Wingspan Product Update: Intl. US Persons Support

Not every contractor living abroad should be treated as an international payee. US citizens, green card holders, and tax residents living outside of the United States still need a W-9 filed and a 1099 issued — not a W-8BEN. Until now, Wingspan's onboarding tied tax form routing, identity verification, and payout options to a single country field, forcing a choice that didn't fit everyone. Now, if you’re a US person with an international address, that’s fixed.

How it works

International contractors who are US persons for tax purposes can now provide their US taxpayer information alongside their local tax residency details during onboarding in Wingspan. When they do, the system collects their SSN or ITIN, routes them to a W-9, and runs US tax verification — all without requiring a US address. Their country of residence stays accurate, their identity verification works, and their tax obligations are handled correctly.

Correct tax forms, correct filing

When a contractor identifies as a US person, the system directs them to complete a W-9 with their current foreign address, which is fully IRS-compliant. At filing time, Wingspan generates the 1099 using the US identity information on file. Clients don't need to manually flag these contractors or track them outside the platform.

Existing contractors can update too

Contractors who already onboarded through an international path can add their US person designation and taxpayer information from their account settings. The update collects the missing information and runs tax verification for the new identity without disrupting their current eligibility or creating split 1099 scenarios. No re-onboarding required.

Why it matters

US persons living abroad are a small but compliance-critical population. Missing a W-9 or failing to issue a 1099 for a contractor with US tax obligations is a filing gap — not an edge case a client can afford to ignore. By decoupling tax identity from physical address, Wingspan closes that gap cleanly for both new and existing contractors.

International US Persons support is available now for all Wingspan clients. To learn more or get started, contact a sales representative.