Fillable W-9 Form (2018 - 2023)

Is There a New W9 Form for 2024

The IRS released a draft of a new W-9 form in October 2023. It was approved in March 2024, and from now on, W-9 2024 is the official version approved by the IRS that taxpayers should use. So, if you want to request a W9 form or fill out a requested document, use this version.

Filling Out the Blank W-9 Form for 2018 - 2023

Step 1: Gather the necessary info

Before beginning, make sure to have all the requested info. This includes your Employer ID Number or Social Security Number. Sometimes, businesses may require additional information, such as the name of your business, entity tax type, or exemption codes.

Step 2: Add legal name and/or business name

Enter your full legal name as it appears on your Social Security card or other official documents. If you are operating under a different business name, include that.

For instance, if your legal name is John Doe and your freelance graphic design business is called "Doe Designs," write "John Doe" on the first line and "Doe Designs" on the second line.

Step 3: Pick federal tax classification

Check the appropriate box for you in the third line. If you are a contractor or freelancer, check the "Individual/sole proprietor or single-member LLC" box.

For businesses with more than one shareholder, there are other options:

• C corporation has an unlimited number of investors or shareholders, and the corporation's and each investor's income should be reported separately.
• S corporations are limited to 100 shareholders. In this case, the profits and losses of the corporation are passed through to the shareholders, who report them on their tax returns. 
• Partnership is a business entity where two or more people share ownership and profits of the company.
• Trust/estate is for legal entities responsible for filing tax returns and paying any taxes the trust or estate owes.

In our example, John Doe would check the first box since he runs a freelance graphic design business.

Step 4: Enter exemptions (Optional)

In most cases, you would leave this section blank. However, if you have any applicable exemption codes based on your business type or tax situation, enter them in the designated fields. Provide the suitable code if you are from backup withholding or get a specific tax exemption.

Step 5: Add your address

Fill in your mailing details, giving the house number, street name, city, state, and ZIP code. This address is where the payer will send any necessary tax paperwork, such as 1099 forms. In this example, John Doe would enter his home address since he works from home.

Step 6: Provide taxpayer ID number (TIN)

Here you get 2 options, add Social Security Number (SSN) or Employer Identification Number (EIN), depending on your business type. For most freelancers and sole proprietors, an SSN will suffice. However, provide your EIN if you have a separate legal entity for your business, such as an LLC or corporation. 

Since John Doe operates as a sole proprietor, he would enter his SSN.

Step 7: Certify the fillable W-9 form

After filling in all the required fields, review the document carefully for accuracy. Make sure you haven't forgotten any sections and provided the correct information. 

Once you've double-checked the form, sign and date it at the bottom to certify that the information you provided is correct and that you are not subject to backup withholding.

If you still have some questions or need to see more examples of how to fill out W-9, check out a guide on our blog.