Reclaiming tax on US lottery winnings?

Question

I was wondering if anyone from Canada has used one of the companies advertising that they can get your tax back on casino winnings in the US? Can you recommend a company?

Answer 1

DON"T! it costs you money and you can do it yourself for

free! Go to the U.S. government website and check around for the taxes and then foreigns etc. There is just one form that they send you and you fill it out with proof you are not a US citizen and they send you the money back. This happened to a friend of mine (won money at the casino and got taxed on it) Those companies are just a racket. They make it sound like it such a big deal and all that is involved is filling out the darn form and mailing the stuff in!  .

Answer 2

The previous posting is correct. The taxes can be retrieved without going through one of these companies, and the IRS will freely tell you how to do it. There are even a few Canada Revenue publications that give the details. Hold on, I'll find one...

Here it is... Not much detail, but gives you a starting point. You should still contact the IRS if you've never filed an american return before.

http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/E/pub/tg/p151/p...

Once you get the money back, the winnings are still not taxable on your Canadian return. :)