Asking a vendor or contractor for a Form W-9: request letter (template)
Excite Tax shares this free letter for collecting a signed Form W-9 from a contractor or vendor before you pay them; general information only, not legal or tax advice.
Who it is for
A business that pays contractors, landlords or other vendors and will need their taxpayer identification number to file information returns such as Form 1099.
When to use it
Send it before the first payment, and again when a vendor’s name, entity type or taxpayer identification number changes. A payee who does not provide a correct number can make the payer responsible for backup withholding.
The deadline and form it relates to
- Form W-9 is how a payee gives its correct taxpayer identification number to a business that must file an information return with the IRS (IRS — About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification).
- If a payee fails to furnish a taxpayer identification number, the payor must withhold 24% of reportable payments until the problem is fixed (IRS — Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 (03/2024)).
- A payor that does not collect required backup withholding may become liable for the uncollected amount (IRS — Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 (03/2024)).
- Requesters may set up a system for payees to submit Forms W-9 electronically, including by fax (IRS — Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 (03/2024)).
The template
Replace every [BRACKETED] field and delete any line that does not apply. Keep a copy of everything you send.
[DATE] [VENDOR NAME] [VENDOR ADDRESS or EMAIL] Re: Form W-9 needed before payment Hello [CONTACT NAME], Thank you for your work with [BUSINESS NAME]. Before [the first payment / the next payment / year-end], I need a completed and signed Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, so the payments can be reported correctly. Please: 1. Download the current Form W-9 from the IRS (irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf). 2. Complete it with the legal name and tax classification that match your tax filings, and your taxpayer identification number. 3. Sign and date it. 4. Return it to me [by secure upload at [LINK] / by mail to [ADDRESS] / by fax to [NUMBER]] by [DATE]. Please do not email it unencrypted, and do not send it to the IRS. Without a correct taxpayer identification number, the IRS rules may require backup withholding from your payments. If your business name, tax classification or number changes, please send an updated form. Thank you, [YOUR NAME] [TITLE] [BUSINESS NAME] [PHONE]
What to attach
- A link to the current Form W-9 on irs.gov (or a blank copy of it).
- Nothing from you to the IRS: the completed form stays in your records.
Where to send it
- Form W-9 is given to the requester and is not sent to the IRS (IRS — Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)).
Official forms and pages
Sources
Each fact above was checked against the official source on the date shown by a reader who saw only the claim and the source. Official pages change; the source link beside each fact is the one to check.
- IRS — Low Income Taxpayer Clinics, retrieved
- IRS — Instructions for Form 9465 (07/2024), retrieved
- IRS — About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, retrieved
- IRS — Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 (03/2024), retrieved
- IRS — Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024), retrieved