W-9 form is used by the employer to report about the earnings of an independent contractor to the IRS. Usually, self-employed workers have to fill out this document out in case if they earn $600 or more from each company they work with during a fiscal year. The blank can be filled out online or printed and filled out in handwriting. You can download printable and editable PDF from the Internet, it is absolutely free.
Where to send the blank after you fill it out
Independent contractors have to submit completed W-9 to the employer, not to the IRS. It’s an internal document and the company you work for will use it to report about your earnings.
Hand the completed document to your work-giver in person. This is the safest, yet not a very convenient method, especially if you work remotely all the time. But if possible, just fill in printed blank and give it to your boss. Don’t forget to make a copy for yourself.
Send the form by post. You can use the document provided by the company you work for or download PDF from IRS website and print it. Then fill it out and send by post. Don’t forget to contact the representatives of the company you work for to make sure that they’ve received your letter. It’s important, as you are the one responsible for submitting your W-9 to the employer.
How to send the completed blank
Submit it via email. Download the editable file and fill it in with your personal details. Then attach the file to the email letter and send it to your work-giver. But first, make sure that you send the letter with your W-9 attached to the correct requester’s address.
Important: always remember about safety and security while sending documents via the Internet. Neither the employer nor IRS can disclose personal information belonging to the taxpayers, but still, the hackers can steal your sensitive data and misuse it. Therefore it is highly recommended to use anti-virus software and update it regularly, do not download and install suspicious software, never use wi-fi connection in public places to send the documents. Make sure that your email provider, as well as the mailbox provider of your employer, use special encryption (TLS) to protect the data sent. These simple measures will help you to maintain cybersecurity on a high level.