Question 1.
I am a F-1 international student from China. I registered a website selling shareware. I am the developer of the shareware. It's sold by way of a shareware registration agency. The agency is also an online business. It takes the order from customers and charges the customer's credit card. I will deliver the serial number to the customer and I am responsible to support the customer. The agent is no more than a payment processor for me. I am doing all this as an individual, instead of a business. Is this automatically legal? Or do I have to get authorization from the university or INS first? Do I have to pay tax for my income? To America or to my home country?
Question 2.
My website has quite a little bit of traffic. I am thinking of converting the traffic to money. I can post advertisement on my website for those advertisement providers, or I can sell software for other big vendors as an affiliate. The only form is to put pictures and text on my website, refer visitors to other websites. The ad-providers or software vendors will pay money to me. But they are asking for my Tax ID (Is that simply my SSN?). I guess when they pay me, they will subtract the tax first. They can pay me by check or direct-deposit. But I guess the money will be on their pay-roll. There is no problem with tax, surely. But I wonder whether this is considered some kind of employment. If it's considered employment, I would have to get work authorization from INS first, right?
Thanks for answer.
I am a F-1 international student from China. I registered a website selling shareware. I am the developer of the shareware. It's sold by way of a shareware registration agency. The agency is also an online business. It takes the order from customers and charges the customer's credit card. I will deliver the serial number to the customer and I am responsible to support the customer. The agent is no more than a payment processor for me. I am doing all this as an individual, instead of a business. Is this automatically legal? Or do I have to get authorization from the university or INS first? Do I have to pay tax for my income? To America or to my home country?
Question 2.
My website has quite a little bit of traffic. I am thinking of converting the traffic to money. I can post advertisement on my website for those advertisement providers, or I can sell software for other big vendors as an affiliate. The only form is to put pictures and text on my website, refer visitors to other websites. The ad-providers or software vendors will pay money to me. But they are asking for my Tax ID (Is that simply my SSN?). I guess when they pay me, they will subtract the tax first. They can pay me by check or direct-deposit. But I guess the money will be on their pay-roll. There is no problem with tax, surely. But I wonder whether this is considered some kind of employment. If it's considered employment, I would have to get work authorization from INS first, right?
Thanks for answer.