³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ

No. According to the Bylaws of ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ, , Section 3 (e) Legal Status of Districts, Divisions, and Areas, ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ does not permit regions, districts, divisions or areas to create their own legal entities because this would  jeopardize our non-profit status.

Yes. The organization provides up to 2 million in general liability insurance for all qualified ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ and district events, and meeting sites around the world. Please see the page for more information.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is registered in the United States as a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation.  Its EIN (Employer Identification Number) is 95-1300076.

Yes, ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is registered for VAT/GST in other countries.

The countries listed on the Global Compliance webpage are those where research has been conducted and analyzed. If you do not see your country listed, you may contact Treasury & Compliance for questions but please know this is an ongoing project and new countries will be added as research is completed and analyzed.

Please send your request with any required supplier forms to Treasury & Compliance.

Please send your exempt certificate to TaxQuestions@³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ.org to confirm. These corporates can provide TI with the GST/VAT Certificate, we approve it and confirm and document the details. Then the New ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõs or Membership team (depending on new or renewal situation), will provide an updated invoice to the corporation without the GST/VAT included. The corporation will then be required to manage any further tax requirement

International tax rules are evolving as countries around the world are taxing non-resident businesses to level the competitive online landscape and to protect in-country businesses who are subject to these taxes. In recognition of this trend, ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is proactively researching tax and compliance requirements worldwide.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ provides as much advance notice to ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõs as possible after it learns from our third-party tax consultants that GST/VAT is applicable in a particular country.

Third-party tax consultants are researching tax jurisdictions around the world to determine if VAT/GST is required to be charged, and if so, which products it applies to. As this research identifies additional countries where VAT/GST applies, the organization will charge these taxes as required by law.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is already registered as a GST/VAT entity in those countries where these taxes are currently collected. GST/VAT will be collected at the time of each order. The organization utilizes a third-party company that files the necessary returns and remits GST/VAT to the appropriate country’s government agency.

Our tax consultants have researched local VAT/GST laws and have confirmed which of ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ’s products are subject to tax. In some countries, GST/VAT applies to membership dues. In these countries, membership dues remain at $72 USD every six (6) months and the GST/VAT is a separate charge at check out, in addition to membership dues, that does not impact the actual cost of membership dues. VAT/GST is not a fee assessed by ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ, rather it is imposed by individual countries and remitted to their governmental agency.

International shipments may incur additional taxes, duties, tariffs, or fees on top of the sales tax that is collected at time of purchase. While sales tax is collected by ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ at the time of purchase, the application of shipment duties and taxes is determined by the importing country when the package crosses into its borders. Shipment method may impact what additional fees are placed on international shipments. ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ cannot estimate or collect import fees at the time of purchase, and you may be responsible to pay any import fees directly to the customs agency upon delivery of your ordered items.

Direct legal questions to legal@toastmasters.org and financial questions to financequestions@toastmasters.org. Tax and Compliance questions to taxquestions@toastmasters.org.

No. Applicable VAT/GST taxes are charged at the time of order and collected by ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ. All tax filings are the responsibility of ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ.

GST/VAT laws are country specific. Members will be charged GST/VAT based on their address of record and the tax laws applicable to their country, not that of their ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ(s).

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ only charges VAT/GST on membership dues paid to World Headquarters. Additional ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ fees billed locally are subject to the ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ’s local laws and regulations as appropriate but are not tracked or assessed by ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ.

³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is registered and has the appropriate VAT/GST numbers for each country in which it charges taxes. The VAT/GST numbers assigned to the organization are only authorized to be used by ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ and not ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõs, areas, Divisions, or Districts. ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ remits VAT/GST tax to the appropriate government while using this VAT/GST number. 

VAT is collected by ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ at the time of order and a receipt is provided at that time to show tax paid. The organization utilizes a third-party company that files the necessary returns and remits VAT to the appropriate government agency.

Speechcraft is considered an educational product for tax purposes.

There is no limit to the amount of funds a ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ may have in its bank account, but there are limits regarding annual revenues.

According to Protocol 8.2, Section 1 D, it states that at least 1/3 of a ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ’s total annual revenues must come from dues paid by members to World Headquarters; the remaining 2/3 of revenue may come from alternate sources, such as fundraising.

For example, if a ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ has 20 members each paying in membership dues every six months, then it has collected $2,880 in revenues from ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ membership dues (20 members X $72 X 2 yearly payments). Therefore, it could bring in an additional $5,760 in revenue from other sources.

A ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ can use the following options to manage its funds:

• A designated ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ officer may open a personal checking account at a bank, which the ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ may use during the ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ officer’s term. The account should be expressly used for ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ funds and must not be co-mingled with personal funds.
• The ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ treasurer can use a physical lockbox to store ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ funds and pass it along to the next treasurer after each term.

If your ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ is sponsored by a company or organization, that company or organization may supply and manage funds in a bank account on behalf of the ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ.

Documents to keep indefinitely:

• ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Constitution for ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõs of ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ
• Addendum of Standard ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Options
• Membership applications
• ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ policies
• ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ charter (i.e. Forms 1-5)
• Distinguished ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Program performance reports
• Meeting minutes and attendance records
• ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ rosters
• 501(c)(3) Employer Identification Number (EIN) Assignment Letter (For US ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõs only)

Up to 7 Years:

• Cancelled checks
• Bank statements
• Financial statements
• Journals
• Audits

Up to 3 Years:

• Internal reports (including officer and committee reports)
• Routine correspondence

The following important documents may answer your questions:

• District Administrative Bylaws
• Bylaws of ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ
• ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Policy and Protocol
• ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Leadership Handbook
• Use of ³Ô¹ÏÍ·Ìõ Funds