CConciergg

Guidelines & FAQ

Cross-border withholding

  • · Canadian creators billing US brands file a W-8BEN so the payer doesn't withhold 30% at source; the treaty rate on royalties is usually 0%.
  • · US creators give brands a W-9 and expect a 1099-NEC once paid $600 or more in a year.
  • · Keep platform payouts (AdSense, TikTok) separate from brand income — the tax treatment differs.
  • · Move the reserved tax into a second bank account the same day a payment lands.

Disclosure rules you must follow

US — FTC Endorsement Guides

  • · Disclose with #ad or #sponsored at the START of the caption, above the fold.
  • · Verbal disclosure required in video within the first few seconds; on-screen text must be readable.
  • · Never bury the disclosure in a hashtag block, bio, or 'more' link.
  • · Claims must reflect honest, typical results from actual use of the product.
  • · Disclosure required for gifted product, affiliate links, and any material connection.

Canada — Ad Standards / Competition Bureau

  • · Use #ad, #sponsored, #PaidPartnership — Ad Standards discourages #sp, #spon, #collab, #ambassador alone.
  • · Disclosure must be upfront, prominent, and in the same language as the content (FR content = FR disclosure).
  • · Comply with the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards, clauses 1 (accuracy) and 7 (testimonials).
  • · Testimonials must reflect genuine, current opinion of the creator using the product.
  • · Quebec: French-language disclosure required; extra restrictions on advertising to children under 13.

Working with a UK or EU brand? The ASA expects "Ad" in the first line of the caption and in the video title — the same rule of thumb as the FTC.

Year-end paperwork

  • · Pay a US contractor $2,000.00 or more in a calendar year and you owe them a 1099-NEC by 31 January.
  • · Collect a W-9 (US) or W-8BEN (non-US) before the first payment, not after.
  • · Canadian contractors invoice you with their GST/HST number once registered; employees get a T4.
  • · Every freelancer needs a signed Independent Contractor Agreement covering IP assignment.
  • · Keep the shared workflow board in order: script finished before filming, footage delivered before editing.

Receipts you upload

The file stays in your private storage. To fill in the amount, date and vendor, the text read from a receipt, and for a photo with no readable text the image itself, is sent to DeepSeek, an AI provider based in mainland China, the same one that reads your email receipts. Do not upload a receipt you are not willing to share with it.