US federal law requires every company that makes a royalty payment to another person/party to provide a valid Tax ID number. By providing a valid Tax ID, Universal Music Group will be able to deduct the appropriate amount of tax. Without a Tax ID, all payments are subject to a tax deduction of 30% (also known as tax withholding). The tax that has been withheld from your royalties has been paid to the IRS (US tax authority).
To ensure quick processing of your request, please follow these guidelines:
- Be sure that the name on your tax form matches your account name/payee.
- Be sure the person signing the form is an authorized account signatory.
- If submitting the W-8BEN form using a foreign tax ID number, please include a copy of your government-issued photo ID or passport.