Fixed-fee service · relief at source
The best over-withholding is the kind that never gets taken.
Relief at source means the treaty rate applied when the dividend is paid, instead of the full rate followed by a refund claim. Where the country and your broker allow it, it is the most efficient route — we prepare the documents that switch it on, at fixed fees.
No win, no fee · Pricing 100% public · FR / EN
Example based on €1,000 of gross dividends from Ireland with an exemption declaration in place. Indicative amounts — every claim is verified before filing.
The basics
What it is, and who it is for
Two roads lead to the treaty rate: before the withholding, or after. This is the road before.
What it is
Every tax treaty caps the withholding a country may take on your dividends. Relief at source means having that reduced rate applied directly at payment: the right document, filed with the right intermediary before the ex-date, and the over-withholding simply never exists. No refund form, no twelve-month wait, no fee — just the right rate, right away.
Who it is for
Any investor holding securities from countries where the mechanism exists — the United States, Ireland, Canada, Japan and Australia in particular — and whose broker will pass the status along. It is the natural complement to recovery: you settle the past with a refund claim, you protect the future with relief at source.
The ledger
Where it works, and where it does not
Half the job is knowing where the mechanism actually exists for an individual. Here is the answer, country by country.
Reduced rate possible at payment time
at source- United States30% → 15%
- Canada25% → 15%
- Japan15.315% → 10%
- Australia30% → 15%
- Ireland25% → 0%
No practical route for individuals
recovery only- Switzerland35% → 15%
- Germany26.375% → 15%
- Austria27.5% → 15%
- Sweden30% → 15%
In these countries nobody can spare you the full-rate withholding — anyone promising otherwise is wrong. The only route is the after-the-fact refund claim: that is exactly our recovery service.
Rates shown for a French tax residence — indicative figures, verified claim by claim.
The process
What we actually do
An honest audit first, the documents second — never the other way round.
01
We audit your holdings and your broker — for free
Your statements are enough: which countries, which rates are actually applied today, and what your broker can pass through at source. If nothing can be activated, you know it without having paid a thing.
02
We prepare the documents, country by country
A W-8BEN for the United States, an exemption declaration for Ireland, treaty forms where the country accepts them: each document in the required format, at a fixed fee.
03
You hand them to your broker, with our instructions
The intermediary is the one who applies the rate: we give you the exact procedure for your institution, and what to ask it to confirm in writing.
04
We check the very next dividend
The rate actually applied is verified on the following payment. If it is still wrong, you know immediately — and the over-withholding goes into recovery before it piles up.
Pricing
The building blocks of relief at source, at fixed fees
Relief at source is not a subscription: it is a set of correct documents, in place at the right time. Each has a public price.
€0
the initial audit of your holdings and your broker
€49
W-8BEN — US dividends, individuals
€129
W-8BEN-E — entities
€79
residence certificate — where the country requires it at source
Straight talk
What can go wrong
Relief at source is the most efficient mechanism in the field — when it works. Here are its four real limits.
Not every broker offers it
Applying a treaty rate at source takes infrastructure: passing your status down the custody chain, handling per-client rates. Some intermediaries simply do not have it — not bad faith, just structure. Your document can be perfect and the full rate keep landing: our audit tells you what your broker can actually apply, before you pay anything.
Entire countries rule it out for individuals
Switzerland · Germany · Austria · Sweden: in these countries there is no practical route at source for an individual investor. The full-rate withholding is unavoidable — and the after-the-fact refund is the only way to your money.
Custody chains lose the status en route
Even with a well-configured broker, a security that passes through several custodians can end up withheld at the full rate: the status gets lost along the way. It is common on multi-intermediary accounts — hence our systematic check of the very next payment.
Nothing is retroactive
Relief at source protects tomorrow's dividends, not yesterday's. What was already withheld at the full rate remains owed to you — within the limitation periods, which are already running.
What comes next
Protect the future, settle the past
Withholding-tax recovery
Relief at source only fixes the future. For the years already withheld at the full rate — and for every country with no route at source — the refund claim remains the only way. No upfront fees.
The recovery service →W-8BEN form
The textbook case of relief at source: the certification that moves your US dividends to the treaty rate from the very next payment.
The W-8BEN service →Certificate of tax residence
Some countries make the reduced rate at source conditional on this proof from your own administration. We prepare it at a fixed fee.
The residence-certificate service →FAQ
Your relief-at-source questions
My broker already applies the right rate on my US dividends. Do I need you?
For the United States, no — and we would rather tell you: a treaty rate being applied means a valid W-8BEN is in place. Just check its date, as it expires at the end of the third calendar year after signature. The question is then worth asking for your other holdings: Ireland, Canada, Japan, Australia…
What about my Swiss shares?
Nothing can be done at source: Switzerland offers no practical route for individuals. 35% is withheld, 15% is owed by treaty, and the gap can only be recovered after the fact — which happens to be the most rewarding recovery file in Europe.
Should I switch to a broker that handles relief at source?
That is not ours to say: choosing a broker involves many other criteria — fees, markets, service — and we recommend no institution. Our role is factual: telling you precisely what your current broker can apply, and recovering whatever slips through.
How much does it cost in total?
It depends on your holdings. A US-only portfolio is solved with a €49 W-8BEN. Add a €79 residence certificate if a country requires one at source. The initial audit is free — like the recovery diagnostic.
The right rate on the next payment, recovery for the rest.
Send your statements: the audit tells you for free what can be activated at source, and what needs to go through recovery.