Weird Tax Document Request in the Mail

[psho 0]

Hey there --

We got a letter from the bank, that opens with:

"The Internal Revenue Service requires all financial institutions to maintain proper certification and documentation of foreign status on all Non Resident Alien (NRA) interest bearing accounts. Our records indicate, that some or all of the certification we need to certify your Non Resident Alien status, is missing or unclear."

And it includes a W-8BEN form. On the form, it says "Do Not Use This Form for: - A U.S. citizen or other U.S. person, including a resident alien individual."

Anyone else get one of these? What to do?

[Shamrock 0]

I got one of those when my wife added me to her accounts... Since I already had the SSN and permanent resident status I filled the W-9 instead... I would suggest to consult with an accountant.

[payxibka 10,044]

Hey there --

We got a letter from the bank, that opens with:

"The Internal Revenue Service requires all financial institutions to maintain proper certification and documentation of foreign status on all Non Resident Alien (NRA) interest bearing accounts. Our records indicate, that some or all of the certification we need to certify your Non Resident Alien status, is missing or unclear."

And it includes a W-8BEN form. On the form, it says "Do Not Use This Form for: - A U.S. citizen or other U.S. person, including a resident alien individual."

Anyone else get one of these? What to do?

What is your status... resident alien or non-resident alien?

[psho 0]

Hey there --

We got a letter from the bank, that opens with:

"The Internal Revenue Service requires all financial institutions to maintain proper certification and documentation of foreign status on all Non Resident Alien (NRA) interest bearing accounts. Our records indicate, that some or all of the certification we need to certify your Non Resident Alien status, is missing or unclear."

And it includes a W-8BEN form. On the form, it says "Do Not Use This Form for: - A U.S. citizen or other U.S. person, including a resident alien individual."

Anyone else get one of these? What to do?

What is your status... resident alien or non-resident alien?

I'm the USC -- my husband came over on a K-1 visa, we got married, and we're currently adjusting his status, so this is where I get stuck. He's on the road to being a permanent resident alien, no? Is he in some sort of weird netherworld, bureaucratically speaking? He's happy to pay US taxes (they're a lot lower than where he's from!).

[motu 5]

I would suggest asking your bank about what it means - perhaps they have dealt with this before and can find out from their sources - My bank is very co-operative and I would do this if it happened to us. An accountant may not know anything about it unless they deal with International banking. This seems strange to me - my wife was added to my bank account while still on a K1 and we didn't receive anything like this. Good Luck