Complete international contractor onboarding (as an international contractor)

We'll use the details entered during onboarding to help auto-fill Form W-8 BEN (for individuals) or Form W-8 BEN-E (for businesses) as part of the final step in the process.

Important: Once details have been entered, they cannot be edited, please ensure all information is 100% accurate. If anything is incorrect, your employer will need to contact Gusto from the Help section of their account.

To complete your international contractor onboarding:

1. Click Get started in the welcome email you received from Gusto.

2. Enter your date of birth.

3. Enter your international tax identification number.

4. Enter your street address.

   • This information will auto-fill as the “permanent resident address” section of the applicable W-8 BEN(-E) form.

5. Click Save & continue.

6. Click Enter details to enter your bank account information–ensure all information is 100% accurate, payment information cannot be edited once entered, and payments cannot be reversed if sent to an incorrect or unrecognized account.

   • If you need to update your bank account information, your employer will need to contact Gusto from the Help section of their Gusto account.

7. Click Save & continue.

   • Important: To correctly receive payments, your full name on record in Gusto must exactly match the name on your bank account. If the names do not match, reach out to your employer to let them know and do not proceed with onboarding. 

8. Click Generate & download Federal W-8 BEN/W-8 BEN(E) to download the applicable form.

   • Individuals will download the W-8 BEN

   • Businesses will download the W-8 BEN-E form.

9. Review the document and ensure that all auto-filled details are correct. 

   • If the information is incorrect, please contact us from the Help section of your account explaining the issue.

10. Enter the remaining details requested in the form. 

    • See the headlines below for form-specific guidance that will help you navigate the forms.

    • For any questions about how to complete the remainder of the form, reach out to a legal or tax advisor.

11. Upload the signed and completed form.

12. Click Confirm & submit.

You’ve completed onboarding! Payroll administrators at the company can now pay you internationally using Gusto. On paydays, you’ll receive a payday email from Gusto.

W-8 BEN (for individuals)

Part 1 - Identification of Beneficial Owner

• Item 1: Name of individual who is the beneficial owner

  • Gusto will autofill this field

• Item 2: Country of citizenship

  • Gusto will autofill this field

• Item 3: Permanent resident address

  • Gusto will autofill this field

• Item 4: Mailing address

  • If you have a different mailing address from your permanent resident address, you can enter it here.

    • Keep in mind: Gusto will rely solely on the permanent resident address, even if this section is filled out.   

• Item 5: U.S. taxpayer identification number (SSN or ITIN), if required (see instructions on form)

  • Important: Gusto does not support withholdings, so this number will not impact payments made using Gusto.   

  • Check with a legal or tax advisor to determine if this is required for you.

    • If you’ve applied for an ITIN (typically associated with exemptions), you can check the status here.

• Item 6: Foreign tax identifying number

  • If you didn’t enter an ITIN in step 5, enter your foreign tax identifying number (this may be your SIN) 

• Item 7: Reference number(s), see form instructions

  • A  reference number will autofill here, for internal-use only. Do not change this number.

• Item 8: Date of birth (MM-DD-YYYY)

  • Enter your date of birth.

Part 2 -Claim of Tax Treaty Benefits

• Item 9: Country of residency

  • Gusto will autofill this field with the country you're in.

• Item 10: Special rates and conditions

  • Gusto will not act on any information put in the second section.

    • If the conditions in the second section impact you, reach out to your employer.

Part 3 - Certification

• Agree to all items

• Signature of beneficial owner (or individual authorized to sign for beneficial owner)

• Date

• Print your name

• Capacity in which acting–if form is not signed by beneficial owner

W-8 BEN E (for businesses)

Part 1 - Identification of Beneficial Owner

• Item 1: Name of organization that is the beneficial owner

  • Gusto will autofill this field.

• Item 2: Country of incorporation or organization

  • Gusto will autofill this field with the country you're in.

• Item 3: Name of disregarded entity receiving the payment (if applicable, see instructions)

  • A disregarded entity is a business that is separate from its owner but elects to be disregarded as separate from the business owner for tax purposes. 

• Item 4:  Chapter 3 status (entity type) (must check one box only)

  • It’s important to consult your legal or tax advisor as to what status applies to you–this will help prevent any misunderstandings with tax agencies.

• Item 5: Chapter 4 status (FATCA status) (See instructions for details and complete the certification for the entity's applicable status.)

• Item 6: Permanent resident address

  • Gusto will autofill this field

• Item 7: Mailing address (if different from above)

  • If you have a different mailing address from your permanent resident address, you can enter it here.

    • Keep in mind: Gusto will rely solely on the permanent resident address, even if this section is filled out.   

• Item 8: U.S. taxpayer identification number (TIN) if required

  • Important: Gusto does not support withholdings, so this number will not impact payments made using Gusto.   

  • Check with a legal or tax advisor to determine if this is required for you.

    • If you’ve applied for an ITIN (typically associated with exemptions), you can check the status here.

• Item 9 a: GIIN

  • Only required if registered for FATCA

• Item 9 b: Foreign TIN–required

  • Enter this manually.

• Item 10: Reference number(s), see form instructions

  • A  reference number will autofill here, for internal-use only. Do not change this number.

Part 2 -  Disregarded Entity or Branch Receiving Payment (Complete only if a disregarded entity with a GIIN or a branch of an FFI in a country other than the FFI's country of residence. See instructions.)

• Item 11: Chapter 4 status (FATCA status) of disregarded entity or branch receiving payments

  • Consult a legal or tax advisor with questions.

• Item 12: Address of disregarded entity or branch (street, apt. or suite no., or rural route). Do not use a P.O. box or in-care-of address (other than a registered address)

• Item 13: GIIN (if any)

  • Only required if registered for FATCA.

Part 3 -  Claim of Tax Treaty Benefits

• Item 14: I certify that (check all that apply)

  • Part A: this will be selected with the country you're in pre populated in the country section.

  • Parts b and c: fill out if applicable, this will not impact Gusto services.

• Item 15: Special rates and conditions

  • Gusto will not act on any information put in the second section.

    • If the conditions in the second section impact you, reach out to your employer.

Part 4 - Part 29 - Entity types

Consult a legal or tax advisor and complete the appropriate section based on your entity type.

Part 30 - Certification

Sign, print, and date the form.   

If you need to update any information entered during onboarding, reach out to your employer—they'll need to send you a request via email before you can edit any details entered during onboarding. 

Reminder

If Gusto attempted to pay you, and we received a bank error that indicated incorrect bank account information, we'll send you a request to update the bank account information directly—no need to go through your employer first. 

Update your bank account info or other personal info

1. Ask your employer to send you a request to update your information—let them know they can find instructions for how to send you the request in this article.  
2. Once your employer has sent the request, find the email from Gusto.
   • Don't see it? Make sure you're checking the email on file with Gusto and double-check your spam folder(s).
3. Click Update details in the email. 
4. Update the information, and click Save and continue.
   
   • If there was a bank issue: the most common pieces of information that need updating are the bank account details, or the name associated with the bank account—the name affiliated with the bank account must match the name entered for Gusto.
   • We'll let your employer know when you've updated your information.

If you need to be paid to the new bank account, work with your employer to get the necessary payment(s) scheduled (or rescheduled).

Reach out to your employer—if they're unable to assist, they can contact Gusto from the Help (or Priority support) section of their Gusto profile.