Guide for Medium Authors: What is Form 1042-S and What to Do in Turkey?

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Hello. I have been making money by producing content on Medium since September last year. In February, I received an e-mail in February, which I shared the screenshot below, and I read it with the suspicion that it could be a scam.

A screenshot from the mail mentioned

Yesterday, I was excited when I received a letter from San Francisco ☺️ After I read that the sender was Medium Corporation, my excitement gave way to fear, I thought, oh no, something has happened.

Inside the envelope was a letter and 3 duplicate forms. Title: Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Witholding. We made 3 cents of money from Medium, 5 cents of tax came out, I said for sure, and I sat down and researched. Then I prepared this guide in case there are those like me who panic when they receive the letter. Let’s get informed together.

What is Form 1042-S?

1042-S is the “Foreign Person’s U.S. Source Income Subject to Withholding” form. It is used to document payments made to non-U.S. persons such as royalties, licenses, interest, dividends and the taxes withheld from these payments.

What does the 1042-S form from Medium say?

Some of the main fields you can see on the 1042-S form and their meanings:

What Should You Do With This Form?

1. The Form is Real and Official

This form you received is an official document issued by the US tax system. It usually comes as a PDF by email or is mailed to your address.

2. You do not need to send it anywhere

You do not need to send this document to the IRS or anywhere in Turkey. You only need to keep it.

3. If You Don’t Declare Your Income, You Don’t Need To Do Anything For Now

If the amount you earn from Medium does not exceed the annual declaration limit (around 150,000 TL in 2025), you do not need to declare these incomes.

4. If Your Income Increases, You May Need to Declare in Turkey

If your annual earnings increase and you need to file a declaration:

• In the US, a 10% tax is withheld, so you can write this amount on the declaration.
• You may be able to claim a tax refund or deduction (it is worth consulting an accountant for this).

Summary in Brief:

Frequently Asked Questions

Question: My Medium income is not even 1000 TL when converted to Turkish lira. Should I still do something? Answer: No. In this case, you only need to keep the document.

Question: Do I receive the 1042-S form every year? Answer: Yes, as long as you receive income from Medium and you appear in the US tax system, you will receive this form every year.

Question: Can I get back the tax withheld in the US? Answer: In most cases no, because the Turkey-US tax treaty does not cover author income. However, it can be taken into account in the calculation of the differential tax.

I hope this guide clears your questions about the 1042-S form.

May you have many profits!

Thank you for reading this far.

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Thank you again!

Selin.