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September 14, 2022
Question

I am typing a transcript that will come to $60, the law firm wants me to file a W9, I think it's ridiculous, and would rather not, what is your advice on this please?

  • September 14, 2022
  • 3 replies
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3 replies

fanfare
Employee
September 14, 2022

do you expect more work contracts from this law firm?

rjs
Employee
September 14, 2022

It's not ridiculous. The standard advice to anyone who hires a contractor is to get a W-9 before any work begins.

 

My advice to you is to give them the W-9. If I were the law firm I would insist on getting the W-9 before you started any work, and I certainly would not pay you anything until I got a W-9 from you. They don't want to worry about having a hard time getting a W-9 from you if you should happen to do more work for them and they end up paying you $600 or more for the year. Contractors are not always cooperative about providing a W-9 after they have been paid.

 

Employee
September 14, 2022

I would find it reasonable for a client to reject any independent contractor who would not provide them with a Form W-9.  In addition to providing the client with your TIN, Form W-9 also provides your certification that you are not subject to backup withholding, that you are a U.S citizen or U.S. person, and whether or not you are exempt from FACTA.

Carl11_2
Employee
September 14, 2022

It's perfectly normal for anyone hiring a contractor to ask for and require a W-9 before they will hire you, or pay you. If you are self-employed then you should provide them your business EIN. If your business does not have an EIN, there's no reason for not getting one for your business right now. It's absolutely free and takes less than 10 minutes on line starting at https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online