The Lemon Fool

Posted: **January 12th, 2019, 9:56 pm**

I hope this question is in the right section.

I own shares in Thomson Reuters (former employer) through Fidelity Stock Plan Services who are based in the US. Recently, I have been asked for a Foreign Tax Identification Number. I have no idea what this is. I would be most grateful if anyone could enlighten me.

Thanks,

LooseCannon101

Posted: **January 12th, 2019, 10:11 pm**

LooseCannon101 wrote:Recently, I have been asked for a Foreign Tax Identification Number. I have no idea what this is. I would be most grateful if anyone could enlighten me.

Use either your NI number or your UK tax UTR. More here: https://www.oecd.org/tax/automatic-exch ... UK-TIN.pdf

It is vaguely distasteful that as a UK citizen with no connection to the US, you nevertheless have to put this information on a US tax form and then sign it under "penalties of perjury", isn't it?

Posted: **January 12th, 2019, 10:18 pm**

We’ve never included a Foreign TIN and have never been asked for one by either Barclays (as was) nor Hargreaves Lansdown. As your link confirms, we don’t have them!

Posted: **January 12th, 2019, 10:48 pm**

PinkDalek wrote:We’ve never included a Foreign TIN and have never been asked for one by either Barclays (as was) nor Hargreaves Lansdown.

Both of these are UK financial institutions. Fidelity Stock Plan Services is however US based, and so has to dot every 'i' and cross every 't' of the jackboot of US financial regulations.

Foreign TINs
If you are a U.S. office or branch of a depository institution, custodial institution, investment entity, or specified insurance company (each as defined in Regulations section 1.1471-5(e)) documenting an account holder (as defined in Regulations section 1.1471-5(a)(3)) of an account that is a financial account (as defined in Regulations section 1.1471-5(b)) you must obtain the account holder’s TIN for its jurisdiction of tax residence (foreign TIN) on a Form W-8 that is a beneficial owner withholding certificate in order for the form to be valid for a payment of U.S. source income reportable on Form 1042-S (as determined before the application of this requirement), unless (... blah blah blah, some exceptions that appear not to apply ...)

In this case the culprit is very likely FATCA. Specifically the US's half-hearted attempts to provide some type of lip service to their agreement to 'reciprocity' in the US/UK FATCA IGA, in the form of 1042-S reporting to HMRC.

Posted: **January 14th, 2019, 7:29 pm**

TedSwippet and PinkDalek - Thank you for your replies.

I will provide my National Insurance number to Fidelity Stock Plan Services.

Thanks again,

LooseCannon101

The Lemon Fool

Form W-8BEN

Form W-8BEN

Re: Form W-8BEN

Re: Form W-8BEN

Re: Form W-8BEN

Re: Form W-8BEN