Google Adsense: How to Apply for the Program and Important Info on Paying Taxes

How to Apply to the Google Adsense Program

Applying for a Google Adsense account is quick and easy for any interested webmaster. Just point your browser to www.google.com/adsense and click on apply.  Click on the drop down arrow under account type and select whether you’re an individual or business.  If you’re not sure which one to choose, click on the question mark to the left. Next, select your country or territory.

Under website information, it asks for your primary URL.  If you have your own website, list it here.  If you are using a blogging site such as writingup.com or bloggingparty.com that URL goes here.

Select your website’s primary language. Google adsense supports Chinese (simplified), Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, and Turkish.

Select the product you want on your pages.  Adsense for Content means you will have advertising targeted to the content on your pages.  For instance, if you write about flooring, you might have carpet ads on your page.  Adsense for Search is for you to add a Google search box to your pages.  To maximize your Google Adsense earnings, you will want to have both.

After that, it’s just the regular contact information and you’re all set.  You should receive an email in 2 or 3 days letting you know if your application is approved.

Do I Have to Pay Taxes on My Google Adsense Earnings?

Google Adsense is required to collect tax information from those who participate in the program. If you’re a business, you’ll need to put your EIN number on your application.  If you’re an individual, all you’ll need is your social security number.  If you don’t have that information when you initially sign up, you can still apply for the Google Adsense program.  But be advised that Google Adsense will withhold payments to you until they receive your tax information.

While Google does not withhold taxes or provide any tax advice, they will send you a 1099 once your earnings reach a certain amount.  Of course, if you are a Non-US business and have no activity in the United States, you will not need to provide this information.  For more tax information regarding the Google Adsense program, visit the Google Adsense Support site.  For other tax-related questions or concerns, you can log onto www.irs.gov.