Fillable W-9: how to fill it out and sign it online

The W-9 at a glance

Form	Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification, revision March 2024
Who fills it in	A U.S. citizen or resident alien, or a U.S. partnership, corporation, company, association, estate or trust
Who gets it	The business or person who asked for it, called the requester. Not the IRS.
Deadline	None printed on the form.
Signature	Sign and date Part II. For some payments the IRS doesn’t require a signature, but the requester may still ask for one.
Cost	Free from the IRS. $1.99 to fill in here, charged only when you download.
Official PDF	irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf

Where do you get the current W-9?

Download Form W-9 from the IRS at irs.gov/FormW9. As of November 12, 2026, the IRS lists the March 2024 revision as current. The revision date is printed under the form number in the top left corner, as “Rev. March 2024”.

If a business sends you its own version of the form, the IRS says you must use it if it is substantially similar to the W-9.

When you open the IRS’s W-9 here, you’ll see its fillable boxes in pale blue. The steps are the same as when you fill out any PDF form.

How to fill out a W-9 here

1. Open the W-9 with the button above. It opens in your browser, and the PDF is never uploaded.
2. Place the $1.99 hold when you’re ready to type. Nothing is charged until you download, and the hold is released if you don’t download within 24 hours.
3. On line 1, type your name, generally as shown on your income tax return. A sole proprietor types their own name here, not the business name.
4. On line 2, type a business, trade or “doing business as” name if you have one. Otherwise leave line 2 blank.
5. On line 3a, tick one box for your federal tax classification. If you’re paid as an individual or a sole proprietor, tick “Individual/sole proprietor”.
6. An LLC ticks “LLC” and types C, S or P in the one-letter box. A disregarded LLC ticks its owner’s classification instead.
7. Individuals leave lines 3b and 4 blank. Line 3b is for some partnerships, trusts and estates with foreign partners, owners or beneficiaries. Individuals are generally not exempt on line 4.
8. On lines 5 and 6, type your street address, then your city, state and ZIP code. The requester mails your information returns there. Line 7, for account numbers, is optional.
9. In Part I, type your Social Security number in the three boxes under “Social security number”. Or type your EIN in the two boxes under “Employer identification number”.
10. If the IRS told you that you’re currently subject to backup withholding for unreported interest or dividends, choose Draw and draw a line through item 2 in Part II.
11. In Part II, choose Sign, make your signature and click the line next to “Signature of U.S. person”. Then choose Date and click next to “Date”.
12. Press Download. We charge the $1.99, and your browser saves the signed W-9.

Which number goes in Part I?

The number in Part I must match the name on line 1, or payments to you can face backup withholding.

If the payee is	Put in Part I
An individual	Your Social Security number, or your ITIN if you can’t get one
A sole proprietor with an EIN	Your Social Security number or your EIN. The IRS encourages the Social Security number.
A single-member LLC that is a disregarded entity	The owner’s number, with the owner’s name on line 1 and the LLC’s name on line 2
A partnership or multi-member LLC	The partnership’s EIN
A corporation, or an LLC taxed as one	The corporation’s EIN

Can you sign a W-9 electronically?

You can sign a W-9 electronically in some cases. The IRS lets a requester set up a system for payees to submit Forms W-9 electronically, including by fax. Generally, that system has to make reasonably certain that the person submitting the form is the person named on it. When the W-9 has to be signed, the system also has to end with an electronic signature made under penalties of perjury.

An emailed W-9 PDF with a picture of your signature is different. Under the regulation, a payor can’t rely on a W-9 that isn’t signed and dated when a signature is required. Ask the business which kind of signature it accepts.

If the business has its own online form or upload page, use it. If it asked for a signed PDF, you can sign the PDF here. We place a picture of your signature on the line, with no identity check or audit trail. For US law on electronic signatures, read are electronic signatures legal in the US.

What happens if you don’t return a W-9?

The payer may have to hold back 24% of certain payments to you and pay it to the IRS. The IRS calls this backup withholding. It applies when you don’t give the requester your number, or when the IRS tells the requester your number is wrong, among other cases.

If you fail to give a requester your correct number, the penalty is $50 for each failure, unless you had reasonable cause and not willful neglect. A false statement with no reasonable basis that avoids backup withholding carries a $500 penalty.

Where does the W-9 go after you sign it?

Give the signed W-9 to the requester, and keep a copy.

You type your Social Security number or EIN on the W-9, so use a secure upload page over plain email when one is offered. The IRS says it doesn’t start contact with taxpayers by email. If you get an unexpected email requesting your W-9, check who sent it before you reply.

To make your typed answers part of the page, so they can’t be retyped in the form boxes, tick “Lock the form’s answers” when you download. On a Mac, the built-in Preview app can also fill in and sign a fillable PDF like the W-9.