How to sign a W-9 form online

What is the Form W-9 and why is it used?

Information on the W-9 form comes from IRS tax form 1099-Misc which details income paid to an individual in the United States which would otherwise be recorded on the IRS W-2 form used for hired employees. Unlike freelancers, hired employees have income taxes deducted from each paycheck received from their employer.

The W-9 form indicates to the IRS that the taxpayer is a freelancer or contractor. Contractors are not subject to backup withholding thereby making each individual contractor responsible for paying their individual taxes separate from their employer when filing their annual income tax return.

Independent contractors and W-9 form

Hiring an independent contractor is a great opportunity for sole proprietors, limited liability companies, and other small business organizations to bring on talented labor without the associated risks and commitment of hiring full-time employees.

Individuals who wish to be hired as independent contractors are required to complete and sign the employer’s W-9 form. Employers in the United States use Form W-9 to request a contractor’s taxpayer ID number (Social Security Number or Employer ID). A Social Security number can serve as a tax identification number for an individual, while an Employer Identification Number (EIN), or Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN), identifies a business entity.

Candidates are required to complete and sign the form before new employers are legally permitted to pay the contractor for their services per the arrangements of their employment contract.

The W-9 requires contractors to fill in their personal details, such as their full name as it appears on tax documents, mailing address, and business names under which they operate. Because the W-9 is a government tax document, it also calls for the contractor’s social security number. Completed and signed W-9 forms are then given to employers, who include relevant wage information and other data before sending them to the Internal Revenue Service at the close of the fiscal year.

The standard W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification IRS form can be found on the United States Department of Treasury website.

PandaDoc users can easily sign their W-9 or any other documents within their PandaDoc account. To sign your W-9 online, create a PandaDoc account and follow our guide. Using the IRS Form W-9 below, the six steps below will walk you through the uploading and signing of your W-9. Keep in mind, any document you use with PandaDoc will follow the same process as the W-9 form, it’s that simple.

For your reference, here is a sample of a blank W-9 form:

The W-9 form is standard for contract workers, freelance personnel, and workers in the on-demand industry, all of whom are required to complete and sign the form as a part of onboarding. These forms are a vital part of working on a contract basis, and understanding how to fill them out online will reduce the hassle of onboarding and save you and your new employer a tremendous amount of time.

Let’s walk through the steps of how to fill these forms out electronically.

Step 1. Download a blank W-9 and save it to your device

Most employers will provide you with a blank W-9 as a part of standard onboarding. Visit the IRS website to download a free W-9 Form from IRS website if you haven’t received your form.

Step 2. Upload the blank W-9 to your PandaDoc dashboard

You will need to upload a blank W-9 document to your PandaDoc account to begin filling it out online. If you don’t already have one, create a PandaDoc account to upload your W-9 and get started.

Once you’ve signed into your PandaDoc account, click the green New Document button in the upper right-hand corner of your browser.  Select “UPLOAD” to save your blank W-9 to your account. You may drop your blank W-9 form into the designated space of your browser window, or locate the file on your computer and upload your form.

PandaDoc allows you to connect your Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, or OneDrive accounts to upload your blank W-9 document.

You will be prompted from your PandaDoc dashboard to indicate which files to transfer from one of these document sources. Follow the prompts to connect your preferred document source and upload your W-9 document.

Note: PandaDoc will only access the documents you choose to upload to your PandaDoc account.

Step 3. Use the “FIELDS” pane on the right side of the browser window to fill out your W-9

After you have uploaded the blank W-9 form, you can quickly fill out the document with the tools provided in the “FIELDS” pane to the right on your browser window.

The tools found here are designed and organized to allow you to quickly input the required personal information for any standard forms like the W-9. These fillable fields include formatting options text and electronic signature fields as well as checkboxes, etc.

Because the W-9 requires information to be provided in different formats as you fill out the document, PandaDoc is designed to accommodate each detail. Simply click and drag the selected where need it for the field you are on. No need to worry if you drop a tool incorrectly on the form, you can move anything you add to a document by dragging it to the desired location.

• Text fields – Enter information such as your name, your mailing address, your social security number, and any business names which you intend to use for tax purposes, etc.

Note: You can drag the white circles in the corner of the text box to adjust the size of the text field.

• Check marks – Drag check marks onto the W-9 where applicable. Use this tool to select what kind of federal tax classification you use for your contract work (individual/sole-proprietorship, C corporation, limited liability corporation, etc.).

These tools guide you through filling out your W-9 quickly and easily.

Step 4. How to sign your W-9 form online

The final step in filling out a W-9 online is signing the W-9 form. PandaDoc’s signature tool allows you to create a legally binding signature which you can type, upload, or draw. Upload your W-9 signature from an image file on your device or sign your W-9 with a finger using your touch screen or mouse. Drag the “SIGNATURE” tool onto your document and double-click in the box it creates to select the signature type you prefer.

When you are satisfied with your signature as it appears on your screen, click the green “ACCEPT AND SIGN” button.

To populate the date field next to the signature on your W-9, drag the “DATE” tool onto your document, then double-click within the field to select the date of signature from the calendar. The pop-up calendar will always open on the current month.

Step 5. Complete and submit your finished W-9

You still need to submit a completed and signed W-9 to your new employer in order to be paid. Click the green “COMPLETE” button on the right side of your browser window.

PandaDoc will verify that you have finished the W-9, then let you choose where to download the completed form W-9 directly to your computer so that you can send it to your new employer.

Alternatively, you can send your completed and signed form W-9 to your employer directly through PandaDoc. On the right of your browser window, locate the “Recipients” button which for adding entities to which you’ll send your signed W-9. Add a recipient by clicking in the text field at the top of the “Recipients” pane and then clicking “Add new contact.” You will be prompted to enter their name and email address. Once you input their information, click the green “ADD” button to add the record and automatically submit the form to your recipient.

Anyone added to the recipient’s list of your document automatically receives the form to his or her email; there is no further action needed.

You’re finished! Ready to get your W-9 signed so you can be paid?

To start getting paid as a contract worker, create a PandaDoc account, then complete and sign your W-9 tax form online. Employing contractors? Sign in to your PandaDoc account to have online W-9 forms prepared for your independent contractors. Let’s get to work!

PandaDoc gets your important business documents signed faster. End-to-end integration with 3rd-party apps and detailed document analytics means convenient and accurately documented information accessible whenever you need it.