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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vendor / account ID | Payee legal name (W-9 line 1) | TIN type | TIN last 4 | Account opened | Initial solicitation date | Method | W-9 received | TIN match date | TIN match result (0–8) | First annual due | First annual sent | Second annual due | Second annual sent | CP2100 notice date | B-Notice type | B-Notice mailed | Mail-by deadline | Withhold-by deadline | Withholding started | Withholding stopped | Solicitation status | 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 | Example row — code 3 mismatch at onboarding; W-9 re-requested; listed on fall CP2100. Delete this row. | ||||||||||
| 3 | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 6 |
Showing the first 6 rows of the Log sheet (201 rows, 23 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: date, method (mail, email, portal, phone, in person). A solicitation you can't date didn't happen.
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.