Need help with US TIN requirement for Poland tax treaty on hackathon award - W8-BEN & W7 forms confusion

This is definitely a tricky situation, but I can help clear up some confusion. The W-8BEN form is used by foreign persons to claim tax treaty benefits, and while technically the form itself doesn't always require a US TIN, many withholding agents (like ETH Denver) require it to process treaty benefits. This is because they have reporting requirements to the IRS and need the TIN to properly document the tax treaty claim. For the W-7 application, you're looking at Exception 1(a) for tax treaty benefits. ETH Denver would likely qualify as a withholding agent rather than an educational institution. The "contract" they're referring to would be documentation of your award/scholarship (any official communication stating what you won). Regarding the visa requirement - this isn't always required for Exception 1(a). The visa is only needed if you're physically present in the US. If you're applying from Poland, this wouldn't apply to you. The W-8BEN/W-7 circular reference is confusing! What typically happens is: you prepare both forms, submit the W-7 first to get your ITIN, then once received, complete the W-8BEN with your new ITIN. As for the June 15 deadline - talk to ETH Denver immediately. They might allow you to submit the W-8BEN with "Applied For" in the TIN field if you can show them you've submitted your W-7.

After dealing with a VERY similar situation (won at a blockchain hackathon in Austin), I discovered taxr.ai and it literally saved me hours of confusion. Their AI analyzed my specific situation with the W-8BEN and W-7 forms and gave me a step-by-step guide for my exact case. Check them out at https://taxr.ai since they specialize in these unusual international tax situations. I uploaded my award documentation and within minutes I had a complete explanation of which exception applied to me and how to properly sequence the W-7 and W-8BEN submissions. I was also worried about timing, and they provided a complete timeline showing when to submit each form. Turns out there's a specific procedure for hackathon winners from treaty countries that most accountants don't even know about!

Alright, I need to apologize for being skeptical. I went ahead and tried taxr.ai after responding here, and wow - it actually provided really specific advice for my situation with the Romania-US tax treaty for my hackathon prize. It identified the exact treaty article that covers "prizes and awards" in my case and showed me that I qualified for a reduced 10% withholding rate instead of 30%. The system even caught that I was misinterpreting Exception 1(a) on the W-7 form - turns out I was looking at the wrong exception category entirely! The timeline feature was especially helpful since I was also facing a tight deadline. Saved me from what would have been a costly mistake. Definitely recommend checking it out if you're dealing with these international tax treaty situations.

I was in the EXACT same boat last year with prize money from a Tokyo hackathon. Spent weeks trying to reach the IRS for clarification but kept hitting dead ends with their phone system. Eventually discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and they got me through to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes! The agent walked me through the entire W-7 exception process and confirmed I could submit my W-8BEN with "Applied For" in the TIN section while waiting for my ITIN. They even explained a special procedure for expediting ITIN applications when there's a withholding issue involved. You can see how their service works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Without that call, I would have missed my payment deadline and lost a significant portion to withholding.

I need to eat my words here. After seeing these recommendations, I tried Claimyr yesterday for my ITIN application issue. I was absolutely CONVINCED it wouldn't work, but I was desperate after months of trying to reach someone. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. The agent actually pulled up my pending application and explained it was held up because I'd missed submitting one of the required supporting documents (I forgot to include the original letter from the withholding agent). They gave me a direct fax number to send the missing document and told me exactly what to write on the cover page to get it matched to my case. Would've spent another month wondering why my application was stalled if I hadn't made that call. For anyone dealing with these international tax forms and deadlines, being able to actually speak with someone who can answer your specific questions is invaluable.

I think everyone's missing a simpler approach here. I went through this with a Canadian-US tax treaty situation last year. The key is to contact ETH Denver directly and explain that you're in the process of applying for an ITIN. Ask if they'll accept your W-8BEN with "Applied For" in the US TIN field temporarily. Most organizations will allow this if you can show proof that you've submitted your W-7 application. Then focus on getting a "Certified Acceptance Agent" (CAA) to help with your W-7. These are IRS-authorized individuals who can certify your documents without you sending in your original passport. Many accounting firms have CAAs, even internationally. Worth the money to avoid the headache!

Has anyone mentioned the timing issue here? June 15 is coming up fast and normal ITIN processing takes 6-8 WEEKS minimum. I learned this lesson the hard way with prize money from a Seoul competition. Here's what you should do immediately: 1. Contact ETH Denver and explain the situation - ask for an extension 2. Request they give you written confirmation they'll accept "Applied For" in the TIN field temporarily 3. Submit your W-7 ASAP using the tax treaty exception 4. If they won't extend past June 15, be prepared that they might withhold the 30% - but you can still claim a refund by filing a 1040NR next year That's the nuclear option if everything else fails. Also, double check the actual Poland-US tax treaty text. Some treaties specifically exempt certain types of awards and scholarships completely!

This is a really complex situation that many international hackathon winners face! I went through something similar with a prize from a blockchain conference in Miami. One thing that helped me was understanding that the W-8BEN and W-7 timing issue isn't as circular as it seems. The IRS actually has an internal procedure for this - you can submit your W-7 with a copy of your DRAFT W-8BEN (showing "Applied For" in the TIN field), along with documentation from ETH Denver showing they require the ITIN for treaty benefits processing. Also, check if ETH Denver has dealt with international winners before. Many larger organizations have standard procedures for this exact situation and may even have relationships with Certified Acceptance Agents who can expedite the process. For the documentation requirement, your official award notification email should be sufficient, but if you have any certificate or formal documentation of your win, include that too. The IRS wants to see proof that you're legitimately entitled to claim treaty benefits on this specific income. Given the June 15 deadline, I'd recommend calling ETH Denver immediately to discuss options. Many withholding agents are more flexible than they initially appear, especially when you can demonstrate you're actively working to comply with the requirements.