🏠 Home › Fax Guides › Fax a W-8BEN

🌍 How to Fax a W-8BEN to a Bank or Broker

📅 Updated November 2026 · 🌍 Send from any country
✦ Quick Answer

Form W-8BEN goes to the bank, broker or platform that asked for it, never to the IRS. Whether it takes fax is the institution's choice: many prefer an upload in your account, so fax only when they ask for it, and only to the fax number they give you. A signed W-8BEN generally stays valid through the last day of the third calendar year after the year you sign it. Select United States, type the 10 digits, and a cover page plus the form costs $2.99.

Fax your W-8BEN, $2.99

📋 In This Guide

  1. Who Gets the W-8BEN
  2. Upload or Fax?
  3. Which Fax Number to Use
  4. Entering the Fax Number
  5. What to Put on the Pages
  6. How Long a W-8BEN Lasts
  7. Cost and Your Record
  8. Frequently Asked Questions

Who Gets the W-8BEN

The W-8BEN is the form a non-US individual gives to a US payer, such as a bank, broker, fund platform or company paying you, which the IRS calls the withholding agent or payer. The form's own instruction is plain: do not send Form W-8BEN to the IRS. The institution keeps it on file for your account.

So there is no IRS fax number for a W-8BEN, and nothing to file with the government. This page is for people anywhere outside the United States: an investor in Lagos with a US brokerage account, a retiree in Manila with a US bank account, a freelancer in Lahore paid by a US platform. In each case the form goes to the institution, by whatever route it chooses.

The rule: send a W-8BEN only to the institution that asked for it, and fax it only to the fax number that institution gives you. Never fax a W-8BEN to an IRS number.

Upload or Fax?

Many banks, brokers and platforms prefer that you complete or upload the W-8BEN inside your online account, and some let you sign it electronically, which the rules allow a withholding agent to permit. If your account offers that, use it.

Fax is the right route when the institution asks for it: when a letter or support agent tells you to fax a signed paper form, when you are locked out of the online account from abroad, or when a wet-signed copy is required. Whether they take fax at all is their decision, so the instruction has to come from them.

Fax your W-8BEN, $2.99

Which Fax Number to Use

Only the one the bank or broker gives you, in a letter, an email from your account team, a secure message or the form instructions they sent. Do not use a fax number from a forum, a different department, or a general "contact us" page unless the institution points you to it for W-8BEN forms.

A W-8BEN carries your name, address, date of birth and tax identification details, so a wrong number is a real risk. If in doubt, ask the institution to confirm the number through your secure account messages before you send.

Entering the Fax Number

For a US institution, select United States and type the 10 digits with no leading 1, no spaces and no dashes. A number written 1-800-XXX-XXXX is entered as 800XXXXXXX. More detail is in how to fax to the USA online.

If the institution gives you a fax number in another country, for example a regional office, select that country and enter the number in its local format; see how to send a fax to another country. From the US or anywhere else, OverseasFax is built for this; see sending a fax from outside the United States.

Fax your W-8BEN, $2.99

What to Put on the Pages

Start with a cover page: the institution's name and the department or person who asked for the form, your full name exactly as on the account, your account number or the reference the institution gave you, your email and phone with country code, the words "Form W-8BEN attached", and the page count.

Then the completed W-8BEN, signed and dated by hand unless the institution has told you an electronic signature is fine. If they asked for anything else, such as a copy of your passport, add it after the form. Put your name and account reference in a corner of every page. Scan to PDF rather than photographing it, so every digit of your tax number is legible.

How Long a W-8BEN Lasts

A W-8BEN is generally valid from the date you sign it through the last day of the third calendar year after that, unless your circumstances change and make the form incorrect. A form signed at any point in 2026 is good through December 31, 2029. Note the date and plan to give a new form before then; the same fax route works for the renewal if the institution accepts fax.

If something on the form changes before then, such as your country of residence, give the institution a new form rather than waiting for the renewal.

Fax your W-8BEN, $2.99

Cost and Your Record

A cover page plus the W-8BEN is 2 pages, which costs $2.99. Add a passport copy and it is still 3 pages and $2.99. A five-page fax with extra account forms is $2.99 + 2 x $0.99 = $4.97. You see the price before you pay.

There is no account, nothing is printed on your document, and if the fax cannot be delivered the full amount goes back to your card automatically. Delivery usually takes a few minutes, and the confirmation email shows the destination number, the page count and the time, in US Eastern Time. Keep it as your record of exactly when it was sent, in case the institution later says the form never arrived.

If the bank wants to fax a form back to you to sign, our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a US fax number for 24 hours for $5, and anything received arrives in your email. If you are setting up a US company and need a US tax number for it, see how to get an EIN from abroad without an SSN. For forms that do go to the IRS by fax, start with how to fax the IRS.

Why send it here

One price for the whole fax, shown before you pay, and nothing added at checkout.

Nothing is printed on your document. It arrives exactly as you uploaded it.

If it cannot be delivered, the money goes back to your card without you asking.

It works from anywhere. Send from any country, in any browser, with no account.

Frequently Asked Questions

Cost and what you get
How much does it cost to fax a W-8BEN?
$2.99 for up to 3 pages to a US fax number, then $0.99 per extra page. A cover page plus the W-8BEN, or even with a passport copy added, is $2.99. No account and no subscription.
Is there a cheaper way to fax a W-8BEN to a US bank?
OverseasFax charges $2.99 for up to 3 pages and $0.99 for each extra page, from the US or any other country, with no account, no subscription and nothing added at checkout. Free fax services do exist, but they usually cap the number of pages and print their own advertising on the cover page, which you do not want on a tax form for your bank.
Can I fax my W-8BEN for free?
Free fax services generally limit pages and add their own advertising to the cover page. A W-8BEN carries your date of birth and tax details, so a clean fax to the right number with a dated confirmation email is worth $2.99.
Sending a fax
Do I send my W-8BEN to the IRS?
No. The form says do not send Form W-8BEN to the IRS. You give it to the bank, broker, platform or other payer that asked for it, and they keep it on file.
What is the IRS fax number for Form W-8BEN?
There is none, because a W-8BEN never goes to the IRS. Fax it only to the number your bank or broker gives you.
Where do I fax my W-8BEN to my broker?
To the fax number your broker gives you in a letter, email or secure message. Many brokers prefer you to upload or complete the form in your online account, so fax only if they ask for it.
My US bank asked me to fax a signed W-8BEN and I'm in Lagos, how do I do it?
Scan the signed form to PDF, open OverseasFax in any browser, select United States, enter the bank's 10-digit fax number and pay $2.99 for up to 3 pages. Delivery usually takes a few minutes.
Should I upload my W-8BEN or fax it?
Use whatever the institution asks for. If your account has an upload or online form, that is usually their preferred route; fax when they tell you to, or when you cannot get into the online account from abroad.
Can I sign my W-8BEN electronically before faxing it?
Only if the institution allows it; a withholding agent may accept an electronic signature. If they asked for a faxed paper form, sign it by hand, scan it and fax it.
Fax numbers and format
How do I enter a US bank's fax number to send a W-8BEN?
Select United States and type the 10 digits with no leading 1. A number written 1-800-XXX-XXXX is entered as 800XXXXXXX, and the +1 country code is added for you.
My broker gave me a fax number outside the US for my W-8BEN, does that work?
Yes. Select the country the number is in and enter it in that country's local format. The price depends on that country, and you see it before you pay.
Receiving a reply
Can my bank fax my W-8BEN back to me to correct it?
Not to OverseasFax, which only sends. Our sister service GetAFax.com gives you a US fax number for 24 hours for $5, and anything faxed to it arrives in your email.
Delivery, proof and safety
Is it safe to fax a W-8BEN with my passport details?
Yes, if the number is right. The fax goes straight to the number you enter, there is no account, and nothing is printed on your document. Confirm the fax number with your bank before you pay.
How do I show my broker I already sent the W-8BEN?
Forward the confirmation email. It shows the destination number, the page count and the exact time the fax went through, in US Eastern Time, which is your record of exactly when it was sent.
Why did my W-8BEN fax fail?
Usually a leading 1 was typed, the line was busy, or the number was not a fax line. If a fax fails you are refunded automatically and can send again after checking the number.
More questions
How long is a W-8BEN valid?
From the date you sign it through the last day of the third calendar year after that, unless your circumstances change. A W-8BEN signed in 2026 is good through December 31, 2029.
My circumstances changed, do I need to fax a new W-8BEN?
Yes. If a change makes the form incorrect, such as a move to a different country, give the institution a new W-8BEN by the route it asks for, without waiting for the old one to expire.
What should the cover page say when I fax a W-8BEN?
The institution's name and department, your full name as on the account, your account number or reference, your email and phone, "Form W-8BEN attached" and the page count.
How many pages can I fax with my W-8BEN?
Up to 10 files and 100MB in one fax. The first 3 pages cost $2.99 and each extra page is $0.99, so a five-page fax is $4.97.
Do I need an EIN to fill in a W-8BEN?
Not necessarily; the form and your institution's instructions say which tax number to use. If you are setting up a US company and need an EIN for it, our guide to getting an EIN from abroad without an SSN covers that.

Related Guides

📖 How to Fax a W-9 to a Client

📖 How to Fax the IRS

📖 Get an EIN From Abroad Without an SSN

📖 Fax the IRS About an International Account

📖 How to Fax to the USA Online

📖 Send a Fax From Outside the United States

📖 Fax Pension and Annuity Distribution Forms

📖 What an International Fax Costs

📖 Fax Forms to Schwab, Merrill or Wells Fargo

📠 Ready to send?

No account needed · $2.99 for up to 3 pages · Delivered in minutes · Full refund if delivery fails

Fax your W-8BEN →