Etsy tax ID for sellers outside the US

What Etsy’s taxpayer ID field wants from non-US sellers

Etsy asks for your local tax ID, not a US one. You enter it on the Legal and tax information page (Shop Manager, then Finances, then Legal and tax information). Etsy says that for most countries you add one taxpayer ID, which “is generally your VAT ID”. An EIN, SSN or ITIN goes there only for US sellers.

Two details are easy to miss. For Canada, if you don’t add GST/HST or QST numbers, Etsy collects those taxes from your Canadian buyers itself. And your shop’s country follows your bank: when you open a shop you choose a bank country, and Etsy says you must use a bank account from that country. Etsy Payments is available in a long list of countries, and in some of them, such as India and Pakistan, sellers accept Etsy Payments through a Payoneer account.

When Etsy treats you as a US seller (and issues a 1099-K)

Etsy decides this from what’s on your Legal and tax information page. Its rule is short: “If you aren’t a seller located in the US and aren’t paid in USD, you won’t receive a 1099-K form.” If the page identifies you as a US seller, because your address is in the US or you’re paid in USD, Etsy says it’s required to issue you one once you pass the threshold.

For 2025, Etsy issues a 1099-K when you have $20,000 or more in gross sales and 200 or more sales in the year. Some states set lower thresholds, and Etsy issues the form if you meet either the federal or your state’s:

The form reports gross sales, including shipping, refunds, card processing fees, cancelled orders and sales tax added with Etsy’s tool. It isn’t a profit figure. The IRS says you must report your income whether or not you receive one.

Using W-8BEN to confirm foreign status

If Etsy has you down as a US seller but you aren’t one, a Form W-8BEN fixes it. Etsy says: “To remove yourself or your business from this filing obligation, we’ll need a completed W-8BEN form.” There’s no upload button for it. You contact Etsy support, and Etsy sends the form request by email from Track1099 ([email protected]). Add that address to your contacts so the email doesn’t land in spam.

The W-8BEN asks for the tax number your country of residence issued you, your foreign TIN. It doesn’t need a US tax number for this purpose. The IRS says a W-8BEN generally stays in effect until the last day of the third calendar year after the year you sign it.

US sellers: the $500 rule

If you’re a US seller, Etsy needs a valid SSN, ITIN or EIN on file once you reach $500 in sales in a calendar year. It sends reminders at $250 and as you approach $500. If you pass $500 without valid details, Etsy suspends your shop until you add them, and the suspension lifts automatically once you do.

Etsy checks US numbers against the IRS database. You get up to 5 tries in 24 hours. The name has to match what the IRS holds: for a sole proprietor that’s your individual legal name, and for an ITIN the IRS says to use the name you entered on line 1a of your Form W-7.

When an ITIN makes sense

An ITIN is the answer for one group: sellers who live in the US and can’t get an SSN. Etsy accepts an ITIN as your taxpayer ID, and on a Form W-9 the IRS says a resident alien without an SSN uses their ITIN. Without one of the three numbers, a US shop is suspended once it passes $500 in sales for the year. What an ITIN is explains who qualifies, and ITIN vs SSN covers why you can’t hold both.

For sellers outside the US, an ITIN rarely has anything to do with Etsy. You’d need one if you had to file a US tax return, such as Form 1040-NR, for some other reason, not because Etsy asked. US citizens living abroad add their US number as a secondary detail instead.

Sellers with a US LLC

If you’ve registered a business, Etsy asks you to enroll as an incorporated business. It then verifies the entity name, legal business address, EIN (US businesses only), business registration number and jurisdiction, and any owner with 25% or more of the business, alongside your own identity.

Etsy notes that a US LLC that files taxes as an individual may be a disregarded entity, and says the IRS letter you received may say “sole mbr” if so. The tax form side matters for foreign owners: the IRS says that if the owner of a disregarded entity is a foreign person, the owner completes a Form W-8, not a W-9, even with a US tax number. Etsy’s help pages don’t spell out what to enter for a US LLC with a foreign owner, so ask Etsy support and a tax professional before you file anything. Getting the LLC’s EIN doesn’t require an ITIN; ITIN vs EIN explains how.

If you sell through your own store as well as Etsy, ITIN for Shopify sellers covers what Shopify Payments asks for. If you do need an ITIN, how to apply for an ITIN walks through Form W-7 and the documents to send.