I received the following email from the administrator of
Associated Content. It comes as a very surprising news as it concerns only non US citizens. Unless you are approved as an AC Featured Writer, you will not be able to earn by publishing contents. This change does not affect US legal residents and citizens. This is more to a tax issue which is seeming inevitable to avoid.
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Associated Content has sent you the following message:
Important Announcement: As of May 1, 2010, Associated Content will be making changes to our payment system that significantly impact Contributors who are not United States taxpayers.
After evaluating our payment policies in regard to international Contributors, our legal team has determined that Associated Content must immediately start withholding a portion of all international Performance Payments pursuant to U.S. tax laws. Due to the cost involved in this process, we can only offer continued Performance Payments to international Contributors enrolled in Associated Content’s Featured Contributors program.
Contributors who are not enrolled as a Featured Contributor, or are not accepted into this program, will no longer be able to earn Performance Payments from Associated Content as of May 1, 2010. If this applies to you, you will receive a final Performance Payment on May 12, 2010 for your page views through April 30, 2010 (if your balance exceeds the current $1.50 payment threshold).
If you are not currently enrolled as a Featured Contributor, we encourage you to apply now. Please note that the program requires you to have top-notch writing skills, and a strong body of work in one of our featured topic areas. You can read all the details and apply to one of the programs here. Note: There is no deadline for applying to the program, but you will not be able to earn further payment until/unless you are accepted.
If you are accepted into the program, you will be asked to submit a United States W-8BEN tax form, enabling Associated Content to withhold earnings on Performance Payments pursuant to U.S. tax laws. In addition, your earning threshold will increase from $1.50 to $100, meaning Associated Content will only process Performance Payments when the total payment balance passes $100. The good news: As a Featured Contributor, you will receive high value assignme nts every month, and will continue earning Performance Payments on all content published.
Apply Now_____________________________________
Unfortunately, those who are not accepted as Featured Contributors will be unable to earn additional Performance Payments until further notice. We sincerely apologize to all international Contributors who are affected by this. These changes are occurring for legal reasons outside of our control. We strongly value your contributions to Associated Content, and hope to expand our new Performance Payment system to additional international Contributors in the future. You will be notified again if this occurs.
If you would like to remove your content from
AssociatedContent.com, please send your request to community@associatedcontent.com.
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If you have any questions about how this change impacts you, please email community@associatedcontent.com.
Sincerely,
Associated Content
PS: If you are a United States legal citizen or resident, these changes will not impact you. However, you will need to submit your taxpayer identification information to us as proof of your identity. Email us for instructions.