W-8BEN Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner

What is the W-8BEN?

By completing this form, UK investors can claim exemption from paying US tax on dividends and interest from shares traded in the US, as such income will already fall under UK income tax rules.

The W-8BEN is valid for three calendar years after the year in which it is signed, e.g. a form signed in January 2012 will expire on 31st December 2015. A new form must be submitted when the existing one expires, and we will inform all customers in advance of expiry.

How do I complete the W-8BEN?

Complete the following sections only:

Part I

Line 1: Enter your full name here.
Line 3: Tick tone box only, either “individual” for individual accounts or the box that relates to the type of account you hold with us.
Line 4: Enter your permanent residence, i.e. your tax address. Do not enter the name of a financial institution, a post office box or an address used solely for mailing purposes. We would expect you not to abbreviate where it highlights not to.
Line 7: Enter your National Insurance number here.
Line 8: Enter your account number here.

Part II

Line 9a: Enter your country of residency for tax purposes here, i.e. United Kingdom

Part IV

If you hold an individual account, sign and date the form yourself (keep in mind the US date configuration), leaving “Capacity in which acting” blank.

Where do I get the form?

You can download, print and complete a W-8BEN Form here.

Download

What do I do with the form once I’ve filled it in?

Please send the original form by post to us at:

Client Services
Beaufort Securities Ltd
131 Finsbury Pavement
London
EC2A 1NT