Fill out your W-9 right on the official IRS form.
Type each answer where it prints on the W-9, with a plain-English note beside every box, based on the IRS instructions. Then download the PDF for whoever asked for it.
- A note beside every box, based on the IRS instructions
- Flags a missing name, tax class or TIN before you finish
- Sign on screen, or leave the line for ink
Built on the IRS’s own PDF · Rev. March 2024Not affiliated with the IRS
Who are you filling it for?
Pick one — its boxes light up on the form.
Your four boxes
- 1
- Your name, as on your tax return
- 2
- Your business or DBA name, if any
- 3a
- “Individual/sole proprietor”
- Part I
- Your SSN (or ITIN); a sole proprietor may use an EIN instead
- 1
- The owner’s name
- 2
- The LLC’s name
- 3a
- The owner’s box, e.g. “Individual/sole proprietor”
- Part I
- The owner’s SSN or EIN
- 1
- The LLC’s name
- 2
- Any trade or DBA name
- 3a
- “LLC”, with P, C or S written in
- Part I
- The LLC’s EIN
- 1
- The entity’s name, as on its tax return
- 2
- Any trade or DBA name
- 3a
- “C corporation”, “S corporation” or “Partnership”
- Part I
- The entity’s EIN
Based on the line 1, line 3a and Part I instructions. Form W-9, pp. 3–5
Who fills it in
A U.S. person, resident aliens included, whose taxpayer ID a payer needs for its IRS reports.Form W-9, pp. 1–2
- Not a U.S. person? Use Form W-8 or Form 8233 instead.
- An employee? Your employer needs a Form W-4.
Where it goes
Back to the person or business that asked for it. Never to the IRS.Form W-9, p. 1
Why it matters
Without your correct TIN, a payer may have to withhold 24% of certain payments to you.Form W-9, p. 2
When to send a new one
When your name or TIN changes. The instructions set no yearly renewal.Form W-9, p. 3
What goes on each line of the W-9
The whole form in nine answers, based on the IRS instructions. Notes like these sit beside each box while you fill.
Name and tax classificationLines 1–4
- 1
Line 1 · Name
The name on your tax return. Sole proprietor: your own name; the business name goes on line 2. Single-member LLC that’s disregarded: the owner’s name. A company: its name as on its own tax return.Form W-9, p. 1, p. 3
- 2
Line 2 · Business name
Your business, trade or “doing business as” name, or a disregarded entity’s name — only if it differs from line 1.Form W-9, p. 1, p. 3
- 3a
Line 3a · Federal tax classification
Tick exactly one of the seven boxes, for the name on line 1. An LLC ticks “LLC” and writes C, S or P — unless it is disregarded; then it ticks its owner’s box instead.Form W-9, p. 1, p. 3
- 3b
Line 3b · Foreign partners or owners
Only for a partnership, trust or estate with foreign partners, owners or beneficiaries that gives this form to a partnership, trust or estate it has an ownership interest in.Form W-9, p. 3
- 4
Line 4 · Exemptions
The form itself says these “codes apply only to certain entities, not individuals”. The FATCA code “applies to accounts maintained outside the United States”.Form W-9, p. 1, pp. 3–4
Address and accountsLines 5–7
- 5–6
Lines 5–6 · Address
Your street, then city, state and ZIP — “where the requester of this Form W-9 will mail your information returns”. Moved? The IRS asks for “NEW” at the top; the fill page has a switch for it.Form W-9, p. 4
- 7
Line 7 · Account numbers and requester
Both are printed “(optional)”. Use them if the requester gave you an account number or asked for their details on the form.Form W-9, p. 1
Taxpayer identification numberPart I
- Part I
Part I · SSN, ITIN or EIN
Your SSN or your business’s EIN — only one, matching the name on line 1. A resident alien without an SSN puts an IRS ITIN in the SSN boxes. A sole proprietor may use either; the IRS encourages the SSN. No number yet? Apply, enter “Applied For”, then sign and date.Form W-9, p. 1, pp. 4–5
CertificationPart II
- Part II
Part II · Signature and date
Signing certifies four statements under penalties of perjury. Cross out item 2 if the IRS told you that you are currently subject to backup withholding (you must) or for a real estate transaction (you may). Payments other than interest and dividends generally need no signature, but the requester may still ask for one.Form W-9, p. 1, p. 5
Every one of these notes waits beside its box.Fill the official W-9 in your browser, then download the PDF.
Start filling outW-9 questions, answered
Short answers, based on the IRS instructions where they apply.
Do I have to sign it?
Generally, payments other than interest and dividends don’t need a signature — but the requester may still ask for one. You must sign for interest, dividend and broker accounts opened after 1983, for real estate transactions, after an IRS notice that you gave an incorrect TIN, and when you write “Applied For”. Sign on screen, or print and sign in ink — check that your requester accepts an electronic signature.Form W-9, p. 1, pp. 4–5
Do I send my W-9 to the IRS?
No. The form itself says: “Give form to the requester. Do not send to the IRS.” You download the PDF and give it to the person or business that asked for it.Form W-9, p. 1
SSN, ITIN or EIN?
An individual uses an SSN, or an ITIN if they are a resident alien without one. A sole proprietor may use an EIN instead; the IRS encourages the SSN. A disregarded single-member LLC gives its owner’s number. An LLC taxed as a partnership or corporation, and any corporation or partnership, gives its EIN.Form W-9, pp. 4–5
Do I need a new W-9 every year?
The instructions ask for a new W-9 when the name or TIN on the account changes, and for an update if you stop being an exempt payee. They set no yearly cycle.Form W-9, p. 3
I don’t have a TIN yet. What do I do?
Apply for one, write “Applied For” in the TIN space, sign and date the form, and give it to the requester. For most payments other than interest and dividends, backup withholding can apply until they have your number.Form W-9, p. 4
Will you submit the form for me?
No. You download the document and give it to your requester yourself. Nothing is sent on your behalf.
What happens to my draft?
Your answers save to your own draft on our servers as you type, over an encrypted connection. A guest draft is deleted 24 hours after it’s created; with an account, 30 days after you last use it. Delete your draft whenever you like.
Five things to have at hand
- Your name exactly as on your tax return
- The address your 1099s should go to
- Your business or DBA nameOnly if it differs from your own name
- Your SSN, ITIN or EINWaiting for one? “Applied For” goes in its place
- Your federal tax classificationYour answer to “Who are you filling it for?” shows which box
Upload your own PDF
For any other PDF: fill it in and sign it in the PDF editor.
The IRS’s own form, with notes you can check
The IRS’s own form
Built from the IRS’s own file (Rev. March 2024). Your answers go into its own boxes.
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Your answers travel over an encrypted connection to your own draft.
Notes you can check
Each note on this page names the page of the IRS instructions it is based on.
You hand it in
We don’t send the form to anyone. You download it and give it to your requester yourself.
Official sources
Everything on this page is based on these two IRS pages.
From blank form to your next step
- STEP 1
Fill in directly on the form
Type your answers where they print, with a short note beside every field.
- STEP 2
Sign, or leave the line for ink
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- STEP 3
Download and hand it in
Get your PDF, print it if you need to, and give it to whoever asked for it.
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Built from the current Form W-9 published on irs.gov.
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Fill out your W-9 on the official form.
Every box has its note beside it. Download the PDF when you’re done and give it to your requester.
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