As part of the Seller Verification process, all artists who wish to sell their designs on Spoonflower must complete tax documentation.
- For US citizens, we are required to collect Form W-9, the form on which you report your taxpayer ID number: either your Social Security Number (for an individual US citizen) or your Federal Tax ID (if you are a US business).
- If you are an individual or business who is not a US taxpayer, we will ask you to complete a W-8 Form with a foreign identification number.
- If an artist does not provide a U.S. or Foreign TIN, then they will not be eligible to make a claim for a reduced rate of withholding under a tax treaty.
Submitting a W8 or W9 Form
Updating a Form
Troubleshooting and FAQs
Withholding FAQs
Submitting a W8 or W9 Form
You may securely input your tax information through the tax info tab of your Spoonflower account page. Do not email your completed tax forms; email is not a secure form of transmission, and your account will not be updated. If you have any questions, please contact us at taxinfo@spoonflower.com. To submit a W8 or W9 form, follow the instructions below.
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Once on the tax info tab in your account, you will be asked to re-confirm your Spoonflower password for security reasons. From there, click the Complete seller tax form (W8/W9) button on the right-hand side.
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Choose the appropriate form for your specific circumstances, as shown below.
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The form will appear within your browser window to complete. Toggle to the instructions tab for specific instructions related to your form.
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Complete the form. Sign the form using your mouse or finger on a trackpad and click the green Sign & Close button when you are finished.
Updating a Form
If any information has changed your form since you initially uploaded it, you can return to your account settings at any time to submit a new form. Update your income tax form by traveling to the Tax Info tab in your Account Settings, re-enter your Spoonflower.com password, and then click on the Submit a new form button as seen in the screenshot below.
Troubleshooting and FAQs
▶ Which Tax form should I fill out?
Generally, US taxpayers should fill out form W-9. If you are not a US taxpayer, you will need to complete one of the following W-8 Forms:
▶ How will you send me my 1099?
Spoonflower will send you your 1099 (or 1042-S) via one of two methods - either electronic delivery via a service called Track1099 to the email address connected to your Spoonflower account or a paper copy to the address you provided when you filled out your tax information.
Request for consent to utilize electronic delivery for 1099 and 1042-S for the 2025 year was sent out to artists via a form in January 2026. If you do not consent to electronic delivery, you will receive a paper copy of your annual tax document by mail.
If you have any questions, please contact us at taxinfo@spoonflower.com.
▶ I have earned a small amount of royalties but have only ever used it (or plan to use it) to buy fabric. Do I still need to complete the form?
Yes. We ask that every designer who participates on the Spoonflower as a seller complete a Form W-9 (for US designers), W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E (for non-US designers), regardless of how they plan to use their Spoondollars.
▶ I just use my Spoondollars for ordering swatches and proofing designs, which is part of my business. So I’m actually spending more than I make!
You should consult with your tax advisor regarding whether you are able to deduct swatches for proofing, or other Spoonflower-related purchases, as a business expense. But we remain obligated to collect tax information and, above certain dollar thresholds, to report your earnings to the IRS.
▶ The money I have earned in Spoondollars sits in my account and I have no plans to use it. Do you still need me to complete tax information?
If you plan to participate on Spoonflower as a seller, we need you to complete the tax forms regardless of how much you have earned or how you plan to use the funds.
▶ I already report any money I make through hobbies as “other income” on my tax return. Do I still need to complete a W-9 and if so, would it change how I report this income?
You should report any income earned from royalties on your income tax. However, we still need to collect tax information from sellers and report the Spoondollars they earn on Forms 1099 or 1042-S as appropriate.
▶ I would rather not send my SSN via the Internet. Can I fax or mail a copy of this document to you instead?
A lot of people have this concern, and we totally get it. We’re using a secure third-party, Avalara, to collect documents, which uses advanced encryption technology and is far more secure than any other submission method, including email, fax, and post. The personal information you provide on the form, apart from your name and address, will not be held in the Spoonflower database at all, and will be accessed only by our financial team when and if they are required to report the data to the IRS.
▶ I live outside the US and do not understand why the IRS wants this information from me. I pay my taxes in my own country. Why do I have to provide this information to the US?
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) requires Spoonflower to report all the money it pays to non-US persons earning US-source income and, in some cases, to withhold taxes from the amounts it pays out. To comply with the IRS requirement to report and withhold, we need you to complete the W-8BEN or the W-8BEN-E. Payments to you for use of your designs (i.e., royalties) are US-source if the designs are used in the US. Please note that when you complete the W-8 form, there is a field where you can note if your country has a treaty with the US that reduces or eliminates the obligation to withhold taxes from your payments. A chart showing treaty rates for royalties by country is located on page 51 of IRS Publication 515, available at www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p515.pdf.
▶ Can I choose to make my designs available for sale without earning royalties?
This is not possible.
▶ Will I be taxed on Spoondollars given to me by customer service in lieu of a refund or for some other reason?
In general, if our customer service team gives you Spoondollars, they are not considered income and will not be taxable. Please consult your tax advisor if you have questions about specific credits or compensation.
▶ I filled out the form correctly, why won’t it accept my form?
- If you see one of these errors: “Failed to Validate Tin” or “No IRS Match found. TIN and Name combination does not match IRS records” it means there is a mismatch between your taxpayer name and TIN.
- If you are an individual, you must use the name used on your taxes and government ID. This name should also match your TIN (tax identification number: EIN or SSN). For example, you cannot put your personal name Jane Doe as the taxpayer and then use the EIN for your LLC as your TIN.
- If you are a company or LLC, you must put the name of your LLC in the taxpayer name field. Do not put your personal name.
- You must put the exact name that your company is registered as with the government. If you can’t remember, try different possible variations. Leave off the LLC or INC part at the end. Choose no for the next question down about doing business under another name. (Unless your company sometimes goes by another name)
- If you see an error that says “Unable to validate Tin. Try again later” next to the field where you put you TIN (Tax Identification Number: EIN or SSN) this means that the IRS’s verification system is currently down for maintenance. Try again in a few hours. Additionally- you can check the IRS’s system status here
▶ How long will it take for my tax form (W9, W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E) to be processed?
Tax form validation is typically processed immediately but may take up to 24 hours in some cases. If you see the message "Your form is still being validated by the IRS” on the Tax Info tab in your account, you can click the “Check My Form Status” button for an update, as seen below. If it has been more than 24 hours and your status is unchanged, please contact help@spoonflower.com for assistance.
Withholding FAQs
▶ I am a US based artist. Will Spoonflower withhold taxes on my behalf?
Spoonflower will not withhold taxes from Spoondollar royalties for US-based Artists. We will send you a 1099 form annually that will show the amount you have earned in royalties on Spoonflower for the year.
▶ I am an International Artist. Will Spoonflower withhold taxes on my behalf?
Spoonflower may withhold income taxes based on the claimed Tax Treaty Benefits according to your submitted W-8 income tax form.
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Withholdings present on your earnings indicates that you are an International Artist and you claim taxes in
A non-treaty country
A tax treaty country and have claimed tax treaty benefits, giving you a reduced withholding rate (less than 30% - excludes Egypt, Hungary, and Russia)
A tax treaty country and have not claimed tax treaty benefits, giving you the default 30% withholding rate
- Please note: If an artist does not provide a U.S. or Foreign TIN, then they will not be eligible to make a claim for a reduced rate of withholding under a tax treaty.
▶ Do I need to claim Tax Treaty Benefits as a non-US based Artist?
Tax Treaty Benefits are used to determine if an artist is subject to withholdings on Royalty earnings. If you are not a US taxpayer, and pay taxes in one of these countries, then you may want to claim tax treaty benefits to take advantage of a reduced rate of tax or exemption from tax as defined by the treaty. If you do not claim tax treaty benefits, we must withhold 30% of your Royalty earnings. It’s important that you consult your tax advisor on if and how you should claim treaty status based on your specific tax situation.
▶ Can I be refunded for any withheld royalties?
No – Income taxes are immediately processed by our system once a royalty has been issued. This means that the taxes have been remitted and cannot be refunded.
See Also: Selling Your Designs at Spoonflower
See Also: Seller Verification