SSN/EIN and don't qualify for one. Per the IRS's own instructions for this exact form: "Foreign person. If you are a foreign person [...], do not use Form W-9. Instead, use the appropriate Form W-8." Part II of the form also requires certifying "I am a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person," which would be false for me to sign.

Apple's own help docs say non-U.S. individuals should be routed through a questionnaire to Form W-8BEN instead of seeing W-9 directly — that questionnaire never appears for my account. I've already contacted Developer Support and submitted a case through the Tax/Financial Information contact form, but haven't gotten a resolution yet (over 20 days now).

Has anyone else run into this and found a way to actually reach W-8BEN in App Store Connect? Or is this a known account-level issue that needs to be fixed on Apple's side? Any pointers — including from anyone at Apple who monitors these forums — would be much appreciated.

Answer 1

Adeeby OP

1w

You're not doing anything wrong. This is an Apple-side bug, not your mistake.

I've been stuck in the identical loop for months as a non-US developer. App Store Connect only ever shows the W-9, never routes to the W-8BEN, and offers no way to declare foreign status. Then Finance refuses to fix anything until your Paid Apps Agreement is "active," but it can't activate without a valid tax form. It's a closed circle, and front-line support just repeats the same script.

Honestly, the service has been terrible: weeks of no replies, getting bounced between Finance and Developer Support, and no accountability. Forcing foreign developers to either sign a W-9 (which the IRS itself says we legally cannot) or be blocked from selling is, frankly, indefensible. They are effectively preventing legitimate businesses from operating while collecting our membership fees.

Answer 2

darkpaw OP

1w

This is clearly an Apple bug. Have either of you raised a Feedback report? Perhaps if it's raised there someone might see it and fix it?

Anyway, as a workaround, you could ask Apple for an address to post a physical form to. If they'll accept a physical form, download it from https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw8ben.pdf, print and complete it, then post it to them.

If you can afford tracking and/or signature on delivery (ask Apple if they'll sign when they receive mail that requires a signature; some companies won't), pay for it so you know they've received it.

I think - can't remember as it was almost 20 years ago - when I set up my dev account for the App Store I had to post the form, so back in 2008 they accepted them.

Answer 3

Etresoft OP

1w

Ensure your Apple ID matches your tax residency country. When I see these kinds of posts, it turns out the OP is a citizen of A, lives in B, and has an Apple Account in C, and sometimes a shell company too.