Thanks so much for taking the time to type all of that up! I really appreciate it.
Actually, I'm now even slightly more confused about the tax that itch withholds because with the knowledge you've just given me regarding what it actually means for them to withhold tax, I don't understand where that % withheld is going eventually, haha.
So then, if they can't submit payments to the US Internal Revenue Service because I have no form of tax ID in the US or the UK, what on earth happens to the money that's been withheld? :o
As I mentioned, due to my mental health, I'm unemployed, so I don't even have an income at the moment. Thankfully, I have the world's most wonderful and understanding dad who believes in what I'm doing with my projects and is happy to support me by allowing me to live with him and such. I suppose I can't possibly be refunded part or all of the money that itch withholds for tax since there's no way for them to track things properly without me having the tax ID number, but if I can't be given it back, and it can't be paid to where it's supposed to go, I just don't understand what happens to it in the end, haha.
When I released my first game here for free just a little over a year ago, I did get a handful of donations. And the 30% was withheld from those. I didn't bother to question it at the time because I figured I was unlikely to get much in the way of donations through itch anyhow. Over a year has passed, and I definitely didn't get anything back from what was withheld because I just got the one-off payment from itch when I chose to withdraw what was there. I'm curious now as to where that withheld money would have ended up.
I have no idea how much it would cost to speak to an accountant, but I would imagine what I've received so far in donations would be less than their fee since I've heard that accountants can be expensive. So it's not a huge amount of money we're talking about. Well, it's huge to me! But to the average person with a job, probably not so much, haha. (Around $350 before accounting for the 30% tax withheld.)
We do have something here called the Citizens Advice Bureau, which is a free service anyone can access and covers all different things people might need help and advice with, including money-related matters. The trouble is, with my anxiety, I'm not capable of calling places up to make appointments and things like that, and many places aren't particularly accessible in that way because they require you to phone them in order to speak to someone. To be fair, the CBA does have an online live chat option, but the problem is, the people working that have a sort of script to go off of and so can't really help with personalised advice.
Over here, it sort of seems like if you have mental health problems, depending on the area you live in, and the funding allocated to the area, you're in a lottery as to what aid is available to you. And, unfortunately, in the town I live, there is very little help on offer. I do see a therapist (free of charge on the NHS), but even she told me she is annoyed that those diagnosed with ASD can access ASD-specific help and therapy IF they are in a catchment area that has the funding for it. She said that the place she works at has been asking to get one on their team for over a year now, but has just been refused time and time again. Yet in a city 30 mins drive from where I live, the service is available, and my dad would gladly take me there. However, because I do not live in that city, I cannot access the service. It's all very frustrating!
My therapist has put me on a waiting list for a free service to talk to a coach about various things related to eventually trying to somehow make a living from my project work in the future because she believes that I have more chance of succeeding with that than traditional employment. So I can definitely bring this up with her when the time comes and see what she has to say about it all.
Thank you once again for everything!