Foreign-owned US LLC stuck on W-9 form, tax team silent for a month

App Store Distribution & Marketing App Store Connect
aeltyif OP
Created
Replies 6
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Participants 7

My developer account is a US single-member LLC owned by a non-US individual. The LLC is a disregarded entity with a valid EIN.

App Store Connect only shows me the W-9 workflow. But the IRS instructions for W-9 say:

▎ "If the owner of a disregarded entity is a foreign person, the owner must complete an appropriate Form W-8 instead of a Form W-9"

So I legally cannot submit a W-9. I need the W-8BEN workflow enabled.

Apple Finance told me all US legal entities must complete a W-9, then suggested I get an EIN (I have one) or change my address. When I sent the IRS guidance, they said their system can't make the change and forwarded it to the tax team. That was May 14 (Case-ID 19771345). Over 15 business days later: no reply, no timeline, and my paid agreement is still inactive. My business is on hold.

Has anyone with a foreign-owned single-member US LLC gotten the W-8BEN workflow enabled? Is there any escalation path beyond iTSPayments and the Finance contact form? Both have gone quiet.

Replies  6
Boosts 2
Views  544
Participants  7
celebratelife1942 OP

How did this end up going?

I'm in the same situation
dag22 OP

I am in the same situation as well .. no resolve yet ?
Mojigga OP

I'm in the same situation and still stuck for 2 weeks in that.
GeeBrater OP

German owner of a US LLC here. I am facing the same issue.
Opened a case around the middle of October.
Case :102996257858
Mthenobody OP

Adding my case, because this is clearly not isolated.

My set up, US single-member LLC, disregarded entity, valid EIN, non-US owner with no SSN or ITIN. App Store Connect offers me only the W-9, line 1 locked to the LLC name and the LLC's EIN pre-filled.

My US CPA reviewed my case and told me:
The form follows the person who signs it, not the address on the account — a registered agent's address is a mailing address, not a tax residence. And the W-9's own Caution box reads "a disregarded U.S. entity that has a foreign owner must use the appropriate Form W-8".

My CPA's conclusion: the W-9 can never apply to my case, and a W-8 is the only correct route.

What I have already tried, so nobody repeats it: Finance contact form (case opened 13 October, no reply in over three weeks), Developer Support (told the form is correct based on my team's country/region settings and asked to verify my address), and phone support, which has read "temporarily unavailable" every day for three weeks.

Has anyone actually had the W-8BEN workflow enabled?
sparetimeventures OP

Absolutely the same issue. And the timeline is crazy, it's been over a month now without any response from support teams (with phone option unavailable the only channel is mailing them over and over).
Did anyone find any solution at the end of the day? How long did it take to solve it?