Accountio / Templates / 1099 season / W-9 request letter

W9 request letter template for vendors

Get each vendor's legal name, tax classification and taxpayer ID before the 1099 deadline, without chasing in January. This W9 request letter template is one Word letter your business clients send on their own letterhead.

US firms
Free
In the pack
1099 season pack
Files
4, Word and Excel

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What the letter looks like

W-9 request letter template
What the letter asks forSection in the letter
Why the form is needed
✓
Request for your Form W-9It confirms the vendor's legal name, tax classification and taxpayer identification number
The right version of the form
✓
Request for your Form W-9Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024), with where to get it on the IRS website
A return date
✓
Request for your Form W-9The date you need it back, filled in by your client
How to send it back safely
✓
Request for your Form W-9Two versions: a secure portal or post, with a line asking vendors not to use ordinary email
What happens without a valid taxpayer ID
✓
Request for your Form W-9Backup withholding of 24% from future payments, paid to the IRS
Who to contact with questions
✓
Closing paragraphName, phone number and email address

When to send it

A business that pays a vendor for services usually needs that vendor's taxpayer ID to file Form 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC. For payments made in 2026, the main threshold is $2,000, up from $600, and forms are due to the IRS and to vendors by January 31.

  • Before the first payment to a new vendor or contractor
  • In the autumn, for every vendor paid $2,000 or more this year with no W-9 on file
  • When a vendor's name, business type or taxpayer ID has changed
  • When the IRS sends a notice that a name and taxpayer ID don't match

How to use the W9 request letter template

  1. Put it on your client's letterhead. The letter comes from the business that pays the vendor, not from your firm.
  2. Fill in the vendor and the date. Give a return date well before January, so there is time to chase.
  3. Choose how the form comes back. Keep the portal line or the post line and delete the other. Both keep the taxpayer ID out of ordinary email.
  4. Add a contact. Name the person at the business who can answer questions.
  5. Track the replies. Mark each W-9 as received in the pack's vendor 1099 tracker, which flags the vendors still missing one.

Questions

How do you request a W-9 from a vendor?

Send a short letter or email asking the vendor to complete and sign the current Form W-9, with a date to return it and a secure way to send it. The form is on the IRS website. Ask before the first payment if you can.

Why would someone request a W-9?

A business that must file an information return, such as Form 1099-NEC, needs the payee's correct name and taxpayer identification number. The W-9 is how the payee gives them.

What happens if a vendor won't provide a W-9?

If a vendor doesn't give a correct taxpayer ID, the payer may have to apply backup withholding at 24% to future reportable payments and send it to the IRS.

Is the W-9 sent to the IRS?

No. The business that asked for it keeps the completed W-9 in its records and uses the details on the 1099 it files.

Can a W-9 be sent by email?

The IRS lets businesses accept W-9s electronically through a system that confirms who is sending it and takes an electronic signature. Ordinary email exposes the taxpayer ID, so the letter asks vendors to use a secure portal or post.

Also in the 1099 season pack

Vendor 1099 trackerYear-end client letterQuick reference

See the whole pack →

Who it's for

Tax practices and bookkeepers who help small business clients get their 1099s right.

Last checked

Checked against IRS guidance on Form W-9, backup withholding and the 2026 Form 1099-NEC instructions in November 2026.