Identify the payee
Capture the legal/payee name and business name consistently. Do not wait until year end to decide what your accounting system's nickname means.
Free onboarding workflow
Vendor & Payee W-9 Onboarding Checklist
Build the filing record when the payee relationship starts—not in the week before information returns are due.
Request tax information
Use Form W-9 or an acceptable substitute when appropriate. For foreign payees, review the applicable Form W-8 rules instead of forcing a W-9 workflow.
Protect the TIN
Store taxpayer identification information using your organization's security controls. Preserve leading zeros and prevent spreadsheet reformatting.
Track receipt and status
Record when the request was made, when information was received, whether the record is complete, and whether a follow-up is needed.
Classify the reporting path
Identify the likely payment/reporting category early so you can review the correct information-return instructions and data fields.
Pre-file clean
Before generating 1099 data, run local TIN/name cleanup, resolve missing records, and use IRS TIN Matching if the payer/form is eligible.
Avoid collecting more sensitive data than the workflow needs.
The downloadable tracker intentionally does not include a raw TIN column. Use it to manage workflow dates and status while keeping actual taxpayer identification information in the secure system you use for payee records.
Vendor onboarding FAQs
When should W-9 collection happen?
For many payer relationships, collecting the payee's tax information during onboarding is much easier than waiting until filing season. General reasonable-cause rules also start the initial TIN solicitation when the relationship is established.
Should I keep the original W-9 information separate from the 1099 spreadsheet?
Keep a controlled master payee record so name, TIN, address, classification and solicitation history can flow consistently into the filing file without repeated manual re-entry.
What should the tracker contain?
Useful fields include payee name, contact, relationship start date, W-9 request and receipt dates, TIN review status, expected information return, and solicitation notes. Avoid putting unnecessary sensitive TIN values into broadly shared trackers.
Can I use the downloadable tracker as legal proof?
The CSV is only an organizational template. Your documentation process and the current IRS requirements determine what records you need to retain.
Free tool → complete workflow
Move from a free check to the complete 1099ERICH workflow.
The free tools help diagnose individual filing problems. 1099ERICH is the $299 Windows desktop workflow for importing CSV or Excel data, validating records, printing recipient copies, and creating IRIS-ready CSV files.
Windows desktopCSV + Excel importRecipient copiesIRIS-ready CSV$299