US Dividend Withholding Tax Calculator
The IRS withholds 30% of every US dividend paid to a foreign investor — unless your country has a tax treaty and you’ve filed a W-8BEN with your broker. The gap between the default and your treaty rate is real money: on $10,000 of annual dividends, an investor paying 10% keeps $2,000 more per year than one stuck at 30%.
Pick your country of tax residence, enter your dividends (an annual amount, or a portfolio size and yield), and tell the calculator whether your W-8BEN is on file. You’ll see what the IRS keeps, what you keep, what the treaty saves you each year — and what ten years at the wrong rate costs if the difference is reinvested.
Don’t know your rate? It’s in the Treaty Rate Atlas. To see what the tax drag does to a compounding portfolio, run the same numbers through the DRIP Snowball Calculator.
Rates: IRS Tax Treaty Table 1, portfolio dividends for individuals.
Total US-source dividends before any tax, in USD.
No form = 30% withheld, treaty or not. Filing is free and takes minutes.
What happens if I never file a W-8BEN?
Your broker withholds 30% of every US dividend by default — treaty or not. The form is free, takes minutes, and is the only way to claim your country’s treaty rate.
Is the withholding my final US tax?
For most nonresident investors, yes. The withheld amount is your final US liability on dividends, and no US return is needed. Your own country may tax the dividends on top — check your local rules.
What a lapsed form costs in practice: my W-8BEN expired and the next dividend arrived 30% light.
The form that holds your treaty rate expires three years after you sign it. Read how it happened to me →
Rates verified against IRS Tax Treaty Table 1 (Rev. May 2023). Last checked: September 2, 2026.