To have your earnings paid correctly, it's important you complete the required tax forms.
As an Elements author, we need you to complete these forms promptly. If you don't, Envato may be required by law to tax your earnings at a higher rate and/or withhold a portion of your earnings to remit to the tax office. And we don't want to do that!
See below for the relevant sections of the Author Agreement.
21. If required by law, we may deduct or withhold taxes (including withholding tax) in connection with your being an author. If so, we will give you relevant document that’s required by law about the deduction or withholding (like documentation allowing you to access rebates or credits, or to manage your tax affairs).
22. We may collect geographical location information to determine your location, and other information from you that may be used for tax purposes (so the information you give us must be accurate).
At this time, you need to complete your tax forms on the Envato Market platform. We realize this isn't ideal (it'd be nicer to have it all built into the Elements site) but it is necessary for us to meet our tax & legal obligations and be able to pay you as soon as possible. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.
To make the process a bit easier, here's a detailed walk-through of how to complete the tax forms:
Are you already an Envato Market author?
- YES: Skip ahead to step 6.
- NO: Work through steps 1 to 8 below.
If you're new to Envato and not currently selling items on Envato Market here's what to do:
- Login with your Envato Account to one of the Market sites (e.g. https://graphicriver.net/).
- Once logged in, select Become an Author from the drop-down menu.
- Select Become an author today button
. - Read the required information and click the Read it and got it! I'm ready to be an author button
. - Choose if you would like your Envato Market account to be set as Exclusive or Non-Exclusive. Remember exclusivity is Envato wide so you can sell the same products on both Elements and Market without affecting your exclusive rate on Market. See more: As an exclusive Market author, can I upload the same items to Elements?
- Now you're an author on Envato Market, navigate to the Settings tab.
- Go to Tax Information in the lefthand nav
. - Complete the form and submit.
For more information please read the following articles in the Envato Market help center:
- Tax Information & Form W-8 Requirements for non US Authors
- Tax Information & Form W-9 Requirements for US Authors
You can also email taxinfo@envato.com or contact the Elements Author help team with any questions.