Filling Out a W-9 in 3 Simple Steps
1. Enter Form W-9 Details
- Fill in your name, business name, address, street, city, state, and ZIP code
- Enter your tax identification number (TIN), either your Social Security Number (SSN) or your Employer Identification Number (EIN)
- Select Federal Tax Classification (e.g., Individual/Sole Proprietor, Corporation, LLC)
- Complete other sections of Form W-9
2. E-sign Fillable Form W-9
- Review your completed Form W-9
- Once verified, proceed to sign your Form W-9 electronically
- E-signing your form provides a secure way to validate your information
3. Download and Print / Share Fillable Form W-9
- Share the W-9 Form directly with payers via email
- Download the printable Form W-9 as a PDF and deliver a copy to them
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Information Required on Your Fillable W-9 Form
By filling out Form W-9, you can easily provide the following information to your payers.
- Basic Information such as Name, Business Name, Business type, Address
- Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) such as EIN or SSN
- Exemption codes for Backup withholding or FATCA Reporting, if any
The information you provide using the fillable Form W-9 can be used by the payers to file an accurate Form 1099 for you.
Instructions to Fill Out Your Form W-9
The W-9 is quite simple to complete. It consists of 7 lines and 2 parts, followed by the date and signature fields.
Here’s what you need to know before filling out a W-9 Form Online.
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Line 1- Name
This is a mandatory field. Enter your name as shown on your income tax return.
If this Fillable W-9 Form is for a joint account, list first, and then circle the name of the person or entity whose TIN will be entered in Part I.
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Line 2 - Business Name
This is an optional field. Enter your business name if it is different from what you entered in Box 1.
For example, if your name is John Doe, and you don't have a separate business entity, you can leave this field blank.
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Line 3a - Federal Tax Classification
Check the appropriate box on line 3 to indicate your federal tax classification.
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Line 3b
Check this box if you are a partnership (including an LLC classified as a partnership for U.S. federal tax purposes)
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Line 4 - Exemptions
If you are exempt from backup withholding and/or FATCA reporting, enter the code(s) that may be applicable to you on line 4.
Exempt payee code
Individuals (including sole proprietors) are not exempt from backup withholding.
Corporations are exempt from backup withholding for certain payments, including interest and dividends.
Corporations are not exempt from backup withholding for payments made in settlement of payment card or third-party network transactions.
Corporations are not exempt from backup withholding with respect to attorneys’ fees or gross proceeds paid to attorneys, and corporations that provide medical or health care services are not exempt with respect to payments reportable on Form 1099-MISC.
Enter the appropriate code in line 4 that applies to you:
- 1 - Exempt organizations classified under section 501(a), IRAs and custodial accounts classified under section 403(b)(7), and any accounts that classify under section 401(f)(2)
- 2 - United States government agencies
- 3 - Any states, districts, commonwealth, possession, or political subdivisions of the United States.
- 4 - All agencies or political subdivisions of a foreign government.
- 5 - Corporations
- 6 - An entity that deals in securities and commodities that is required to register in the US and any of their territories.
- 7 - Merchants registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission
- 8 - Real estate investment trusts
- 9 - Entities that are registered throughout the tax year in accordance with the Investment Company Act of 1940
- 10 - Common trust funds operated by a bank under section 584(a)
- 11 - Financial institutions
- 12 - A middleman (nominee/custodian) in the investment community
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13 - Trusts that are exempt from tax under section 664 or described in
section 4947
Exemption from FATCA codes
- A - All exempt organizations under section 501(a) and individual retirements plans under section 7701(a)(37)
- B - The United States or any of its agencies or instrumentalities
- C - Any states, districts, commonwealth, possession, or political subdivisions of the United States.
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D - A corporation the stock of which is regularly traded on one or more established securities markets, as described in Regulations
section 1.1472-1(c)(1)(i) - E - Corporations that are members of the same expanded affiliated group as a corporation described in Regulations section 1.1472-1(c)(1)(i)
- F - An entity that deals in securities and commodities that is required to register in the US and any of their territories.
- G - Real estate investment trusts
- H - Entities that are registered throughout the tax year in accordance with the Investment Company Act of 1940, or defined under section 851
- I - Common trust funds defined in section 584(a)
- J - A bank as defined in section 581
- K - Brokers
- L - Trusts exempt from tax under section 664 or described in section 4947(a)(1)
- M - Tax-exempt trusts under a section 403(b) plan or section 457(g) plan
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Line 5 & 6 - Address
Enter your address, including your number, street, apartment or suite number, city, state, and zip code.
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Line 7 - Account Numbers
This is not a mandatory field. You can list the account numbers here if required.
Part I - Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)
This part requires you to provide your TIN, which can be either Employer Identification Number (EIN) or Social Security Number (SSN). It’s important that the TIN you enter matches the IRS database.
If you are a single-member LLC that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner, enter the owner’s SSN (or EIN, if the owner has one). Do not enter the disregarded entity’s EIN.
If the LLC is classified as a corporation or partnership, enter the entity’s EIN.
Part II - Certification
The last part of your fillable W-9 Form is the certification, which requires you to acknowledge the following things.
- 1. You are providing the correct taxpayer identification number
- 2. You are not subjected to Backup withholding
- 3. You are a U.S. citizen
- 4. The FATCA code(s) entered on this form (if any) indicating that you are exempt from FATCA reporting is correct.
If the IRS has notified you that you are currently subject to backup withholding, you must cross out item 2 on the list.
For federal tax purposes of fillable W-9, a U.S. person is:
- A U.S. citizen or resident alien.
- A partnership, corporation, company, or association formed in the U.S. or under U.S. law.
- An estate, except a foreign estate.
- A domestic trust.
Signature
After reviewing the IRS Form W-9 and checking that all the information is correct, you can sign the form.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fillable Form W-9
What is Form W-9?
Form W-9 is an IRS form that you can use to provide your TIN information to your payers. This information will be used by your payers to file 1099 forms for reporting the payments made to you with the IRS. The payments may include:
- Income paid to you.
- Real estate transactions.
- Mortgage interest you paid.
- Acquisition or abandonment of secured property.
- Cancellation of debt.
- Contributions you made to an IRA.
What are the new updates in the Form W9 for 2024?
In November 2023, the IRS released the draft version of Form W-9, introducing a new Line 3b, and the IRS released the latest version of Form W9 in March 2024. The original Line 3 has now been split into separate sections as Line 3a and 3b, respectively.
Line 3a requires business entities to indicate their federal tax classification, while Line 3b needs to be checked if the business has foreign partners, owners, or beneficiaries, which applies to flow-through entities.
Line 3b indicates if a flow-through entity has any direct or indirect foreign partners, owners, or beneficiaries when providing their W-9 to another flow-through entity. Flow-through entities are businesses where income directly flows to shareholders, who report their individual share of income on their personal tax returns instead of the total income in the business.
Who needs to fill out a W9?
Primarily, Printable Form W-9 is completed by Independent contractors, gig workers, freelancers, consultants, and other individuals or entities that receive business-related payments.
What happens if I don’t provide W-9?
Failing to furnish W-9 Form will have the following consequences:
- Your payments will be subjected to a backup withholding of 24%
- A penalty of $50 may also be imposed for failure to furnish the correct TIN
What is the difference between a W-9 and a 1099?
A fillable W-9 is not a tax return and is not filed with the IRS. It is a form used by the payees to provide their TIN information to the payers for
accurate 1099 filing.
Whereas, 1099 is a tax return that is filed by the payers with the IRS to report the payments they made to the respective payees.
Will the W-9 be filed with the IRS?
No! W-9 is not a tax form that needs to be filed with the IRS. It’s just an IRS document that you can use to provide your TIN information to the payers.
When will my W-9 Expire?
There is no designated expiration date for a Form W9. However, if the details you provided using the W9 previously have now changed (For example: Address, business name, etc.), you must provide a new W-9 with the updated information.
I’m a Canadian. Do I need to provide a W-9?
No! Form W-9 is applicable only to U.S. residents. The non-U.S residents can use Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E to furnish their TIN to the businesses (payers)
that requested.
Am I eligible to fill out a W-9 as an individual?
Yes! Form W9 creator can be filled out as an individual to provide your TIN to your payers/requesters, even if you don’t have a registered business.
Do I need to complete and provide a W-9 every year?
It is not necessary to complete and provide a W-9 Form generator annually. However, if you need to update the W-9 details you provided previously to your payers, you must furnish a new W-9 Form.
When am I exempt from completing the W-9?
Primarily, W-9s are required to be completed by the non-employees. So, if you are an employee, you are not required to complete and provide a
W-9 to your employer.