W-9 Deadlines & Timing

When Should You Request a W-9?

The best practice is to request a W-9 before making any payment to a new vendor or contractor. This ensures you have the information needed for year-end 1099 reporting.

While there's no specific IRS deadline for collecting W-9s, waiting until year-end often leads to delays and compliance issues.

Key Tax Reporting Deadlines

• January 31 – 1099-NEC forms must be sent to contractors
• January 31 – 1099-NEC forms must be filed with IRS
• February 28 – 1099-MISC paper filing deadline (if applicable)
• March 31 – 1099-MISC electronic filing deadline (if applicable)

Collecting W-9s Throughout the Year

Smart accounts payable teams build W-9 collection into their vendor onboarding process:

• Request W-9 when adding new vendor to system
• Hold first payment until W-9 is received
• Verify W-9 information annually
• Update W-9 when vendor information changes

What If You Don't Have a W-9?

If you don't have a valid W-9 and need to issue a 1099, you may be required to implement backup withholding (currently 24% of payments).

Additionally, the IRS may assess penalties for filing 1099s with incorrect or missing taxpayer information.