IRS Form W-9 Instructions
for 2026

Understanding Form W-9

Form W-9 collects four things: who the payee is, how the payee is taxed, whether any exemption applies, and the payee’s taxpayer identification number (TIN). Gather these first.

• Your legal name exactly as shown on your tax return
• Any business, trade, DBA, or disregarded entity name
• Your federal tax classification, including the LLC tax classification if applicable
• Any exempt payee code or FATCA exemption code that applies to you
• Your mailing address
• Your SSN, ITIN, or EIN, whichever matches the name on line 1

Who should use Form W-9?

Use Form W-9 only if you are a U.S. person, including a resident alien. For federal tax purposes, you are a U.S. person if you are:

• An individual who is a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien
• A partnership, corporation, company, or association created or organized in the United States or under U.S. law
• An estate, other than a foreign estate
• A domestic trust

In some cases, someone other than the account holder must provide the form:

If a requester gives you its own form that is substantially similar to Form W-9, you must use the requester’s form.

When Form W-9 is not the right form

Do not use Form W-9 if you are:

• A nonresident alien or foreign entity. Use the appropriate Form W-8 or Form 8233 instead.
• A disregarded entity with a foreign owner, even if the foreign owner has a U.S. TIN. The owner must use Form W-8.
• The U.S. branch of a foreign bank that has elected to be treated as a U.S. person.
• A qualified foreign pension fund, or a partnership wholly owned by one, treated as a nonforeign person for section 1445 withholding. Use Form W-8EXP instead.

Employees generally do not use Form W-9 for their wages. They give their employer Form W-4 and receive Form W-2.

What changed in Form W-9 for 2026

The IRS has released a June 2026 revision of Form W-9. The changes mainly affect digital asset brokers, but every requester should update their templates.

• New digital asset broker exemption. Part II adds a new certification item 5 that a U.S. digital asset broker can use to claim exemption from information reporting under Notice 2024-56. This lets one broker certify its exempt status to another.
• New exempt payee code 14. Line 4 adds code 14 for a U.S. digital asset broker that is an exempt recipient under the digital asset broker regulations. Registered investment advisers that are not otherwise exempt recipients cannot use it.
• Form 1099-DA added. Form 1099-DA, for digital asset transactions, now appears in the list of information returns that a requester may need your TIN for.
• Updated reporting threshold in the exemption chart. The backup withholding exemption chart now refers to payments over $2,000 required to be reported, reflecting the higher threshold for Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC.

The rest of the form, including Lines 1 to 7, Part I, and the first four certification items, is unchanged in structure.

How to fill out Form W-9 Form W-9: Line-by-line instructions

Line 1, Name of entity/individual

Enter the name shown on your income tax return. This line is required and cannot be left blank. What you enter depends on who you are:

For a joint account not maintained by a foreign financial institution, list first and circle the name of the person whose TIN you enter in Part I. If the account is with a foreign financial institution, each U.S. account holder must give a separate
Form W-9.

Line 2, Business name/disregarded entity name

Enter any business name, trade name, DBA name, or disregarded entity name, if it is different from Line 1. For a sole proprietor or single-member LLC, this is where the business name goes.

Line 3a, Federal tax classification

Check only one of the seven boxes to show the federal tax classification of the person or entity named on Line 1. This line is covered in detail in the tax classification section below.

Choosing the right box

Line 3b, Foreign partners, owners, or beneficiaries

Complete this checkbox only if all of these apply:

1. On Line 3a, you checked Partnership or Trust/estate, or checked LLC and entered P.
2. You are giving this form to a partnership, trust, or estate in which you have an
   ownership interest.
3. You have any foreign partners, owners, or beneficiaries.

You must check it if any of your partners, owners, or beneficiaries gave you a Form W-8 or documentary evidence of foreign status, or gave you a Form W-9 with Line 3b checked. A partnership that checks Line 3b may need to complete Schedules K-2 and K-3 (Form 1065).

Line 4, Exemptions

Enter an exempt payee code and a FATCA exemption code only if they apply to you. Most individuals and sole proprietors leave this line blank. See the exemption codes section below.

Exempt payee code

Exempt payee codes identify payees exempt from backup withholding. Enter one only if it describes you.

An exemption applies only to certain payments:

If you are a corporation, you are not exempt for payment card and third-party network transactions, attorneys’ fees, gross proceeds paid to attorneys, medical and health care payments reportable on Form 1099-MISC, or payments for services paid by a federal executive agency.

Exemption from FATCA reporting code

If you're submitting this form for an account held outside the United States by certain foreign financial institutions and are exempt from FATCA reporting, use the following codes. If you only submit this form for a U.S.-held account, leave this
field blank.

If you're unsure whether the financial institution is subject to these requirements, consult with the person requesting
this form.

Line 5, Address

Enter your number, street, and apartment or suite number. This is where the requester will mail your information returns, such as Form 1099. If the address is different from the one the requester already has, write NEW at the top of the form.

Line 6, City, state, and ZIP code

Enter your city, state, and ZIP code.

Line 7, Account number(s)

Optionally, list the account numbers the form applies to. The requester’s name and address box next to Lines 5 and 6 is
also optional.

Part I, Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN)

Enter the TIN that matches the name on Line 1. A mismatch between the name and TIN can trigger backup withholding.

If you do not have a TIN: Apply for one right away, using Form SS-5 for an SSN, Form W-7 for an ITIN, or Form SS-4 or IRS.gov/EIN for an EIN. Write Applied For in the TIN space, then sign, date, and return the form. For interest, dividends, and certain readily tradable instruments, you generally have 60 days to provide the TIN before backup withholding begins. For other payments, backup withholding applies until you
provide it.

Part II, Certification

By signing Part II, you certify under penalties of perjury that:

1. The TIN on the form is correct, or you are waiting for one to be issued.
2. You are not subject to backup withholding.
3. You are a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person.
4. Any FATCA exemption code you entered is correct.
5. Or, if applicable, you are exempt from information reporting as a U.S. digital asset broker.

If the IRS has notified you that you are currently subject to backup withholding for underreporting interest or dividends, cross out item 2
before signing.

Backup withholding, updates, and penalties

Backup withholding

A requester must withhold 24% of certain payments and send it to the IRS when:

1. You do not give the requester your TIN.
2. You do not certify your TIN when required.
3. The IRS tells the requester that your TIN is incorrect.
4. The IRS tells you that you are subject to backup withholding for underreporting interest and dividends.
5. You do not certify that you are not subject to backup withholding for interest and dividend accounts opened after 1983.

Payments that can be subject to backup withholding include interest, dividends, broker and barter transactions, rents, royalties, nonemployee pay, and payment card and third-party network transactions. Real estate transactions are not subject to backup withholding.

Resident aliens claiming treaty benefits

A resident alien relying on a tax treaty saving clause exception must attach a statement to Form W-9. It must show the treaty country, the treaty article addressing the income, the article containing the saving clause, the type and amount of exempt income, and enough facts to justify
the exemption.

When to give an updated Form W-9

Give the requester a new Form W-9 when:

• Your name or TIN changes, such as when the grantor of a grantor trust dies
• You are no longer an exempt payee and expect future reportable payments, such as when a C corporation elects S corporation status

Penalties

Common Form W-9 mistakes

• Entering a disregarded LLC’s name on Line 1. Line 1 must show the owner’s name. The LLC’s name goes on Line 2.
• Using a disregarded entity’s EIN. For a single-member LLC that is disregarded, enter the owner’s SSN or EIN in Part I.
• Checking the LLC box without a classification code. An LLC that is not disregarded must enter P, C, or S.
• Checking more than one box on Line 3a. Only one classification can apply.
• Entering an exempt payee code as an individual. Individuals and sole proprietors are generally not exempt from backup withholding.
• A name and TIN that do not match IRS records. This is a leading cause of TIN mismatch notices and backup withholding.
• Using an outdated revision. For the June 2026 revision, confirm your forms and portals include the new digital asset broker items.

Request and manage Form W-9 with TaxBandits

Collecting accurate W-9 information is the first step to filing accurate 1099s. With TaxBandits, requesters can:

1. Create a free account.
2. Send secure Form W-9 requests to vendors and contractors by email.
3. Let payees complete and e-sign the form online.
4. Validate names and TINs with TIN Matching before filing.
5. Use the collected information to e-file Forms 1099.

Frequently asked questions