Hi Christine,
It is not just your university - SMU also requires a W-BBEN on file for foreign vendors, and won't pay an invoice if there isn't one on file. We have also had a hard time getting the forms from some vendors who just don't want to fill it out. We had a particularly hard time with a small vendor in England (a legal history society), who told us that the US tax forms were a lot different than UK tax forms. I think that he finally did it though.
This is a fairly new requirement here - our university tax compliance office started getting firm on getting these forms earlier this year.
I don't know if my answer helps you out any, but at least you can know you aren't alone.
Angela
Angela Jones
Senior Technical Services Librarian
Underwood Law Library
Southern Methodist University
Voice: 214-768-1827
Fax: 214-768-4330
arjones_at_smu.edu<mailto:arjones_at_smu.edu>
From: ACQNET-L [mailto:acqnet-l-bounces_at_lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org
Sent: Thursday, November 19, 2015 9:20 AM
To: acqnet-l_at_lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [ACQNET-L] W8 and foreign vendors
Our accounting department requires us to have a W8ben or W9 on file for all of our vendors. However, we regularly encounter foreign vendors who do not understand or want to fill out the W8. We recently had a vendor from France who said that they sell to lots of other public universities in the US, yet they have never been asked to fill one out. It made me start wondering if other universities are actually required to do this?
Any information would be welcome!
Thanks,
Christine
Christine Sraha
Acquisitions Manager
University Libraries
MSC 05 3020
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131
(505) 925-9676
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Received on Fri Nov 20 2015 - 17:09:32 EST