If you need to make adjustments to your tax form (W-9 or W-8BEN), such as changing your address or updating your Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), then you'll need to complete a new tax form.
Submitting a new tax form will take precedence over your previously submitted form. You can refer to our help articles to make sure you're filling out the right tax form:
Note: If you need to update your tax forms but no longer have access to your Live Site dashboard, you can also update your tax forms through our portal: https://grin.portal.trolley.com/
If you receive an email notifying you that your tax form is invalid, you will have up to 30 days to update your forms again. If you don't, then the IRS will apply backup tax withholdings on your payments due to incorrect information appearing on your tax form.
See the IRS' article on Backup Withholding and this article's section Why is my tax form considered invalid? for more information.
How to Do It
1. Navigate to your Live Site > Payouts.
2. Click Complete a Tax Form.
Note: Even if you've submitted a tax form before, you can't go back and revise it after you submit it. This is why you need to make a completely new one to update your information.
3. Select either I am a U.S. Person or I am not a U.S. Person, then follow the steps to complete your appropriate tax form. You can review our help guides for more details:
Caution: When you fill out your tax form, make sure the information you provide matches whatever information your local tax agency has on file for you (such as your name, address, and taxpayer identification number).
If this information doesn't match, then you must update your tax forms again within 30 days. If you don't, then you may be subject to backup tax withholdings on your payments by the IRS because you have incorrect information on your tax form.
If you choose I am a U.S. Person, see Setting Up Payouts as a U.S. Resident.
If you choose I am not a U.S. Person, see Setting Up Payouts as a Non-U.S. Resident.
Your tax form has been updated with your most recent information.
Why is my tax form considered invalid?
The IRS validates the information you provide in your tax form with what it has on file for you, including your name, address, and taxpayer identification number (TIN). The IRS verifies this information themselves and lets GRIN know if they found it valid or not.
If your tax form is considered invalid, you may be subject to a 24% backup tax withholding as a U.S. resident or a 30% backup tax withholding as a non-U.S. resident. GRIN will send you an email if the IRS finds that you submitted an invalid tax form.
Once you receive that email, you have 30 days to update your tax forms so you are no longer subject to any backup tax withholdings. Here are a few common reasons why your tax form may have come back as invalid:
You submitted the wrong Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN).
You filed under the wrong classification.
You used the wrong name.
You provided the wrong address.
Since all this information is sensitive, we can't access any of this information that the IRS has. The IRS only tells us if they found the tax form invalid or not.
If you're confident that you submitted all the correct information and your tax form is still coming back as invalid, then consult with the IRS or a tax professional to cross-reference your information. GRIN is not able to provide tax advice at this time.
My tax form shows as "Reviewed," so why is 24% still being withheld?
A "Reviewed" (valid) tax form means it was submitted and accepted, but that is separate from whether you elected backup withholding. On your W-9, if you did not certify that you are exempt from backup withholding, a 24% backup withholding is applied to your U.S. payments even though the form itself is valid. (For non-U.S. creators on a W-8BEN, not providing a Foreign TIN results in a 30% withholding.) When you submitted your form, a pop-up displayed the withholding rate based on your selections, which is easy to click past by accident.
How to fix it (this stops withholding on future payments):
Go to your Live Site > Payouts tab, or GRIN's payment portal at https://grin.portal.trolley.com/.
Under your tax form, choose to update/resubmit your W-9. Submitting a new form automatically voids the previous one.
Enter your legal name and TIN exactly as they appear with the IRS (a mismatch here can also trigger withholding).
On the certification step, make sure you certify that you are NOT subject to backup withholding. This is the specific selection that controls the 24%.
Before submitting, review the withholding summary the form displays and confirm it now shows 0% backup withholding, then submit.
Any withholding that was already applied cannot be refunded by GRIN, as this is an IRS requirement. It will be reported on your year-end 1099-NEC or 1042-S, which you can use when you file your taxes.