Google May Withhold Taxes From Non-US YouTube Creators
Google will soon be required to withhold taxes on YouTube earnings generated from viewers in the United States.
This change is going into effect as early as June. How much tax is withheld from YouTube creators depends on a few factors.
If you live outside the United States and have a revenue-earning YouTube channel with a US-based audience, this applies to you.
Here’s everything we know about the situation so far.
What’s Changing?
If you’re a YouTube creator outside of the United States you may begin to have taxes deducted from your US earnings later this year.
Google says it has a responsibility under Chapter 3 of the US Internal Revenue Code to collect tax information from all monetizing creators outside of the United States.
In certain circumstances, Google will also be required to deduct taxes when YouTube creators’ earnings come from viewers in the United States.
YouTube creators can be taxed on US earnings from ad views, YouTube Premium, Super Chat, Super Stickers, and channel memberships.
What Will Creators Need to Do?
Over the next few weeks, YouTube creators outside the United States will be asked to submit their tax information in AdSense.
Here’s how to find that information:
- Login to AdSense
- Go to Payments
- Go to Manage Settings
- Look for United States tax info, then click Manage Tax Info
From there creators will be asked a series of questions to determine the appropriate tax form to fill out. This form will be available in the creator’s selected AdSense language.
Channels that partner with a multichannel network (MCN) will still need to provide US tax information in the AdSense account linked to their channel. If any taxes apply they will be deducted from the payment made to the MCN.
Google is asking YouTube creators to submit relevant tax information in AdSense by May 31, 2021.
Tax information is required in order for Google to determine the correct amount of taxes to deduct, if any apply.
Google will start deducing taxes on US earnings as early as June. Taxes will be deducted from with each monthly payment.
How Much Will Creators Be Taxed?
How much YouTube creators will be taxed depends on a few things:
- Whether their tax information has been submitted.
- How much revenue the channel earns from viewers in the United States.
- Whether the creator’s country has a tax treaty with the United States.
It’s possible that a non-US YouTube creator will not be taxed by Google if none of their viewers live in the United States.
Here’s to calculate US earnings from YouTube:
- Go to YouTube Analytics
- Click on Advanced Mode
- Select a date range
- Click on Geography
- A drop-down menu will allow you to add a secondary metric. Choose Your estimated revenue.
- Look for United States in the list of countries below the graph.
There you can see how much revenue is subject to US taxes.
What Happens if I Don’t Submit Tax Information?
If a creator’s tax information isn’t provided by May 31, Google may be required to apply the default withholding rate of up to 24% of their total earnings worldwide.
Without providing tax information Google will be required to assume the creator is a resident of the United States and will tax all their earnings. Not just revenue earned from US viewers.
That’s a situation YouTube creators are going to want to avoid, so it’s best to get that tax information submitted sooner than later.
What if I’m a Resident of the United States?
Google says most YouTube creators in the United States have submitted their tax information because they’re required to do so when they first joined the YouTube Partnership Program.
No additional taxes will be withheld from creators in the United States when this change rolls out.
For more information see this YouTube help article.
Google Warns About Misuse of Its Indexing API
Google has updated its Indexing API documentation with a clear warning about spam detection and the possible consequences of misuse.
Warning Against API Misuse The new message in the guide says:
“All submissions through the Indexing API are checked for spam. Any misuse, like using multiple accounts or going over the usage limits, could lead to access being taken away.”
This warning is aimed at people trying to abuse the system by exceeding the API’s limits or breaking Google’s rules.
What Is the Indexing API? The Indexing API allows websites to tell Google when job posting or livestream video pages are added or removed. It helps websites with fast-changing content get their pages crawled and indexed quickly.
But it seems some users have been trying to abuse this by using multiple accounts to get more access.
Impact of the Update Google is now closely watching how people use the Indexing API. If someone breaks the rules, they might lose access to the tool, which could make it harder for them to keep their search results updated for time-sensitive content.
How To Stay Compliant To use the Indexing API properly, follow these rules:
- Don’t go over the usage limits, and if you need more, ask Google instead of using multiple accounts.
- Use the API only for job postings or livestream videos, and make sure your data is correct.
- Follow all of Google’s API guidelines and spam policies.
- Use sitemaps along with the API, not as a replacement.
Remember, the Indexing API isn’t a shortcut to faster indexing. Follow the rules to keep your access.
This Week in Search News: Simple and Easy-to-Read Update
Here’s what happened in the world of Google and search engines this week:
1. Google’s June 2024 Spam Update
Google finished rolling out its June 2024 spam update over a period of seven days. This update aims to reduce spammy content in search results.
2. Changes to Google Search Interface
Google has removed the continuous scroll feature for search results. Instead, it’s back to the old system of pages.
3. New Features and Tests
- Link Cards: Google is testing link cards at the top of AI-generated overviews.
- Health Overviews: There are more AI-generated health overviews showing up in search results.
- Local Panels: Google is testing AI overviews in local information panels.
4. Search Rankings and Quality
- Improving Rankings: Google said it can improve its search ranking system but will only do so on a large scale.
- Measuring Quality: Google’s Elizabeth Tucker shared how they measure search quality.
5. Advice for Content Creators
- Brand Names in Reviews: Google advises not to avoid mentioning brand names in review content.
- Fixing 404 Pages: Google explained when it’s important to fix 404 error pages.
6. New Search Features in Google Chrome
Google Chrome for mobile devices has added several new search features to enhance user experience.
7. New Tests and Features in Google Search
- Credit Card Widget: Google is testing a new widget for credit card information in search results.
- Sliding Search Results: When making a new search query, the results might slide to the right.
8. Bing’s New Feature
Bing is now using AI to write “People Also Ask” questions in search results.
9. Local Search Ranking Factors
Menu items and popular times might be factors that influence local search rankings on Google.
10. Google Ads Updates
- Query Matching and Brand Controls: Google Ads updated its query matching and brand controls, and advertisers are happy with these changes.
- Lead Credits: Google will automate lead credits for Local Service Ads. Google says this is a good change, but some advertisers are worried.
- tROAS Insights Box: Google Ads is testing a new insights box for tROAS (Target Return on Ad Spend) in Performance Max and Standard Shopping campaigns.
- WordPress Tag Code: There is a new conversion code for Google Ads on WordPress sites.
These updates highlight how Google and other search engines are continuously evolving to improve user experience and provide better advertising tools.
AI
Exploring the Evolution of Language Translation: A Comparative Analysis of AI Chatbots and Google Translate
According to an article on PCMag, while Google Translate makes translating sentences into over 100 languages easy, regular users acknowledge that there’s still room for improvement.
In theory, large language models (LLMs) such as ChatGPT are expected to bring about a new era in language translation. These models consume vast amounts of text-based training data and real-time feedback from users worldwide, enabling them to quickly learn to generate coherent, human-like sentences in a wide range of languages.
However, despite the anticipation that ChatGPT would revolutionize translation, previous experiences have shown that such expectations are often inaccurate, posing challenges for translation accuracy. To put these claims to the test, PCMag conducted a blind test, asking fluent speakers of eight non-English languages to evaluate the translation results from various AI services.
The test compared ChatGPT (both the free and paid versions) to Google Translate, as well as to other competing chatbots such as Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini. The evaluation involved comparing the translation quality for two test paragraphs across different languages, including Polish, French, Korean, Spanish, Arabic, Tagalog, and Amharic.
In the first test conducted in June 2023, participants consistently favored AI chatbots over Google Translate. ChatGPT, Google Bard (now Gemini), and Microsoft Bing outperformed Google Translate, with ChatGPT receiving the highest praise. ChatGPT demonstrated superior performance in converting colloquialisms, while Google Translate often provided literal translations that lacked cultural nuance.
For instance, ChatGPT accurately translated colloquial expressions like “blow off steam,” whereas Google Translate produced more literal translations that failed to resonate across cultures. Participants appreciated ChatGPT’s ability to maintain consistent levels of formality and its consideration of gender options in translations.
The success of AI chatbots like ChatGPT can be attributed to reinforcement learning with human feedback (RLHF), which allows these models to learn from human preferences and produce culturally appropriate translations, particularly for non-native speakers. However, it’s essential to note that while AI chatbots outperformed Google Translate, they still had limitations and occasional inaccuracies.
In a subsequent test, PCMag evaluated different versions of ChatGPT, including the free and paid versions, as well as language-specific AI agents from OpenAI’s GPTStore. The paid version of ChatGPT, known as ChatGPT Plus, consistently delivered the best translations across various languages. However, Google Translate also showed improvement, performing surprisingly well compared to previous tests.
Overall, while ChatGPT Plus emerged as the preferred choice for translation, Google Translate demonstrated notable improvement, challenging the notion that AI chatbots are always superior to traditional translation tools.
Source: https://www.pcmag.com/articles/google-translate-vs-chatgpt-which-is-the-best-language-translator
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