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Template · W-9 solicitation

W-9 instructions insert for payees (one page)

Send it with every W-9 request. Which name goes on line 1, which number in Part I, name changes, and the signature. Read it below, copy the text, print it, or download the .docx for your letterhead.

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Template from tincompliance.com. A one-page insert to send with every W-9 request, printed or as the first page of the PDF. It answers the four questions that cause most name/TIN mismatches. Put it on your letterhead and leave the IRS form itself unchanged.

How to complete your Form W-9 so it matches IRS records

The IRS checks the name and the number on your W-9 together. If they do not match what the IRS has on file, the payment you receive can be subject to 24% backup withholding and you may receive a notice. These four rules prevent almost every mismatch.

1. Which name goes on line 1

You are an individual or a sole proprietor using your SSN

Your own name, as on your Social Security card. Your business or trade name goes on line 2, not line 1.

You are a sole proprietor or single-member LLC with an EIN in your own name

Your own name on line 1, the EIN in Part I. The IRS issued that EIN to you personally.

Your LLC has its own EIN and is taxed as a corporation or partnership

The LLC's legal name on line 1, exactly as on the IRS letter that assigned the EIN (CP 575 or 147C), including "LLC".

Corporation, partnership, trust, estate or nonprofit

The entity's legal name as registered with the IRS, with its EIN. Not the DBA, not the name on the state filing if it differs.

2. Which number goes in Part I

  • One number only. Do not enter both an SSN and an EIN.
  • Nine digits, no spaces or dashes needed. Check them against the card or the IRS letter, not from memory.
  • An ITIN (starts with 9) is entered in the SSN box. An expired ITIN must be renewed on Form W-7 before it will match.

3. If your name has changed

Marriage, divorce or a court order changes the name on your Social Security card only after you tell the Social Security Administration (Form SS-5). Until then the IRS has your old name. Use the name currently on the card, or update the SSA first.

4. Sign it

The certification in Part II must be signed and dated. An unsigned W-9 is not valid and we cannot rely on it.

Where to find the exact name

  • SSN or ITIN: your Social Security card or ITIN letter.
  • EIN: the CP 575 notice the IRS mailed when the EIN was assigned, or Letter 147C (call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line, 1-800-829-4933, to request one).

Return the completed form to [return address / secure upload link / fax] by [date]. Questions: [contact].

Plain-English help for payees, including a line-by-line walkthrough, is at tincompliance.com/how-to-fill-out-a-w-9/.

How to use it

  • The schedule is initial request, first annual by December 31 of the year the account opened, second annual by the following December 31. More
  • Log the date and method of every request; the dated record is what makes a missing-TIN penalty waivable. More
  • Most mismatches are the wrong name on line 1; the insert explains which name goes with which number. More
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A general-purpose starting point, not legal advice. Your facts, and your counsel, control what you send.