General Instructions
Section references are to the Internal Revenue Code unless otherwise noted.
Future developments. The IRS has created a page on IRS.gov for information about Form W-9, at www.irs.gov/w9. Information about any future developments
affecting Form W-9 (such as legislation enacted after we release it) will be posted
on that page.
Purpose of Form
A person who is required to file an information return with the IRS must obtain your
correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) to report, for example, income paid to
you, payments made to you in settlement of payment card and third party network
transactions, real estate transactions, mortgage interest you paid, acquisition or
abandonment of secured property, cancellation of debt, or contributions you made
to an IRA.
Use Form W-9 only if you are a U.S. person (including a resident alien), to
provide your correct TIN to the person requesting it (the requester) and, when
applicable, to:
1. Certify that the TIN you are giving is correct (or you are waiting for a number
to be issued),
2. Certify that you are not subject to backup withholding, or
3. Claim exemption from backup withholding if you are a U.S. exempt payee. If applicable, you are also certifying that as a U.S. person, your allocable share of
any partnership income from a U.S. trade or business is not subject to the
withholding tax on foreign partners' share of effectively connected income, and
4. Certify that FATCA code(s) entered on this form (if any) indicating that you are
exempt from the FATCA reporting, is correct.
Note. If you are a U.S. person and a requester gives you a form other than Form
W-9 to request your TIN, you must use the requester¡¯s form if it is substantially
similar to this Form W-9.
Definition of a U.S. person. For federal tax purposes, you are considered a U.S. person if you are:
● An individual who is a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien,
● A partnership, corporation, company, or association created or organized in
the United States or under the laws of the United States,
● An estate (other than a foreign estate), or
● A domestic trust (as defined in Regulations section 301.7701-7).
Special rules for partnerships. Partnerships that conduct a trade or business in the United States are generally required to pay a withholding tax under section
1446 on any foreign partners¡¯ share of effectively connected taxable income from
such business. Further, in certain cases where a Form W-9 has not been received,
the rules under section 1446 require a partnership to presume that a partner is a
foreign person, and pay the section 1446 withholding tax. Therefore, if you are a
U.S. person that is a partner in a partnership conducting a trade or business in the
United States, provide Form W-9 to the partnership to establish your U.S. status
and avoid section 1446 withholding on your share of partnership income.