Can a W-9 be signed electronically?

The IRS accepts electronic signatures on a W-9 where the requester’s system supports it; most companies collecting them accept a signed PDF. If your client has their own portal, use it.

Is it safe to fill in a W-9 in a browser?

In PDFpad the document never leaves your computer — it is opened and written in the browser, so the number is not uploaded anywhere. How you then send it is up to you.

Fill out IRS Form W-9 online

Form W-9, “Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification”, is the IRS form a US person fills in for a business or client that must report payments to them, such as on Form 1099-NEC. It gives your name, tax classification, address and taxpayer identification number (TIN). You give it to the requester, not the IRS.

A client cannot pay you until they have a W-9 on file, which is why it usually arrives attached to an email with "quick favour" in the subject line.

The blank form comes from the IRS. Fill it in here, sign it, and send the finished PDF straight back.

Open your copy of the form

We don't host anyone else's forms — open the PDF you were sent, or download a blank one from the issuer below. It opens in this browser and is not uploaded.

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Download Form W-9 from the IRS

Filling it in, section by section

Line 1 – Name of entity/individual: The form says “An entry is required”. Use the name on your tax return. If you changed your last name without telling the Social Security Administration, the instructions ask for your first name, the last name on your social security card, then your new last name.
Line 2 – Business name/disregarded entity name, if different from above: Your trading name, “doing business as” (DBA) name or the name of a single-owner LLC goes here. If you have no separate business name, leave it blank.
Line 3a – Federal tax classification: Tick one of the seven boxes: Individual/sole proprietor, C corporation, S corporation, Partnership, Trust/estate, LLC or Other. If you tick LLC, write C, S or P in the space beside it. A single-member LLC that is a disregarded entity ticks its owner’s box instead, which for most freelancers is Individual/sole proprietor.
Line 3b – Foreign partners, owners or beneficiaries: New in the March 2024 revision. It only applies if you ticked Partnership or Trust/estate (or LLC with “P”) and you are giving the form to a partnership, trust or estate you own part of. Individuals and sole proprietors leave it blank.
Line 4 – Exemptions: Two codes: “Exempt payee code” and “Exemption from Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act (FATCA) reporting code”. The IRS instructions say individuals, including sole proprietors, are generally not exempt from backup withholding, and the FATCA code can be left blank for an account held in the United States.
Lines 5 and 6 – Address, and City, state, and ZIP code: This is where the requester will post your information returns, such as a 1099. If it differs from the address they already hold, the instructions ask you to write “NEW” at the top of the form.
Line 7 and Requester’s name and address: Both are marked optional. Fill them in only if the requester asks, for example with an account number they gave you.
Part I – Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN): Enter either a Social security number or an Employer identification number, not both. A sole proprietor with an EIN may use either. A disregarded single-member LLC enters the owner’s SSN, or the owner’s EIN if they have one. If you have applied for a number but not received it, the instructions say to write “Applied For”.
Part II – Certification and Sign Here: Sign on the “Signature of U.S. person” line and add the date. If the IRS has told you that you are subject to backup withholding, you must cross out item 2 before signing. PDFpad lets you sign in the box and flatten the finished file, and the file stays on your device while you work.

Filling it in neatly

Download the current form from irs.gov — versions change, and an old revision can be rejected.
Your name on line 1 must match what the IRS has for your TIN; the business name goes on line 2.
Tick exactly one federal tax classification box.
A W-9 contains your taxpayer identification number: keep the filled copy somewhere sensible and send it by a route you trust.

Common mistakes

Putting your business name on line 1 as a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, when the instructions want the owner’s own name there and the business name on line 2.
Ticking “LLC” for a single-member LLC that is a disregarded entity, instead of the box for its owner’s classification.
Entering a disregarded LLC’s own EIN in Part I rather than the owner’s SSN or EIN.
Posting the completed form to the IRS: the form itself says “Give form to the requester. Do not send to the IRS.”
Filling in a W-9 when you are not a US person; the IRS instructions direct foreign persons to the appropriate Form W-8 instead.

Also searched as: W9, request for taxpayer identification number. This is a US form.

Questions

Can a W-9 be signed electronically?: The IRS accepts electronic signatures on a W-9 where the requester’s system supports it; most companies collecting them accept a signed PDF. If your client has their own portal, use it.
Is it safe to fill in a W-9 in a browser?: In PDFpad the document never leaves your computer — it is opened and written in the browser, so the number is not uploaded anywhere. How you then send it is up to you.