Help for Beneficiaries

Why Do I Need an ITIN?

When you inherit from someone in the United States, you may need a tax identification number to receive the inheritance. You may also need a form that declares your tax home and prevents double taxation.

We can help you:

● Apply for a US tax identification number
● Complete the claim forms, including the declaration of tax home
● Get a refund of withholding tax
● Coordinate the payment of benefits and claims with the US Estate, Trustee or Financial Institution

The ITIN Application process has three steps:

● Collect information (Worksheet)
● Prepare the IRS forms
● Certify Your Identity and Collect Signatures

To certify your identity for the IRS, we need to inspect your passport. Some people prefer to bring their passports to our office in The Hague. If so, we sign all the paperwork in The Hague at the appointment. If you don’t have a passport, the IRS will accept two forms of official identification.

Others will ship the passport to us with the signed application form. We hold a short video conference to confirm the identity of the applicant and return the passport the next business day using FedEx or DHL with tracking.

We need a supporting document for the ITIN application:

● A letter from the Executor or Financial Institution that meets the IRS requirements

We can prepare this letter for you and arrange for signatures.

We can help you reduce the withholding tax

The Estate or Financial Institution may withhold estimated tax if you do not provide a form declaring your tax home and citing the applicable treaty against double taxation.

Contact us to discuss your needs and get an estimate of the fees. Through a custom work plan to meet your needs, we will also prepare claim forms, coordinate payment of benefits with U.S. transition specialists, and facilitate wire transfers through our Attorney Trust Account.