Tax information
Tipalti is the payment service provider for Unity Ads effective January 22, 2024. To continue receiving payouts in 2024 and later, you need to complete your payout profile and your tax form with Tipalti on the Unity Dashboard.
Complete your payout profile
To create or update your payout profile, perform the following steps:
Sign in to the Unity Dashboard.
Go to the Unity Ads Monetization dashboard and select Finance.
Select the Payout Profile tab.
Note: If the payout profile is not set up or is not payable for any reason, then this tab is automatically selected.
On the Address page, enter your personal or company information. Some information, such as type, name, or country, is pre-populated from the information you entered when setting up your project. To continue, select Next
- US Publishers: Ensure that the individual or company name is an exact match of the name that you report to the IRS. Otherwise, your EIN/SSN validation might fail.
- All Publishers: Ensure that you’re using your company’s official legal name for this tax form.
Note: If any of the pre-populated information is incorrect, you can request changes to your profile by completing this form.
On the Payment Method page, enter your payment details, and then select Next.
On the Tax Forms page, select an applicable tax form, and then select Complete Form.
- For more information on specific tax forms, refer to the Tax form details section.
- If you’re not sure which form to use, select Tax form questionnaire or contact your tax advisor.
Note: If you select Tax form questionnaire, the system provides questions that can help you select the tax form that is most appropriate for you. This questionnaire is provided only for convenience purposes and does not represent tax advice.
Tax form details
The following sections further detail the tax forms listed on the Select Your Tax Form page.
Form W-8BEN for Non-US Individuals
If you’re a US citizen or US resident alien, you must complete Form W-9, even if you permanently reside abroad.
Certificate of No U.S. Activities
Review the information on the Certificate of No U.S. Activities page. If the information is correct, enable the acknowledgment checkbox and sign.
- The name in the signature must match the name in the certification text. If this name is incorrect, contact Unity Support.
- If the information on this page isn’t correct because you perform services in the United States, select Not Applicable.
If you performed services in the US, you must complete and upload Form 8233. For more information, refer to the IRS document Instructions for Form 8233.
Important: If you rendered services in the US, your payouts might be subject to a withholding tax of up to 30%.
Identification of Beneficial Owner
Enter your information as prompted by the form. For more information, refer to the IRS document Instructions for Form W-8BEN.
If your country doesn’t assign tax numbers to individuals, enable the Check if FTIN not legally required checkbox.
Claim of Treaty Benefits
Enter your data as prompted by the form.
Note: If you can't find your country in the list of treaty countries, this means that your country does not have a tax treaty with the US and you can skip this section.
Certification
Review the information on the Certification page, and if it’s correct, enable all checkboxes. If any information is incorrect, this might mean that you have either selected the wrong form or have answered some of the questions incorrectly.
Select the option that describes how you’re signing the form. If you’re signing on behalf of someone else, you need to provide either a power of attorney or a valid explanation (for example, signing as the parent of a minor).
Enter your name and email address in the signature fields. This information must match the name and email that you previously entered on the Address page.
When you have confirmed that all information on this page is correct, select Submit Form.
Additional Documents or Explanations
In certain scenarios, you might be prompted for additional documents or explanations, such as if you claim that you are a non-US resident but your address is in the US or bank account is in the US, or if you are signing on behalf of another person. This includes scenarios where you use services such as Payoneer or Wise to receive payouts, because these services operate by using US bank accounts.
Note: Additional documents are manually reviewed. Allow up to seven business days before your account is activated.
Form W-8BEN-E for Non-US Entities
Certificate of No U.S. Activities
Review the information on the Certificate of No U.S. Activities page. If the information is correct, enable the acknowledgment checkbox and sign.
- The name in the signature must match the name in the certification text. If this name is incorrect, contact Unity Support.
- If the information on this page is not correct because you perform services in the United States, select Not Applicable, Continue to Tax Form.
Important: If you rendered services in the US, your payouts might be subject to a withholding tax of up to 30%, unless you are eligible to claim an appropriate treaty exemption in your Form W-8BEN-E.
Claim of Treaty Benefits
Enter your information as prompted by the form. For more information, refer to the IRS document Instructions for Form W-8BEN-E.
Note: If you can't find your country in the list of treaty countries, this means that your country does not have a tax treaty with the US and you can skip this section.
Select the appropriate limitation on benefits provision from your country’s tax treaty with the US. If you need assistance with completing this section, refer to the Treaty for the Avoidance of Double Taxation between your country and the US or contact your tax advisor. For more information, refer to the IRS documentation on United States Income Tax Treaties.
Note: If you don’t intend to claim any treaty benefits in your form, you can skip the treaty section.
You can also claim special rates on other income if available in your treaty and if it applies to your situation.
Note: Only complete this special rates section of the form if it applies to your company.
Certification
Review the information on the Certification page, and if it is correct, enable all checkboxes. If any information is incorrect, this might mean that you have either selected the wrong form or have answered some of the questions incorrectly.
Sign the form with the name and email address of the company’s representative. This person must be authorized to sign on behalf of the company. Also, the email address must match what you previously entered on the Address page.
Note: If any of the pre-populated information is incorrect, you can request changes to your profile by completing this form.
When you have confirmed that all information on this page is correct, select Submit Form.
Additional Documents or Explanations
In certain scenarios, you might be prompted for additional documents or explanations, such as if you claim that you are a non-US resident but your address is in the US or bank account is in the US.
Upload the requested proof of your company’s non-US residency (for example, a copy of your organizational document or a residency certificate).
Note: Additional documents are manually reviewed. Allow up to seven business days before your account is activated.
Form W-9 for US residents (individuals and corporations)
Complete this form similar to how you normally complete your W-9. For more information, refer to the IRS document Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9.
- If you’re a US citizen or US resident alien, you must complete Form W-9, even if you permanently reside abroad.
- If you’re providing the form for a single-member LLC, provide the name and the EIN/SSN of the LLC shareholder (taxpayer) in the main fields, and the LLC name in the Business Name/Disregarded Entity Name field.
Note: Your EIN/SSN is sent for automatic validation. If you receive notification that the validation has failed, confirm that your company/personal name matches the name on your income tax return and that your number is stated correctly. If you believe that the information provided is correct, but you still receive a failure notice, contact us at publisher_inquiry@unity3d.com and provide us with either a copy of the IRS letter attributing the EIN to you or the first page of your 1120/1040 form with all numerical information redacted, other than your EIN/SSN and the name of the company.
Other forms
On the Tax Forms page, if you select Other, you can use the dropdown menu to select one of the following tax forms:
- Form W-8ECI, which might be applicable to a non-US entity that conducts active business in the US, files a US tax return, and pays US tax on income related to their business in the US.
- Form W-8IMY, which might be applicable to a foreign partnership, a foreign simple trust, or a foreign grantor trust (not subject to tax in its country of residence and not claiming treaty benefits).
- Form W-8EXP, which might be applicable to a foreign government, an international organization, a foreign central bank of issue, a tax-exempt foreign organization, a private foreign foundation, or a government of a US possession.
- Form 8233, which might be applicable to a non-US resident individual performing services in the territory of the US.
The system provides a link to each form and instructions for completing the form. All forms must either be completed digitally as a PDF or completed manually by hand, and then signed and attached. When submitting Form W-8IMY, you are also required to submit Withholding Certificates and a Withholding Statement. If you need assistance with completing any of these forms, refer to the form instructions or consult your tax advisor.
Note: All of the “other tax forms” are manually reviewed. Allow up to seven business days for the activation of your account.
Changes to tax forms
If any of the information in your tax form or your Certificate of No U.S. Activities has changed, sign in to your profile and submit an updated form. It is your responsibility to keep your profile information, including the tax form, up to date.
On the Monetization dashboard, select Finance > Payout Profile > Tax Forms.
Note: We may contact you by email after you have completed a tax form to request your consent for providing tax forms 1099-NEC and 1042-S (where applicable) in an electronic format by email. If you do not provide consent, these forms will be sent to the mailing address indicated in your W-8/W-9 tax form.