Tax year 2026Checked October 25, 2026

W-8BEN or W-9: which form should an F-1 student give a bank or broker?

Which form a US bank or broker should have from you, why a Form 1099-INT usually means it has the wrong one, how long a W-8BEN lasts, and when to switch to a W-9.

By F1TaxReturn Tax Team. Published October 25, 2026. Facts checked against the sources below on October 25, 2026. 5 minute read.

In short

While you are a nonresident alien, give each US bank and broker Form W-8BEN; once you are a resident alien for tax purposes, usually from your sixth calendar year on F-1, give Form W-9 instead.
A Form 1099-INT from a US bank usually means the bank has you on file as a US person; the interest is still not taxable for a nonresident alien, and the fix is a Form W-8BEN.
A Form W-8BEN signed in 2026 generally stays valid through December 31, 2029, unless a change in circumstances makes it incorrect.
Within 30 days of becoming a resident alien, tell each bank and broker that has your Form W-8BEN; you may have to give a Form W-9.
Wages are not covered by Form W-8BEN: your employer gets Form W-4, plus Form 8233 for pay a tax treaty exempts.

Contents, 10 sections

An F-1 or J-1 student who is a nonresident alien gives a US bank or broker Form W-8BEN, which shows you are not a US person. Once you become a resident alien for tax purposes, usually in your sixth calendar year on F-1, you give Form W-9 instead.

That holds for tax year 2026, the returns filed in 2027; the guide to US taxes for international students covers the return.

Which form do I give a bank, a broker or an employer?

A bank or broker gets Form W-8BEN if you are a nonresident alien this year (usually your first 5 calendar years), and Form W-9 if you are a resident alien. An employer gets neither for your wages: it gets Form W-4, plus Form 8233 for treaty-exempt pay.

A bank or broker needs to know your status this year; an employer uses different forms.

The W-8BEN instructions say not to use it if you are a US person, "including a resident alien individual"; use Form W-9. A broker also uses your W-8BEN to apply a treaty rate to dividends (stocks and crypto for nonresident aliens).

Key facts

Nonresident alien: Form W-8BEN (Rev. October 2021)
Resident alien: Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
W-8BEN signed in 2026: Generally valid through December 31, 2029
After becoming a resident alien: Tell each payer within 30 days
Backup withholding rate: 24%
Wages from a job: Form W-4, plus Form 8233 for treaty-exempt pay

For: F-1, J-1, M-1 and Q students with a US bank or brokerage account, whether they are nonresident aliens in 2026 or about to become resident aliens.
Not for: Questions about how to report interest, dividends or stock sales on a return, which other guides answer; and US citizens and green card holders, who give Form W-9.

When do I switch from Form W-8BEN to Form W-9?

Switch when you become a resident alien, which for most F-1 students is the sixth calendar year in the US. Students do not count their days toward the substantial presence test for 5 calendar years, and any part of a year counts as a whole one (IRS).

20221 of 5: exempt, days do not count
20232 of 5: exempt, days do not count
20243 of 5: exempt, days do not count
20254 of 5: exempt, days do not count
20265 of 5: exempt, days do not count
20276th: days count

2026 is your 5th exempt year: you are a nonresident alien.

File Form 8843, and Form 1040-NR as well if you had taxable US income. No Social Security or Medicare tax on campus, CPT or OPT pay. Your days start to count in 2027.

The five exempt calendar years of a student who first arrived in 2022, and why 2027 is their sixth year. Any part of a calendar year counts as a whole one, and years on F, J, M or Q visas before this one count toward the five (IRC 7701(b)(5)(E)).

Once you meet the test, the W-8BEN instructions say to tell each bank and broker within 30 days, and you may have to give it a Form W-9. A Chinese student keeping Article 20 on a scholarship gives the payer Form W-9 with the statement the Form W-9 instructions describe. Article 20 still requires being a student, within the time reasonably needed to finish. See the sixth-year guide and resident vs nonresident alien tax.

Worked example: Lena, F-1 from Germany, arrived August 2022

Lena, a made-up student, opens a US bank account in September 2022 and signs a Form W-8BEN. It stays valid through the end of the third calendar year after 2022: 2023, 2024, 2025, so through Wednesday, December 31, 2025.

Calendar year	Lena's status	Form at her bank
2022 to 2025	Nonresident alien, exempt years 1 to 4	W-8BEN signed in 2022
2026	Nonresident alien, exempt year 5	New W-8BEN, signed in 2026
2027	Resident alien, if she meets the test	Form W-9

If she is in the US every day from January 1, she reaches 183 days on Friday, July 2, 2027, and tells her bank within 30 days.

Why did my bank send me a Form 1099-INT?

A Form 1099-INT usually means the bank has you on file as a US person, for example from a W-9 signed when you opened the account. The IRS says this wrong reporting does not make the interest taxable if you file the proper return, and that nonresident aliens should give the bank Form W-8BEN.

Interest on a deposit at a US bank, savings and loan or credit union is not taxable for a nonresident alien unless it is connected with a US business. It stays off Form 1040-NR line 2b (2025 instructions); see the bank interest guide.

What happens if my bank or broker has neither form?

It can apply backup withholding at 24% to bank deposit interest and broker proceeds, the "current rate" on the IRS backup withholding page.

How long does a Form W-8BEN stay valid?

A Form W-8BEN generally stays valid until the last day of the third calendar year after you sign it, so one signed in 2026 lasts through Monday, December 31, 2029. A change that makes the form incorrect, such as becoming a resident alien, ends it sooner.

Which lines of Form W-8BEN matter for a student?

Most students fill in Part I and sign Part III; Part II is only for a treaty claim (instructions).

Form W-8BEN (Rev. October 2021) lines students ask about
Line	What the instructions say
5, US taxpayer identification number	Enter your SSN if you have one; if you are not eligible for one, the instructions point to an ITIN (Form W-7)
6a, foreign tax identifying number	Your home country's tax number, generally required for an account at a US financial institution that pays you income reported on Form 1042-S
9, treaty country	Only if you claim a treaty benefit
10, special conditions	Foreign students and researchers claiming treaty benefits must complete it

Do I give my employer or my school a Form W-8BEN?

Not for wages: the W-8BEN instructions send pay for services to Form 8233 or Form W-4 (see the W-4 guide). For a scholarship that is not pay for services, you claim a treaty with the payer on Form W-8BEN (IRS); with no treaty claim, no W-8BEN is needed for it.

If the same payer also pays you wages you claim on Form 8233, use Form 8233 for both.

Without a treaty claim, the payer generally withholds 14% on the taxable part of a US-source scholarship paid to an F, J, M or Q student (Publication 515).

What to do next

If you are a nonresident alien and a US bank or broker has a Form W-9 or no form, give it a Form W-8BEN.
Sign a new Form W-8BEN before the old one runs out.
In the year you meet the substantial presence test, tell each payer within 30 days; you may have to give it a Form W-9.
If you were paid wages subject to US income tax withholding in 2026, file Form 1040-NR by Thursday, April 15, 2027.

F1TaxReturn prepares Form 1040-NR and Form 8843 for free, on paper, once the final 2026 forms are published.

Questions students ask

My bank asked me for a W-9 when I opened the account. What do I do now?

If you are a nonresident alien, give the bank a Form W-8BEN. The W-8BEN instructions say a resident alien or other US person uses Form W-9, so a W-9 from a nonresident tells the bank the wrong thing. Ask the bank how it wants to receive the new form.

The Form W-8BEN instructions (Rev. October 2021) say to enter your SSN on line 5 if you have one, and that someone who cannot get one can apply for an ITIN. Line 6a asks for the tax number your home country gave you. Ask your bank or broker which of these it needs from you.

Can I give my employer a Form W-8BEN?

Not for wages. The W-8BEN instructions send a nonresident alien claiming exemption from withholding on pay for services to Form 8233 or Form W-4. A scholarship that is not pay for services is different: you claim a treaty for it on Form W-8BEN, unless the same payer also pays you wages claimed on Form 8233, which then covers both.

Does a Form W-8BEN make my bank interest tax-free?

Interest on a deposit at a US bank, savings and loan or credit union is not taxable for a nonresident alien, unless it is connected with a US business, whether or not the bank has the form. The W-8BEN tells the bank you are a nonresident alien, so it stops treating you as a US person. It matters more for US Treasury interest, which is excluded only when the payer has documentation that you are not a US person.

Sources

This guide is checked against these 9 documents, most recently on October 25, 2026.