I have few questions related to US tax return, my status is non-resident alien and living in Taiwan for about 4 years. I have filed W8BEN form with my US broker, but the broker told me that my capital gain is exempt from tax withholding but not interest/dividend, so here are my questions:
- can I claim those withheld taxes back as no-resident alien?
- if so can you point me to where to look for additional info (which form to file and if it can be done electronically). I got a form 1042-S from my broker.
- taxes withheld earlier (2009, 2010) can be claimed as well?

I am not an expert, but you should be able to get a refund if you file a US tax return and the actual taxes due are less than the amount withheld. You would have to get a tax ID if you don't already have one, but I am not sure what that process is or who qualifies. Regardless, the amount would have to be significant to make the effort worthwhile. In the US you can get a credit for foreign taxes paid, so most people here just go that route for its simplicity. Not sure how it works in Taiwan.

michaelbr 

I have few questions related to US tax return, my status is non-resident alien and living in Taiwan for about 4 years. I have filed W8BEN form with my US broker, but the broker told me that my capital gain is exempt from tax withholding but not interest/dividend, so here are my questions: - can I claim those withheld taxes back as no-resident alien? - if so can you point me to where to look for additional info (which form to file and if it can be done electronically). I got a form 1042-S from my broker. - taxes withheld earlier (2009, 2010) can be claimed as well?

@michaelbr

I would strongly suggest you consult a US Tax Professional

Thanks vegasfoster & ThatManFromTexas, I'll follow up on that, I'm afraid it'll be difficult for me to get hold of an US tax adviser/professional from Taiwan.

IANAL or US tax professional. I would check out the following links.

美國國稅局真的麻煩。沒辦法。加油。

Taxation of Nonresident Aliens

Fixed, Determinable, Annual, Periodical (FDAP) Income