Forms · IRS

Fill out Form W-9 online, without uploading it

Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. Gives a business that pays you your correct name and taxpayer identification number (SSN or EIN), so it can report those payments.

Open Form W-9 in PDFPane Free · opens in your browser · nothing is uploaded · or download the blank PDF

About Form W-9

• Who fills it in: Freelancers, contractors, landlords and anyone a client, bank or platform asks for it.
• Where it goes: The person or company that asked for it — not the IRS.
• It holds your SSN or EIN: exactly why it is worth filling in without uploading it anywhere.

How to fill it in with PDFPane

1. Click Open Form W-9 in PDFPane. The official blank opens with every fillable box highlighted.
2. Click the first box and press Tab to go through them in order. Tick boxes with a click.
3. Need a signature? Pick Sign, then draw it, type it or use a photo, and place it on the line. Date adds today's date.
4. Click Download. You get a new PDF with everything filled in. Free: 3 downloads a month with a Google sign-in.

Which edition this is

This is the March 2024 revision of Form W-9, marked "Rev. March 2024". The W-9 carries a revision date, not a tax year, and the IRS's Form W-9 page lists this revision as the current one. New in it:

• line 3a says how a disregarded entity fills it in: an LLC that is a disregarded entity ticks the box for its owner's tax classification;
• a new line 3b, for partnerships, trusts and estates that have foreign partners, owners or beneficiaries and give the form to a partnership, trust or estate they own an interest in.

Who fills in a W-9, and why

• Someone who must file an information return with the IRS asks you for it, to get your correct taxpayer identification number (TIN). Examples the form gives: Forms 1099-NEC, 1099-MISC, 1099-INT, 1099-DIV, 1099-K and 1098.
• The form is only for a U.S. person, including a resident alien. A foreign person gives the requester a Form W-8 instead, such as Form W-8BEN, or Form 8233.
• For an individual the TIN is generally the Social Security number. A sole proprietor with an EIN may give either. A resident alien who has no SSN and cannot get one gives an ITIN. Other entities give their EIN.
• No TIN yet? The form says to apply for one (Form W-7 for an ITIN, Form SS-4 for an EIN), write "Applied For" in the TIN space, sign, date and hand it in.

What each line asks

1. Line 1 — Name (required). The name on your tax return. A sole proprietor, or the owner of a disregarded entity, puts the owner's name here and the business name on line 2.
2. Line 2 — Business name, a trade name or "doing business as" name, if there is one.
3. Line 3a — Federal tax classification. Exactly one of seven boxes: individual/sole proprietor, C corporation, S corporation, partnership, trust/estate, LLC (with the letter C, S or P), or other.
4. Line 3b — only for the partnerships, trusts and estates described above.
5. Line 4 — Exemptions. Codes for exempt payees and for FATCA reporting. The form says they apply to certain entities, not individuals, and that individuals, including sole proprietors, are generally not exempt from backup withholding.
6. Lines 5 and 6 — Address. Where the requester will mail your information returns, such as a 1099.
7. Line 7 — Account numbers (optional).
8. Part I — TIN. Your SSN or EIN. The form says it must match the name on line 1 to avoid backup withholding.
9. Part II — Certification. Signature and date. Signing certifies that the TIN is correct, that you are not subject to backup withholding, that you are a U.S. person and that any FATCA code is correct. If the IRS has told you that you are currently subject to backup withholding for not reporting all interest and dividends, the form says to cross out item 2.

Where it goes

• To the person or company that asked for it. The form says "Give form to the requester. Do not send to the IRS."
• The form sets no date of its own: you give it when the requester asks.
• Without a correct TIN, payers may have to withhold 24% of certain payments and send it to the IRS. This is backup withholding.
• Not giving a correct TIN can mean a $50 penalty for each failure, unless there was reasonable cause. A false statement with no reasonable basis that results in no backup withholding can mean a $500 penalty.
• If the name or TIN on the account changes, the form says you must give the requester a new W-9.

Questions

Is this the current W-9?

Yes. It is the IRS's own PDF, marked "Rev. March 2024", the revision its Form W-9 page lists as current. There is no separate W-9 for each year.

Can I fill out a W-9 online for free?

Yes. Open it in PDFPane, fill in the lines, sign and download it — 3 downloads a month are free with a Google sign-in. Or download the blank PDF (the IRS's, unchanged). There is also a step-by-step guide.

Do I have to sign it, and can I sign it electronically?

It depends on the payment. For pay to a nonemployee, rents and royalties, the form says you must give your correct TIN but need not sign, unless you were told you gave an incorrect TIN before. For interest, dividend and broker accounts opened after 1983, and for real estate transactions, you must sign. A requester may ask for a signature either way. In PDFPane you can draw, type or photograph your signature. If the requester wants ink, download the filled form, print it and sign by hand.

Is my Social Security number uploaded anywhere?

No. PDFPane fills in the PDF in Chrome on your computer. The form and your SSN or EIN never reach PDFPane's server or anyone else's.

Do I send the W-9 to the IRS?

No. It goes to the requester, who uses it to file information returns such as a 1099-NEC.

Should I fill in a W-9 or a W-8BEN?

The W-9 is for U.S. persons, including resident aliens. A nonresident alien individual gives the payer a Form W-8BEN. A foreign entity uses Form W-8BEN-E.

Open Form W-9 in PDFPane

This is the official PDF published by the IRS, see its page for the current edition and instructions. PDFPane is not affiliated with the IRS and does not give tax or legal advice.