Setting Up Your Tax Profile

Overview

A tax profile is required before your first payout can be processed. This applies to all affiliates — US and international. You can promote TrekMail and accumulate commissions without a tax profile, but payouts are held until your tax information has been submitted and approved.

Tax profile review takes 1–2 business days from submission.

Why a tax profile is required

TrekMail is required to collect tax information from affiliates who receive payments. This is a standard compliance requirement. The information you provide allows TrekMail to correctly report affiliate payments to the relevant authorities and ensures that your payments can be processed without hold-ups.

Which form do you need?

If you are unsure which form applies to your situation, consult a tax professional in your country.

How to submit your tax profile

1. Open the Affiliate section and click the Payouts tab.
2. Scroll to the Tax profile section.
3. Select your classification:
   • US individual / business — opens the W-9 form
   • International individual — opens the W-8BEN form
   • International entity — opens the W-8BEN-E form
4. Click Fill in Form to open the electronic form.
5. The official IRS PDF form loads directly in your browser. Fill in the form fields on the PDF itself — these are real interactive fields on the actual IRS document, not a separate HTML form.
6. Today's date is automatically filled in the Date field (MM/DD/YYYY format).
7. Type your full legal name in the Signature field to certify the form (electronic signature, legally valid under the E-SIGN Act).
8. Check the certification checkbox below the PDF to confirm your penalties-of-perjury declaration.
9. Click Submit to send your tax information for review.

Required fields are validated before submission. If any required information is missing, you will see an error message indicating which fields need to be completed.

Your tax profile status will show as Pending review until it is processed.

W-9 — US affiliates

The W-9 applies if you are a US citizen or resident, regardless of where you are currently located. The form renders as a real interactive IRS PDF (page 1) directly in your browser. You will need:

• Your legal name (Line 1) — required
• Business name or disregarded entity name, if any (Line 2)
• Federal tax classification — individual/sole proprietor, C corp, S corp, partnership, trust, estate, LLC, or other (Line 3) — required (select via checkboxes on the PDF)
• Foreign partners checkbox (Line 3b) — check if you have foreign partners, owners, or beneficiaries
• Exemption codes, if applicable (Line 4 — most individuals leave this blank)
• Your mailing address (Line 5) — required
• City, state, and ZIP code (Line 6) — required (format: City, State ZIP)
• Requester name and address, if applicable (right column)
• Account numbers, if applicable (Line 7)
• Your taxpayer identification number (TIN) — at least one is required:
  • Social Security Number (SSN) for individuals (format: 000-00-0000)
  • Employer Identification Number (EIN) for businesses (format: 00-0000000)
• Your signature (typed name) — required. The date is auto-filled.

LLC filers: If you select LLC as your classification, you must also specify the LLC's tax treatment: C corporation, S corporation, or partnership.

Other classification: If you select "Other", a description field is required.

W-8BEN — International affiliates (individuals)

The W-8BEN applies if you are a non-US individual. The form renders as a real interactive IRS PDF (page 1) directly in your browser. You will need:

• Your legal name (Line 1) — required
• Country of citizenship (Line 2) — required
• Permanent residence address (Line 3) — required
• City or town, state or province, postal code (Line 4) — required
• Country (Line 4) — required
• Mailing address if different from your permanent address (Line 5 — optional)
• US taxpayer identification number (ITIN or SSN), if you have one (Line 6a)
• Foreign (non-US) tax identification number, if your country issues one (Line 6b). If your country does not issue TINs, check the "FTIN not legally required" checkbox.
• Reference numbers, if applicable (Line 7)
• Date of birth in MM/DD/YYYY format (Line 8)
• If claiming a tax treaty benefit (Part II — optional): treaty country, article/paragraph, withholding rate, type of income, conditions, and explanation
• Your signature (typed name) — required. The date is auto-filled. Capacity field is optional (for agents signing on behalf of the beneficial owner).

W-8BEN-E — International affiliates (entities)

If you operate as a non-US company, partnership, trust, or other entity, use the W-8BEN-E form. The form renders as a real interactive IRS PDF (pages 1, 2, and 8) directly in your browser. You will need:

• Organization's legal name (Line 1) — required
• Country of incorporation or organization (Line 2) — required
• Name of disregarded entity, if applicable (Line 3)
• Chapter 3 (withholding) status — required (select via checkboxes on the PDF): Corporation, Disregarded Entity, Partnership, Simple Trust, Grantor Trust, Complex Trust, Estate, Government, Central Bank of Issue, Tax-Exempt Organization, Private Foundation, International Organization, or Other
• Chapter 4 (FATCA) status — select via checkboxes natively on the PDF if applicable
• Permanent residence address (Line 6) — required
• City or town, state or province, postal code (Line 6) — required
• Country (Line 6) — required
• Mailing address if different (Line 7 — optional)
• US taxpayer identification number / EIN (Line 8 — page 2)
• GIIN (Global Intermediary Identification Number), if applicable (Line 9a — page 2)
• Foreign (non-US) tax identification number (Line 9b — page 2)
• Reference numbers (Line 10 — page 2)
• Signature (typed name) — required (page 8, Certification section)
• Capacity/title in which acting — required (page 8). The date is auto-filled.

What happens after you submit

Your tax profile is reviewed within 1–2 business days. You will receive an email notification when it is approved or if changes are needed.

While your form is pending review or after it has been approved, you can view or download the submitted PDF from the Payouts tab. Look for the "View submitted form" and "Download PDF" links.

Status meanings

Resubmitting after a changes request

If your tax profile is sent back for corrections, you will receive an email explaining what needs to be fixed. Return to the Payouts tab, click Fill in Form again, and re-enter your information. Your previous answers will be pre-filled so you only need to correct the flagged items.

How the filled PDF is generated

When you submit a tax form, TrekMail generates a completed version of the official IRS PDF with all your information filled in. This generated document is what the compliance team reviews. It includes an additional Electronic Signature Record page at the end, documenting the signing timestamp, IP address, and perjury consent — this page is not part of the IRS form itself but serves as an audit trail.

The generated PDF is stored securely on the server and is accessible only to you and the compliance team.

Privacy and security

Your tax information is stored securely and is only accessible to TrekMail's compliance team for review purposes. TIN values (SSN, EIN) are stored server-side and are never exposed in full in any response sent back to the browser after submission. TrekMail does not share your tax information with third parties except as required by law.

Do I need to resubmit every year?

Not automatically. Your approved tax profile remains on file. However, W-8BEN forms have a validity period under IRS rules (typically three calendar years after the year of signature). If your W-8BEN expires or your information changes (for example, you change your entity type or tax identification number), you will need to resubmit an updated form before your next payout can be processed.

W-9 forms do not expire under IRS rules, but you should submit an updated W-9 if your name, address, or TIN changes.

Frequently asked questions

Can I still upload a paper form? The standard path is the electronic inline form, which renders the official IRS PDF directly in your browser. If you have a specific reason you cannot complete the electronic form (for example, your browser does not support PDF rendering), contact support.

Do I need to print or mail anything? No. The electronic form submitted through the dashboard is sufficient for tax compliance purposes. Electronic signatures are legally valid under the E-SIGN Act (for US affiliates) and equivalent international standards.

The PDF is not loading. What should I do? The form requires a modern browser with JavaScript enabled. If you see a "Failed to load the PDF form" message, try refreshing the page. If the issue persists, try a different browser (Chrome, Firefox, Edge, or Safari). Contact support if the problem continues.

I selected the wrong form type. Can I change it? You can resubmit with the correct form type. Go back to the Payouts tab, select the correct classification, and click Fill in Form. Your previous submission will be replaced.

Why is my EIN or SSN being rejected? SSNs must be entered in the format 000-00-0000 (9 digits with hyphens). EINs must be in the format 00-0000000. Make sure you are not using spaces or other characters.

My country does not issue tax identification numbers. What do I enter? On the W-8BEN form, check the "FTIN not legally required" checkbox next to the foreign TIN field and leave the TIN field blank. On the W-8BEN-E form, leave the foreign TIN field blank. The reviewer will verify eligibility during the review process.

Note: TrekMail does not provide tax advice. If you are unsure how affiliate income from a US company affects your tax obligations, consult a qualified tax professional in your country.