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                                                                                                    Department of the Treasury
                                                                                                    Internal Revenue Service
Instructions for Form 8233

(Rev. October 2021)

(Use with the September 2018 revision of Form 8233.)
Exemption From Withholding on Compensation for Independent (and Certain 
Dependent) Personal Services of a Nonresident Alien Individual

Section references are to the Internal      withholding agent if some or all of your     fellowship income received from the same 
Revenue Code unless otherwise noted.        compensation is exempt from withholding.     withholding agent.
                                               You can use Form 8233 to claim a tax      Give the form to the withholding agent. 
General Instructions                        treaty withholding exemption for             The withholding agent's responsibilities 
                                            noncompensatory scholarship or               are discussed in the Part IV instructions.
Future Developments                         fellowship income only if you are also 
For the latest information about            claiming a tax treaty withholding            Example.      A nonresident alien is 
developments related to Form 8233 and       exemption for compensation for personal      primarily present in the United States as a 
its instructions, such as legislation       services (including compensatory             professor, but is also occasionally invited 
enacted after they were published, go to    scholarship or fellowship income) received   to lecture at other educational institutions. 
IRS.gov/Form8233.                           from the same withholding agent.             These lectures are not connected with his 
                                                                                         teaching obligations but are in the nature 
        You must know the terms of the              If you have income from              of self-employment. For each tax year, the 
!       tax treaty between the United          !    independent personal services,       professor must complete and give a 
CAUTION States and the treaty country to    CAUTION you generally cannot claim a         separate Form 8233 to the withholding 
properly complete Form 8233.                treaty exemption if you have an office or    agent at each institution in order to claim 
                                            fixed base in the United States available to tax treaty benefits on the separate items of 
                                            you, including if you are a partner in a     income, if the treaty so permits.
What’s New                                  partnership that has an office or fixed 
COVID-19 medical condition travel ex-       base. A few treaties include limited         Definitions
ception. For tax year 2021, individuals     exceptions to this general rule.
cannot claim the COVID-19 medical                                                        Nonresident Alien
condition travel exception to exclude any   Additional information.   General            If you are an alien individual (that is, an 
days of presence in the United States for   information about tax treaties is available  individual who is not a U.S. citizen), 
the purpose of the “substantial presence    at IRS.gov/Individuals/International-        specific rules apply to determine if you are 
test.” This was solely available for the    Taxpayers/Tax-Treaties. Also, see Pub.       a resident alien or a nonresident alien for 
2020 tax year. However, days of presence    901 for a quick reference guide to the       tax purposes. Generally, you are a 
in the United States in 2020 that were      provisions of U.S. tax treaties.             resident alien if you meet either the “green 
excluded for tax year 2020 may impact the      You can download the complete text of     card test” or the “substantial presence 
application of the “substantial presence    most U.S. tax treaties at IRS.gov/           test” for the calendar year. Any person not 
test” for tax year 2021. For more           Businesses/International-Businesses/         meeting either test is generally a 
information, see TIP, later.                United-States-Income-Tax-Treaties-A-to-      nonresident alien. Additionally, an alien 
Non-toll-free fax number.    On page 5,     Z. Technical explanations for many of        individual who qualifies as a resident of a 
we have added a non-toll-free fax number    those treaties are also available on that    treaty country (defined later) or a bona fide 
for withholding agents to fax in their Form site.                                        resident of Puerto Rico, Guam, the 
8233.                                          You can get any of the forms or           Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana 
                                            publications referred to in these            Islands, the U.S. Virgin Islands, or 
Reminders                                   instructions by downloading them from        American Samoa is a nonresident alien 
                                            IRS.gov/Forms or ordering them from          individual.
Individual taxpayer identification num-     IRS.gov/OrderForms.                          For more information on the tests used 
ber (ITIN). An ITIN for a nonresident alien 
                                                                                         to determine resident alien or nonresident 
used on a prior year income tax return      Giving Form 8233 to the                      alien status, see Pub. 519.
may require renewal. For more 
information, see Expired ITIN, later.       Withholding Agent                                       Even though a nonresident alien 
                                            You must complete a separate Form                       individual married to a U.S. citizen 
Purpose of Form                             8233:                                        CAUTION!   or resident alien can choose to be 
In general, section 1441 requires 30%        For each tax year (be sure to specify     treated as a resident alien for certain 
income tax withholding on compensation      the tax year in the space provided above     purposes (for example, filing a joint 
for independent personal services           Part I of the form),                         income tax return), such individual is still 
(defined later). Sections 1441, 3401, and    For each withholding agent, and           treated as a nonresident alien for 
3402 require withholding, sometimes at       For each type of income.                  withholding tax purposes.
30% and sometimes at graduated rates,          However, you can use one Form 8233                   For more information on 
on compensation for dependent personal      to claim a tax treaty withholding exemption  TIP        determining resident alien or 
services (defined later). However, some     for both compensation for personal                      nonresident alien status under the 
payments may be exempt from                 services (including compensatory             “substantial presence test” as a result of 
withholding because of a tax treaty.        scholarship or fellowship income) and        having applied the COVID-19 Medical 
Complete and give Form 8233 to your         noncompensatory scholarship or               Condition Travel Exception to exclude 

Aug 05, 2021                                        Cat. No. 22663B



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days of presence in the United States in      claim exemption from withholding on this      For compensation for which you are not 
2020, see Rev. Proc. 2020-20, 2020-20         type of income, complete and give Form        claiming a tax treaty withholding 
I.R.B. 801, available at IRS.gov/irb/         8233 to the withholding agent.                exemption, use Form W-4, or you can also 
2020-20_IRB#REV-PROC-2020-20.                                                               calculate your withholding online with the 
                                                       Under certain treaties, such as 
                                                                                            Tax Withholding Estimator at IRS.gov/
                                                       those with Canada, India, and 
U.S. Person                                   CAUTION! Portugal, the income for services    Individuals/Tax-Withholding-Estimator.
For purposes of this form, a U.S. person is   performed by independent contractors 
a U.S. citizen or resident alien.             who do not have a fixed base in the United    Completing your Form W-4.       You should 
                                              States may still be taxable for services      complete your Form W-4 as follows.
Tax Treaty Withholding                        performed in the United States if they stay 
Exemption                                     in the United States for more than a          Step 1. You are required to enter a 
This term refers to an exemption from         specified period of time (generally 90 or     social security number (SSN) in box 1b of 
withholding permitted by IRS regulations      183 days, depending on the treaty). See,      Form W-4. If you do not have an SSN but 
under section 1441 that is based on a tax     for example, Article 5, paragraph 9 of the    are eligible to get one, you should apply 
treaty benefit. See Resident of a Treaty      United States–Canada income tax treaty        for it. Get Form SS-5 online at SSA.gov, 
Country next for requirements for claiming    and Article 15, paragraph 1(b) of the         from your local Social Security 
a tax treaty benefit on this form.            United States–India income tax treaty.        Administration (SSA) office, or by calling 
                                              Often, these contractors cannot claim an      the SSA at 800-772-1213.
Resident of a Treaty Country                  exemption from withholding at the time of             You cannot enter an individual 
In general, an alien individual is a resident payment because they do not know              !       taxpayer identification number 
of a treaty country if he or she qualifies as whether their stay will exceed the            CAUTION (ITIN) in box 1b of Form W-4. See 
a resident of that country (1) under the      specified period.                             Notice 1392 for more information about 
country’s domestic law, and (2) under the                                                   completing Form W-4.
terms of the residency article of the tax     Public entertainers. Generally, athletes 
treaty between the United States and that     and entertainers are not exempt from tax      Box 1c.     Check the single box 
country.                                      on income derived from their activities.      regardless of your actual marital status.
                                              Most treaties have a special article that 
A nonresident alien can claim a tax           covers them that takes precedence over        Step 2. Use Step 2 of Form W-4 if you 
treaty benefit on this form only if that      the independent personal services and         have more than one job at the same time.
individual is the beneficial owner of the     dependent personal services articles of       Step 3. Complete Step 3 only if you 
income and meets the residency                treaties. They may be exempt in some          are a nonresident alien who is a resident 
requirement and all other requirements for    treaties only if the total amount paid for a  of Canada, Mexico, or South Korea, or a 
the requested benefits under the terms of     year is below a dollar threshold. Generally,  resident of India who is a student or 
the tax treaty.                               the IRS cannot accept Form 8233               business apprentice. You cannot take a 
If you are claiming a benefit under           because the exemption may be based on         deduction for a qualifying child or other 
either the income from employment/            factors that cannot be determined until       dependent unless you meet the above 
dependent personal services article or the    after the end of the year. These individuals  requirements. See Pub. 519 for more 
income from independent services/             are subject to 30% withholding from gross     information.
business profits article of the treaty, you   income paid for personal services 
must be a resident of the treaty country.     performed unless they apply for a reduced     Step 4. Complete Step 4 if you have 
However, if you are claiming a benefit        rate of withholding using Form 13930.         other income on which no tax was 
under the student/trainee or teacher/                                                       withheld. Generally, nonresident aliens 
researcher article of a treaty, you generally Required Withholding Form                     cannot take the standard deduction. Also, 
only need to have been a resident of the                                                    any itemized deductions to which you are 
treaty country immediately before (or at      For compensation you receive for              entitled may be limited. See Pub. 519 for 
the time) you came to the United States.      independent personal services, complete       more information.
                                              Form 8233 to claim a tax treaty 
Compensation for Independent                  withholding exemption for part or all of that         The above instructions generally 
Personal Services                             income.                                       !       apply to the 2021 Form W-4. See 
                                                                                            CAUTION the subsequent year Form W-4 
Independent personal services are             Compensation for Dependent                    and its instructions for withholding that 
services performed as an independent                                                        occurs after 2021.
                                              Personal Services
contractor in the United States by a 
nonresident alien who is self-employed        Dependent personal services are services 
rather than an employee. Compensation         performed as an employee in the United        Compensatory Scholarship or 
for such services includes payments for       States by a nonresident alien. Dependent      Fellowship Income
contract labor; payments for professional     personal services include compensatory        In general, scholarship or fellowship 
services, such as fees to an attorney,        scholarship or fellowship income (defined     income is compensatory to the extent it 
physician, or accountant, if the payments     later). Compensation for such services        represents payment for past, present, or 
are made directly to the person performing    includes wages, salaries, fees, bonuses,      future services (for example, teaching or 
the services; consulting fees; and            commissions, and similar designations for     research) performed by a nonresident 
honoraria paid to visiting professors,        amounts paid to an employee.                  alien as an employee and the 
teachers, researchers, scientists, and                                                      performance of those services is a 
prominent speakers.                           Required Withholding Form(s)                  condition for receiving the scholarship or 
                                                                                            fellowship (or tuition reduction).
Business profits.   Certain treaties do not   Complete Form 8233 for compensation 
have an independent personal services         you receive for dependent personal            Example.    XYZ University awards a 
article. Payments for independent             services only if you are claiming a tax       scholarship to George, a nonresident alien 
personal services may be covered under        treaty withholding exemption for part or all  student. The only condition of the 
the business profits article of an applicable of that income.                               scholarship is that George attends classes 
income tax treaty. If you are eligible to                                                   and maintains a minimum level of 

                                                                -2-                        Instructions for Form 8233 (Rev. 10-2021)



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academic performance. The scholarship       are claiming a tax treaty withholding          Are not trying to claim tax treaty 
income is not compensatory because          exemption for both types of income.           benefits for a country with which the 
George is not required to perform services                                                United States does not have a ratified tax 
                                            Alternate withholding election.    A 
as an employee as a condition for                                                         treaty;
                                            withholding agent can elect to withhold on 
receiving the scholarship.                                                                 Are not trying to claim tax treaty 
                                            the taxable portion of noncompensatory 
                                                                                          benefits that do not exist in your treaty;
                                            scholarship or fellowship income of a 
Required Withholding Form(s)                nonresident alien temporarily present in       Complete lines 11 through 14 in 
                                                                                          sufficient detail to allow the IRS to 
Compensatory scholarship or fellowship      the United States under an “F,” “J,” “M,” or 
                                                                                          determine the tax treaty benefit you are 
income is considered to be dependent        “Q” visa as if it were compensatory 
                                                                                          claiming; and
personal services income. Therefore,        scholarship or fellowship income 
complete Form 8233 for this income if you   (provided the nonresident alien is not         Complete the required certification in 
                                                                                          Part III.
are claiming a tax treaty withholding       claiming treaty benefits with respect to that 
exemption for part or all of that income.   income). The withholding agent makes 
                                            this election by requesting that the          Specific Instructions
  For any part of this compensatory         nonresident alien complete Form W-4 
income for which you are not claiming a     using the instructions in Rev. Proc. 88-24, 
tax treaty withholding exemption, use       1988-1 C.B. 800. Indian students should       Part I
Form W-4 or the Tax Withholding             also see Rev. Proc. 93-20, 1993-1 C.B.        Line 2
Estimator at IRS.gov/Individuals/Tax-       528.                                          You must furnish a U.S. taxpayer 
Withholding-Estimator. For the Form W-4,    Withholding Agent                             identification number on this form. In most 
                                                                                          cases, you must enter your SSN on line 2.
see Completing your Form W-4, earlier.      Any person, U.S. or foreign, that has 
Noncompensatory Scholarship                 control, receipt, or custody of an amount        If you do not have an SSN and are not 
or Fellowship Income                        subject to withholding or that can disburse   eligible to get one, you must get an ITIN. 
                                            or make payments of an amount subject to      To apply for an ITIN, file Form W-7 with 
Noncompensatory scholarship or              withholding is a withholding agent. The       the IRS. In most cases, you apply for an 
fellowship income is scholarship or         withholding agent can be an individual,       ITIN when you file your tax return for which 
fellowship income that is not               corporation, partnership, trust,              you need the ITIN. However, if the reason 
compensatory scholarship or fellowship      association, or any other entity, including   for your ITIN request is because you need 
income (defined earlier).                   (but not limited to) any foreign              to provide Form 8233 to the withholding 
                                            intermediary, foreign partnership, and U.S.   agent, you must file Form W-7 and provide 
  In most cases, the taxable portion of     branch of certain foreign banks and           proof that you are not eligible for an SSN 
noncompensatory scholarship or              insurance companies. In most cases, the       (your Form SS-5 was rejected by the SSA) 
fellowship income (defined next) paid to a  person who pays (or causes to be paid)        and include a Form 8233. Allow 7 weeks 
nonresident alien is subject to withholding the amount subject to withholding to the      for the IRS to notify you of your ITIN 
at:                                         nonresident alien individual (or to his or    application status (9 to 11 weeks if you 
30%; or                                   her agent) must withhold.                     submit the application during peak 
14% if the nonresident alien is 
temporarily present in the United States    Beneficial Owner                              processing periods (January 15 through 
                                                                                          April 30) or if you’re filing from overseas).
under an "F," "J," "M," or "Q" visa.        The beneficial owner of income is in most 
Taxable portion of noncompensatory          cases the person who is required under           For details on how to apply for an ITIN, 
scholarship or fellowship income.      If   U.S. tax principles to include the income in  see Form W-7 and its instructions. Get 
you were a degree candidate, the amount     gross income on a tax return. A person is     Form W-7 online at IRS.gov/Forms. For 
of this type of income that you used for    not a beneficial owner of income,             more information on obtaining an ITIN, go 
expenses other than tuition and             however, to the extent that person is         to IRS.gov/ITIN.
course-related expenses (fees, books,       receiving the income as a nominee, agent, 
supplies, and equipment) is taxable in      or custodian, or to the extent the person is     If you have applied for an SSN or ITIN 
most cases. For example, in most cases      a conduit whose participation in a            but have not yet received it, you can 
amounts used for room, board, and travel    transaction is disregarded. In the case of    attach a copy of a completed Form W-7 or 
are taxable. If you were not a degree       amounts paid that do not constitute           SS-5 showing that a number has been 
candidate, the full amount of the           income, beneficial ownership is               applied for.
scholarship or fellowship income is         determined as if the payment were 
taxable in most cases.                      income.                                                An ITIN is for tax use only. It does 
                                                                                             !     not entitle you to social security 
                                                                                          CAUTION  benefits or change your 
Required Withholding Form                   Avoid Common Errors                           employment or immigration status under 
                                            To ensure that your Form 8233 is promptly     U.S. law.
In most cases, you should complete Form     accepted, be sure that you:
exemption for this type of income. Form     
W-8BEN to claim a tax treaty withholding      Answer all applicable questions             Expired ITIN.  Generally, ITINs issued 
                                            completely;                                   after December 31, 2012, will remain in 
benefit is being claimed.                   
W-8BEN is not required unless a treaty        Specify the tax year for which this form    effect as long as the individual to whom 
                                            will be effective in the space provided       the ITIN was issued filed a tax return (or is 
Exception.   If you are receiving both      above Part I of the form;                     included as a dependent on the tax return 
compensation for personal services          Enter your complete name, addresses,        of another taxpayer) at least once in the 
(including compensatory scholarship or      and identifying number(s) in Part I;          last 3 tax years. Otherwise, the ITIN will 
fellowship income) and noncompensatory      Have attached the required statement        expire at the end of the third consecutive 
scholarship or fellowship income from the   described in the line 10 instructions if you  tax year in which the individual did not file 
same withholding agent, you can use one     are a foreign student, trainee, professor/    a tax return. All expired ITINs must be 
Form 8233 for both types of income.         teacher, or researcher;                       renewed before being used on a U.S. tax 
However, this exception applies only if you                                               return.

Instructions for Form 8233 (Rev. 10-2021)               -3-



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For more information, go to IRS.gov/            Line 8                                        “teaching one chemistry course per 
ITIN.                                           In most cases, you must enter your date of    semester to undergraduate students.”
Line 3                                          entry into the United States that relates to  A nonresident alien professor or 
If your country of residence for tax            your current nonimmigrant status. For         teacher can enter “teaching at ABC 
purposes has issued you a tax                   example, enter the date of arrival shown      University.”
identification number, enter it here. For       on your current Immigration Form I-94,        A nonresident alien researcher can 
example, if you are a resident of Canada,       Arrival-Departure Record.                     enter “research at ABC University's school 
                                                                                              for liquid crystal research.”
enter your Social Insurance Number.             Exception.   If you are claiming a tax treaty A nonresident alien business/vocational 
                                                benefit that is determined by reference to    trainee can enter “neurosurgical residency 
Line 4                                          more than one date of arrival, enter the      at ABC Hospital” or “one-year internship in 
Your permanent residence address is the         earlier date of arrival. For example, you     hydraulic engineering at XYZ 
address in the country where you claim to       are currently claiming treaty benefits (as a  Corporation.”
be a resident for purposes of that country's    teacher or a researcher) under Article 15 
income tax. If you are completing Form          of the tax treaty between the United States   Line 11b
8233 to claim a tax treaty withholding          and Norway. You previously claimed            Enter the total amount of compensation for 
exemption, you must determine your              treaty benefits (as a student) under Article  personal services you will receive from 
residency in the manner required by the         16, paragraph 1, of that treaty. Under        this withholding agent during the tax year. 
treaty. Do not show the address of a            Article 16, paragraph 4, of that treaty, the  Enter an estimated amount if you do not 
financial institution, a post office box, or an combination of exemptions under Articles      know the exact amount.
address used solely for mailing purposes.       15 and 16, paragraph 1, cannot extend 
If you are an individual who does not have      beyond 5 tax years from the date you          Line 12a
a tax residence in any country, your            entered the United States. If Article 16,     Enter the specific treaty on which you are 
permanent residence is where you                paragraph 4, of that treaty applies, enter    basing your claim for exemption from 
normally reside.                                on line 8 the date you entered the United     withholding (for example, “U.S.–Germany 
Most tax treaties that provide for a tax        States as a student.                          tax treaty” or “U.S.–Belgium tax treaty”).
treaty withholding exemption for students,      Line 9a                                       Line 12b
trainees, teachers, or researchers require      Enter your current nonimmigrant status.       Enter the specific article of the treaty 
that the recipient be a resident of the         For example, enter your current               identified on line 12a on which you are 
treaty country at the time of, or               nonimmigrant status shown on your             basing your claim for exemption from 
immediately before, entry into the United       current Immigration Form I-94.                withholding (for example, “Article 14, 
States. Thus, in most cases, a student or                                                     paragraph 2,” or “Article 7 (business 
researcher can claim the withholding            Line 9b                                       profits)”).
exemption even if he or she no longer has       Enter the date your current nonimmigrant 
a permanent address in the treaty country       status expires. For example, you can enter      If you are a resident of a country that 
after entry into the United States. If this is  the date of expiration shown on your          has a services permanent establishment 
the case, you can provide a U.S. address        current Immigration Form I-94. Enter “DS”     provision in the treaty (for example, Article 
on line 4 and still be eligible for the         on line 9b if the date of expiration is based 5, paragraph 9, of the United States–
withholding exemption if all other              on “duration of status.”                      Canada treaty) and you are claiming to be 
conditions required by the tax treaty are                                                     exempt from withholding because you are 
met. You must also identify on line 12a         Line 10                                       not performing services for more than the 
and/or line 13b the tax treaty country of       Nonresident alien students, trainees,         specified period under that provision, 
which you were a resident at the time of,       professors/teachers, and researchers          enter that treaty provision.
or immediately before, your entry into the      using Form 8233 to claim a tax treaty         Line 12c
United States.                                  withholding exemption for compensation 
Line 6                                          for personal services must attach a           If all income received for the services 
                                                statement to Form 8233. The format and        performed to which this Form 8233 
Enter your U.S. visa type. For example,         contents of the required statements are       applies is exempt, write “All.” If only part is 
foreign students are usually granted an         shown in Appendix A and Appendix B in         exempt, enter the exact dollar amount that 
“F-1” visa. Foreign professors, teachers,       Pub. 519.                                     is exempt from withholding.
or researchers are usually granted a “J-1” 
visa. Business/vocational trainees are                                                        Line 12d
usually granted an “M-1” visa; however,         Part II                                       If you are claiming a benefit under either 
some persons granted a “J-1” visa may           Line 11a                                      the income from employment/dependent 
also be considered business/vocational                                                        personal services article or the income 
trainees (for example, a person admitted        For compensation for independent              from independent services/business 
to complete a postgraduate residency in         personal services, examples of                profits article of the treaty, you must be a 
medicine).                                      acceptable descriptions to enter on this      resident of the treaty country. However, if 
                                                line include “consulting contract to design   you are claiming a benefit under the 
If you do not have, or do not need, a           software” or “give three lectures at XYZ      student/trainee or teacher/researcher 
visa, write “None.”                             University.”                                  article of a treaty, you generally only need 
        Spouses and dependents                    For compensation for dependent              to have been a resident of the treaty 
!       admitted on secondary visas (for        personal services, acceptable                 country at the time of, or immediately 
CAUTION example, “F-2,” “J-2,” “H-4,” and       descriptions to enter on this line include    before, your entry into the United States.
“O-3” visas) are usually not eligible to        the following examples.                       Line 13b
claim the same treaty benefits as the           A nonresident alien student can enter 
primary visa holder.                            “part-time library assistant,” “part-time     Enter the specific treaty on which you are 
                                                on-campus restaurant worker,” or              basing your claim for exemption from 
                                                                                              withholding (for example, “U.S.–Germany 
                                                                                              tax treaty”).

                                                             -4-                              Instructions for Form 8233 (Rev. 10-2021)



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Line 13c                                      exemption from withholding cannot be          complying with these laws and to allow us 
Enter the specific article of the treaty      readily determined (for example, you know     to figure and collect the right amount of 
identified on line 13b on which you are       the nonresident alien has a fixed base or     tax. Code section 6109 requires taxpayers 
basing your claim for exemption from          permanent establishment in the United         and withholding agents to provide their 
withholding (for example, “Article 20,        States).                                      identification numbers. Routine uses of 
                                                                                            this information include giving it to the 
paragraph 3”).                                  If you accept Form 8233 and later find      Department of Justice for civil and criminal 
Line 14                                       that either of the situations described       litigation, and cities, states, the District of 
                                              above applies, you must promptly notify       Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and 
Provide sufficient facts to justify the       the IRS (by writing to the address provided   possessions for use in administering their 
exemption from withholding claimed on         earlier) and you must begin withholding on    tax laws. We may also disclose this 
line 12 and/or line 13. Be sure you provide   any amounts not yet paid. Also, if you are    information to other countries under a tax 
enough details to allow the IRS to            notified by the IRS that the nonresident      treaty, to federal and state agencies to 
determine the tax treaty benefit you are      alien's eligibility for the exemption from    enforce federal nontax criminal laws, or to 
claiming.                                     withholding is in doubt or that the           federal law enforcement and intelligence 
                                              nonresident alien is not eligible for         agencies to combat terrorism. If a 
Part IV                                       exemption from withholding, you must          nonresident alien fails to provide a 
                                              begin withholding immediately. See            properly completed form, the withholding 
Withholding Agent's                           Regulations section 1.1441-4(b)(2)(iii) for   agent cannot accept it and is required to 
Responsibilities                              examples illustrating these rules.            withhold. If a withholding agent accepts a 
When the nonresident alien individual                                                       Form 8233 as completed and later finds 
                                                If you submit an incorrect Form 8233, 
gives you Form 8233, review it to see if                                                    that any of the facts or statements made 
                                              the IRS will notify you that the form 
you are satisfied that the exemption from                                                   on the form are false, or that a nonresident 
                                              submitted is not acceptable and that you 
withholding is warranted. If you are                                                        alien's eligibility for the exemption is in 
                                              must begin withholding immediately. 
satisfied, based on the facts presented,                                                    doubt, the withholding agent is required to 
                                              Examples of incorrect Forms 8233 
complete and sign the certification in Part                                                 notify the IRS and begin withholding; 
                                              include:
IV.                                                                                         failure to do so may result in penalties.
                                              Any Form 8233 that claims a tax treaty 
  You will need three copies of the           benefit that does not exist or is obviously   You are not required to provide the 
completed Form 8233. Each copy of Form        false, and                                    information requested on a form that is 
8233 must include any attachments             Any Form 8233 that has not been             subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act 
submitted by the nonresident alien            completed in sufficient detail to allow       unless the form displays a valid OMB 
individual. Give one copy of the completed    determination of the correctness of the tax   control number. Books or records relating 
Form 8233 to the nonresident alien            treaty benefit or exemption claimed.          to a form or its instructions must be 
individual. Keep a copy for your records.                                                   retained as long as their contents may 
Within 5 days of your acceptance, forward       If the IRS rejects Form 8233, you 
one copy to:                                  should notify the individual who submitted    become material in the administration of 
                                              it and allow the individual to submit a       any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax 
    Department of the Treasury                revised form if the individual still believes returns and return information are 
    Internal Revenue Service                  he or she is entitled to the exemption.       confidential, as required by section 6103.
    Philadelphia, PA 19255-0725
                                              Signature                                     The time needed to complete and file 
                                                                                            this form will vary depending on individual 
    You can also fax Form 8233 to             You or your authorized agent must sign        circumstances. The estimated average 
    877-824-9781 or 267-466-1365.             and date Form 8233. See Regulations           time is: Recordkeeping, 3 hr., 44 min.; 
    You are limited to 100 pages at           section 1.1441-7(c) for information about     Learning about the law or the form, 2 
one time.                                     authorized agents.                            hr., 39 min.; Preparing and sending the 
                                                                                            form to IRS, 2 hr., 26 min.
  The exemption from withholding is           Privacy Act and Paperwork Reduction 
effective for payments made retroactive to    Act Notice. We ask for the information on     If you have comments concerning the 
the date of the first payment covered by      this form to carry out the Internal Revenue   accuracy of these time estimates or 
Form 8233, even though you must wait at       laws of the United States. You are not        suggestions for making this form simpler, 
least 10 days after you have properly         required to request a tax treaty withholding  we would be happy to hear from you. You 
mailed Form 8233 to the IRS to see            exemption. However, if you want to            can send us comments from IRS.gov/
whether the IRS has any objections to the     receive exemption from withholding on         FormComments. You can write to the 
Form 8233.                                    compensation for independent (and             Internal Revenue Service, Tax Forms and 
  You must not accept Form 8233, and          certain dependent) personal services, you     Publications, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, 
you must withhold, if either of the following are required to give us this information so   IR-6526, Washington, DC 20224. Do not 
applies.                                      that we can verify eligibility under the      send the tax form to this address. Instead, 
You know, or have reason to know, that      relevant tax treaty and confirm proper tax    give it to your withholding agent.
any of the facts or statements on Form        treatment. Our legal right to ask for this 
8233 may be false.                            information is Internal Revenue Code 
You know, or have reason to know, that      sections 1441, 3401, and 3402. We need 
the nonresident alien's eligibility for the   this information to ensure that you are 

Instructions for Form 8233 (Rev. 10-2021)                        -5-






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