How do Canadians retrieve tourney money withheld by IRS?

[RaiseAndPray]

Hey guys. I apologize if this topic is covered elsewhere, however I searched extensively and can't find anything.

I am Canadian. I recently placed 2nd in a Canterbury tourney and had $5219.10 withheld by the casino to give to the IRS. I was wondering if anyone has any experience in the process of getting that back? I know of a few Canadians who have retrieved this withheld money (plus a small amount of interest in some cases!), but I can't find good information online about how to do it or where to start. Could anyone please lead me in the right direction?

I know there are services which do this for you for a fee, however I was hoping to do it on my own. Any help is much appreciated!

[oldbookguy]

try searching www.irs.gov (http://www.irs.gov) for a publication on this topic.

obg

[RaiseAndPray]

Yah, well, that's sort of like saying "just Google it". Part of my "extensive search" involved about 30 minutes on the IRS site and I really didn't come up with much useful info tailored specifically for people outside the US in my situation. I don't think it's surprising they make it difficult to understand how to retrieve your money.

[poorolrich]

Go see a tax person where you live. If he is any good he can help you.

[MexKrax]

You will need to file form 1040NR which is available on the IRS site along with instructions. Claim your tournament win as other income, and you can write off your entry fee plus any other gambling losses, up to the amount of your gambling wins.

[KingGordy]

Look up Refund Management Services, they run commercials here in Calgary, apparently this is exactly the type of issue they deal with. According to the commercial they say they only get paid on positive results. I have no personal experience with them so I don't know if they're any good or not but it sounds like the type of thing you're looking for.

I just googled them and found this link

http://www.refundmanagement.com/aboutus.asp

Good luck.

[oldbookguy]

Try searching for FOREIGN TAX CREDIT at the IRS site, or, hey, pay someone.

obg