Help req'd re non US tax stuff

1. 68

   wuntoo3posted 12 years ago

   Hi
   
   I'm totally new to HubPages and just trying to get my head round the what's what, and haven't as yet submitted/published a Hub. I noticed somewhere in the learning centre statements about tax requirements for US & non US writers re HubPages Earnings Program and Adsense, but I couldn't get the clear gist of it.
   
   I have better things to do (ie write good Hub content) than bother getting mixed up with IRS W-9's etc etc ad nauseum. (I'm UK citizen based in UK)
   
   Does signing up for having Adsense, Amazon, HubPages Earnings Program etc on your Hub(s) automatically imply having to apply (being non-US based)  for a W-9 or Tax ID whatever it is? If it does I'd sooner avoid any of these payment programs altogether and just focus on creating good content and attracting visitor traffic to it.
   
   So could someone please fill me in on what's required to publish a Hub (as UK citizen) without becoming involved in time consuming bs with tax authorities?
   
   If I can sign up for a share of commission from Adsense, Amazon or whatever without any additional hassle, great, but if that's not possible then I'd rather publish without any of them, or at least any personal liability with them re tax implications OR payment to me.
   
   Any help/advice from someone who knows about this would be much appreciated.

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   1. 87

      WryLiltposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It shouldn't apply if you're outside the US. However when you go to input tax information they will just request you verify you don't own anything in the US then inform you that it's your own responsibility to file taxes as appropriate in your country.
      
      I live in Australia and any earnings up to about $10,000 a year can be classed as a hobby and not need taxing.
      
      Probably won't be an issue for at LEAST a year (if you stick at it that's how long it takes to start seeing anything close to nice returns usually) although you may want to verify your local tax rules with your accountant.

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   2. 87

      Marisa Wrightposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      You don't have to worry about W-9's on HubPages, they just ask for a declaration. Adsense is easy, too, because they will recognise you're in the UK and treat you accordingly. 
      
      As for how your income will be treated in the UK - no idea.  We're lucky in Australia, because the tax office positively discourages you from declaring income unless you're earning a substantial amount.  That's because if you declare it as a business, it's likely your deductions (for home office, software, hosting, PC) would exceed the tax payable, so they'd have to do a whole lot of processing work for no gain.

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      1. 68

         wuntoo3posted 12 years agoin reply to this

         Thanks for that, it sounds like it's basically ok. In UK you can earn up to I think about 9k GBP p/a tax free. I was just concerned about having to spend time dealing with all this if I wanted to claim revenue from Adsense etc.

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         1. 74

            WriteAngledposted 12 years agoin reply to this

            Yes, you do have a tax allowance in the UK. As far as I understand it though, you have to declare every penny of income you receive, whether from self-employment, as bank interest, as rent, etc, even if your total income falls under the threshold. This means if you have any income that does not come from ordinary salaried employment nand which is dealt with by PAYE, you will have to submit a tax return every year to the UK tax office. If you work for yourself, there are certain expenses you can claim back, but it is complicated. I pay an accountant to deal with all this for me, as I find the associated paperwork incredibly stressful.

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