How to Fill Out a W-9 Form Online: Line by Line and Sign

To fill out a W-9 online, download the current fillable PDF from IRS.gov, type your name, tax classification, address, and Taxpayer Identification Number into the form, sign it electronically, and return it to whoever asked for it. The whole thing takes about five minutes. One point that trips people up: the W-9 never goes to the IRS. It stays with the business or person who requested it, and they use it to prepare information returns like a 1099.

Get the Current Form

Download Form W-9 directly from IRS.gov. It’s a fillable PDF, so you can type into it before signing and saving.¹ Skip third-party sites that charge for a form the IRS provides free. If the requester sent you a copy through email or a secure portal, that’s fine too, as long as it’s the current revision.

The IRS released a revised W-9 in January 2026. Two changes matter. Sole proprietors must now furnish their Social Security Number rather than an EIN, and single-member LLCs that are disregarded entities must furnish the owner’s TIN, not the entity’s EIN. The form also adds a checkbox in Part II for U.S. digital asset brokers certifying exempt-recipient status.² If neither situation applies to you, the form works the same as it always has.

Fill Out the Form Line by Line

Line 1: Your Name

Enter your legal name exactly as it appears on your federal income tax return. For most individuals, that’s your first and last name. If you’re a single-member LLC treated as a disregarded entity, put the owner’s name here, not the LLC’s name.³

Line 2: Business Name or DBA

Use Line 2 for a business name, trade name, or DBA if it’s different from Line 1. Single-member LLCs put the LLC name here. Anyone doing business under a trade name uses this line too. Leave it blank if it doesn’t apply.

Line 3: Federal Tax Classification

Check the box that matches how you’re classified for federal tax purposes: individual/sole proprietor, C corporation, S corporation, partnership, trust/estate, or LLC. This is where LLCs stumble. If your LLC has one member and hasn’t elected corporate treatment, it’s a disregarded entity. Don’t check the LLC box. Check the box that matches the owner’s classification, which for most people is individual/sole proprietor.³

Multi-member LLCs check the LLC box and enter a letter code: C for C corporation, S for S corporation, or P for partnership. If you filed Form 8832 or Form 2553 to elect corporate treatment, use the classification you elected.

Line 4: Exemptions

Most individuals leave Line 4 blank. The exempt payee codes and FATCA exemption codes apply to entities like corporations, government agencies, tax-exempt organizations, and financial institutions.³ Freelancers and independent contractors skip this line.

Lines 5, 6, and 7: Address and Account Number

Enter your full mailing address on Lines 5 and 6: street, city, state, and ZIP code. Use the address that matches your tax return. Line 7 is optional and only matters if the requester uses an account number to identify you.

Part I: Your Taxpayer Identification Number

Your TIN is either your Social Security Number or your Employer Identification Number. Individuals and sole proprietors generally use their SSN. Under the 2026 revision, sole proprietors must use their SSN even if they have a business EIN.² Corporations, partnerships, and multi-member LLCs use their EIN.

If you’re not eligible for a Social Security Number but need a U.S. taxpayer identification number for federal tax purposes, you’d use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).⁴ A quick boundary: if you’re a foreign person who is not a U.S. citizen or resident alien, you likely shouldn’t be filling out a W-9 at all. The correct form is Form W-8BEN.⁵

Read Part II Before You Sign

When you sign the W-9, you’re making four statements under penalty of perjury. It’s short, so read it. You’re certifying that your TIN is correct (or that you’ve applied for one), that you’re not subject to backup withholding, that you’re a U.S. person, and that any FATCA exemption code you entered is correct.

If the IRS has previously notified you that you’re subject to backup withholding for underreporting interest or dividends, you must cross out item 2 before signing.³ Signing without crossing it out could be treated as a false certification.

Sign the Form Electronically

An electronic signature on a W-9 carries the same legal weight as an ink signature. Under the federal ESIGN Act, a signature cannot be denied legal effect solely because it’s electronic.⁶ The IRS has accepted electronic W-9s for over two decades, provided the system verifies the signer’s identity, preserves the signed record so it can’t be altered afterward, and can produce a hard copy if requested.⁷

You have a few practical options:

A free PDF editor. Adobe Acrobat Reader’s Fill & Sign tool lets you type your name, draw a signature with a mouse or trackpad, or upload an image of your handwritten signature.
An e-signature platform such as DocuSign or HelloSign. Upload the W-9, place your signature, and send the completed form to the requester in one flow.
The requester’s own portal. Many companies that collect W-9s have secure portals with built-in e-signature tools. The form is pre-loaded and submission happens automatically, which is usually the easiest route.

Whatever method you use, the signature has to be attached to the specific document and traceable back to you. A typed name in the signature field of a fillable PDF meets that bar for most requesters.

Send It to the Requester Safely

Your W-9 contains your Social Security Number or EIN, so handle it like the sensitive document it is.⁸ The most secure method is uploading through the requester’s online portal, which encrypts the data in transit. If you’re emailing the form instead, password-protect the PDF and send the password separately by text or phone.

Keep a copy of every W-9 you submit, along with a record of who you sent it to and when. You don’t need to send a new one each year unless your information changes or the requester asks for an updated version.

Confirm the Request Is Real

A completed W-9 is a prime target for identity theft. Before filling one out, verify the request is legitimate. A real W-9 request comes from a company or person who is about to pay you or has already paid you. An unexpected request from someone you don’t have a business relationship with is a red flag.

The IRS never initiates contact by email, text, or social media to request personal or financial information.⁸ Any email claiming to be from the IRS asking for a W-9 is a phishing attempt. Forward it to phishing@irs.gov and delete it. Even when a request looks like it’s from a known client, pick up the phone and confirm directly if anything feels off. A two-minute call beats months of dealing with stolen-identity fallout.

What Happens If You Refuse or Lie

Ignoring a W-9 request has an immediate cost. The payer is required to withhold 24% of your payments and send that money to the IRS as backup withholding. You’d get it back as a credit when you file your tax return, but in the meantime you’re short nearly a quarter of every check.⁹ The IRS can also impose a $50 penalty for each failure to furnish a TIN when requested, up to $100,000 in a calendar year.¹⁰

Providing a false TIN or lying on the Part II certification is much more serious. Because you sign under penalty of perjury, knowingly making a false statement on a W-9 is a felony. The maximum penalty is a $100,000 fine ($500,000 for a corporation), up to three years in prison, or both.¹¹ Prosecutions for a bad W-9 alone are rare, but the risk grows when the false information is part of a broader pattern of tax evasion.

1
Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
2
Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. January 2026)
3
Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
4
Internal Revenue Service. Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN)
5
Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-8 BEN, Certificate of Foreign Status of Beneficial Owner for United States Tax Withholding and Reporting
6
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 15 U.S. Code 7001 – General Rule of Validity
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Internal Revenue Service. 10.10.1 IRS Electronic Signature (e-Signature) Program
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Internal Revenue Service. Identity Theft Information for Businesses
9
Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (2026), (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide
10
Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 6723 – Failure to Comply With Other Information Reporting Requirements
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 7206 – Fraud and False Statements