One row per payee: solicitations, TIN match result, CP2100 and B-Notice dates. Deadlines and status calculate; it is Exhibit A of a reasonable-cause statement. Preview the columns below, then download the .xlsx; the formulas and drop-downs work in Excel and Google Sheets.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vendor / account ID | Payee legal name (W-9 line 1) | TIN type | TIN last 4 | Account opened | Initial solicitation date | Initial method | W-9 received | TIN match date | TIN match result (0-8) | First annual due | First annual sent | First annual method | Second annual due | Second annual sent | Second annual method | CP2100 notice date | B-Notice type | B-Notice mailed | Mail-by deadline | Withhold-by deadline | Withholding started | Withholding stopped | Solicitation status | Entry logged on | Notes |
| 2 | V-10422 | Jane Q. Smith | SSN | 6789 | 2026-03-04 | 2026-03-04 | Portal | 2026-03-05 | 3 | 2026-10-01 | First | 2026-10-09 | 2026-10-09 | Example row: code 3 mismatch at onboarding; W-9 re-requested; listed on fall CP2100. Delete this row. | ||||||||||||
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| 6 |
Showing the first 6 rows of the Log sheet (201 rows, 26 columns). Yellow cells are yours to fill; white cells hold formulas that calculate in Excel or Google Sheets. Scroll sideways to see every column.
TIN solicitation log
A payee-level record of every W-9 solicitation, IRS TIN match and B-Notice, in the form a Notice 972CG reasonable-cause statement needs (Treas. Reg. 301.6724-1). From tincompliance.com/templates/.
How to use it
1. One row per payee account. Fill the yellow cells on the Log sheet; white cells with formulas calculate the deadlines and the status.
2. Do NOT store full TINs in this file. Record the last four digits only; the full number stays in your vendor system.
3. Record every solicitation the day you make it, and put that day in the Entry logged on column. The regulation requires concurrent records; a solicitation you can't date didn't happen.
3a. Annual solicitations must be by mail or telephone. The method columns for the first and second annual solicitations accept only Mail or Phone; the IRS penalty unit denies waivers where annual solicitations were electronic (IRM 4.19.25.8.3).
4. When a CP2100/CP2100A lists the account, fill the notice date, the B-Notice type and the mailing date. The withholding-start deadline calculates.
5. Keep the file at least four years after the due date of the related return; three years after a CP2100 to apply the second-notice rule.
Deadline rules used by the formulas
First annual solicitation (missing TIN): by December 31 of the year the account was opened; January 31 of the next year if opened in December.
Second annual solicitation (still missing): by December 31 of the year after the account was opened.
B-Notice: mail within 15 business days of the CP2100 date; begin 24% backup withholding no later than 30 business days after the CP2100 date (Pub 1281). The formulas use WORKDAY, which skips weekends; add federal holidays to the Holidays sheet to skip those too.
The example row on the Log sheet shows the expected format. Delete it before use.
A general-purpose starting point, not legal advice. Your facts, and your counsel, control what you send.