Sign a W-9 form online

Why privacy matters for a W-9

A W-9 contains exactly the information used in identity theft: your legal name, address, and either your Social Security number or Employer Identification Number. Uploading a completed W-9 to a cloud signing service places that sensitive data on a third-party server — one that may retain it, expose it in a breach, or share it with partners.

Signing in the browser keeps the form on your own device from start to finish. Send it only to the business that requested it, ideally through a secure channel such as an encrypted email or a secure file portal. Never post a W-9 publicly, attach it to a message board reply, or share it more widely than the single requesting party.

Is an electronic signature valid on a W-9?

Yes. Under IRS Announcement 98-27, Form W-9 may be signed and submitted electronically. The IRS permits electronic signatures on W-9 as long as the signature process reliably identifies the person submitting the form, preserves the information as submitted, and allows the payer to produce a hard copy for the IRS upon request.

Acceptable forms of electronic signature include a typed name in a signature block, a scanned or digitized image of a handwritten signature, and handwritten input on a display screen using a stylus. Signing the W-9 PDF in DocSignHub — drawing or typing your signature — satisfies these requirements.

What Form W-9 is and who fills it out

Form W-9 (Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification) is an IRS form used by businesses to collect the tax identification information of contractors, freelancers, and vendors they pay. If a business pays you $600 or more in a calendar year for services, it will typically issue a 1099 form at tax time — and to do that, it needs your W-9 on file.

You fill out the W-9 and provide it to the requester; you do not file it with the IRS directly. The form captures your legal name, business name (if applicable), tax classification, address, and TIN, as well as your certification under penalties of perjury that the information is correct.

Filling in the W-9 before signing

Most W-9 requests need the form completed and signed. Enter your details in the form fields first — name, tax classification, address, and TIN — then add your signature and date before downloading. Always use the most current version of Form W-9; the March 2024 revision is the current version as of this writing. Use the version supplied by the requester or download directly from IRS.gov.

Double-check that your name and TIN match exactly what the IRS has on file for you. Mismatches can trigger backup withholding, where the payer is required to withhold a percentage of each payment and remit it to the IRS.

The perjury statement in Part II

When you sign a W-9, you are signing under penalties of perjury that the information you provided is correct — specifically that your TIN is correct, that you are not subject to backup withholding, and that you are a US person (or a US resident alien). The IRS requires that the electronic signature process for W-9 include this perjury statement language.

DocSignHub embeds your signature directly into the PDF form, preserving the perjury statement exactly as printed in the original form. The payer retains the signed PDF as their record.

How to securely deliver your W-9

Once signed, send the W-9 only to the business or individual that requested it. Preferred delivery methods include the requester's secure document portal (if they provide one), encrypted email (such as through a platform that supports message encryption), or a secure file transfer link.

Avoid sending a W-9 as an unencrypted email attachment if alternatives exist — standard email is not encrypted in transit between mail servers. If the requester offers a secure portal, use it. At minimum, be deliberate about who is on the recipient list before you send.

When you need to provide a new W-9

You may need to provide an updated W-9 if your name or tax identification number changes, if your address changes and the payer needs to update their records, or if the payer asks for a new form because the one on file is outdated. There is no set expiration for a W-9, but requesters may ask for a fresh form periodically. Always use the current version of the form when providing an update.