Various government jurisdictions require Unity to collect basic tax information and this includes information from our Asset Store Publishers. There are some questions that you may have, so we have included the most common in this article.
- What is a TIN?
- How can I get a U.S. TIN?
- How do I know if there is a tax treaty for my country?
- Why does Unity need my tax information for Asset Store payouts?
- Why am I being asked to complete a U.S. tax form using the online tax interview?
- I am a non-U.S. Asset Store Publisher. What happens if it is determined that I’m subject to U.S. tax withholding based on the tax interview I completed?
- If I complete the tax interview, does that mean that I will not have U.S. tax deducted from my payments?
- Do I have to send the online tax interview to Unity?
What is a TIN?
Social Security Number (SSN): This is a nine-digit number assigned to an individual by the Social Security Administration (SSA). The number is assigned for tax and wage purposes. Under US federal law, any person working in the USA for compensation (wages, salary, etc.) must have an SSN. This includes international employees.
Employer Identification Number (EIN): This is a tax ID number for businesses that have employees, corporations or partnerships; withhold taxes on income paid to non-resident aliens, have Keogh plans and are involved with certain types of organizations. The principal business must be in the United States or a U.S. territory, and the person applying for the EIN (it must be an individual, not an entity) should already have a Social Security number, ITIN or other EIN. The IRS may require an estate or trust to get an EIN.
Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN): This is a nine-digit tax ID number for nonresident and resident aliens, their spouses and their dependents who cannot get a Social Security number. The IRS issues the ITIN.
How can I get a U.S. TIN?
How do I know if there is a tax treaty for my country?
Why does Unity need my tax information for Asset Store payouts?
We estimate filling in your tax interview will take you less than 10 minutes, but please contact your local tax authority for advice if you have any doubts.
Please see our tax interview FAQ if you have questions about completing the tax form when setting up your Asset Store payout profile.
Why am I being asked to complete a U.S. tax form using the online tax interview?
Under U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) tax rules, Unity is required to secure certain tax information from our U.S. and non-U.S. publishers to determine whether or not payment is subject to U.S. tax withholdings. The IRS has published tax forms that can be used to collect this tax information.
Instead of asking you to fill out U.S. tax forms that can often be confusing, we worked with Tax Identity Solutions LLC, a third-party tax provider, to develop an online tax interview that is more user-friendly. The form provides a step-by-step process to gather the information, which we will pass along to the IRS.
All Asset Store Publishers to fill out a US tax form and you can access the online tax interview through the link provided in your email.
I am a non-U.S. Asset Store Publisher. What happens if it is determined that I’m subject to U.S. tax withholding based on the tax interview I completed?
If it is determined that you are subject to U.S. tax withholding, we will be withholding U.S. taxes from your payments using the withholding tax rate that is determined based on your tax interview (which has a maximum of 30%). Payment you receive from us will be net of the U.S. tax withholding. We submit the tax withholding amount to the IRS, so we will not be able to refund the tax amount to you once the tax is withheld.
You should consult with your tax, legal, or another professional advisor on methods to claim the tax that has been submitted to the IRS.
If I complete the tax interview, does that mean that I will not have U.S. tax deducted from my payments?
Not necessarily. The amount of tax the U.S. deduction varies and will depend on your country of tax residency, the information you provide during the tax interview (such as your U.S. or Foreign TIN), and/or if there is a treaty between that country and the U.S. that reduces U.S. tax withholding.
Typically, U.S. publishers who complete the tax interview and provide their U.S. TIN will be exempt from any U.S. tax withholding.
Non-U.S. publishers completing the tax interview will be exempt from U.S. tax withholdings if the services were performed outside the U.S. The rate of tax for non-U.S. publishers will vary from 0% to the maximum of 30%.
Do I have to send the online tax interview to Unity?
If you have consented to using an electronic signature during the tax interview, you do not need to send us your form.
If you did not consent to the electronic signature, you do need to send us your signed form. After you complete the tax interview, you will be sent an email reminder. You can reply to that notification with a scanned copy of your signed form or you can email it to publisher_inquiry@unity3d.com.
You can also send your paper tax form to the following address:
Tax Department
Unity Technologies
30 3rd Street
San Francisco, CA 94103
United States
However, utilizing the online tax interview we have provided ensures the right form will be used, it will be completed correctly, and the U.S. and/or Foreign TIN’s you include are validated. If a mailed form fails validation, we will have to reject it and request that you do it again.
More Information
Setting up your Asset Store payout profile