The Computershare stock sale form is a paper request that tells Computershare, acting as transfer agent, to sell shares registered directly in your name. You can download it from the Investor Center portal under the printable forms section for your specific company, or call shareholder services at 1-888-552-8493 to have one mailed to you. Most individual shareholders can sell online without any paperwork, so reach for the paper form only when the online portal blocks your transaction or your account type requires written instructions. Completed forms go to Computershare’s processing center in Providence, Rhode Island by mail, or to Canton, Massachusetts by courier.
When the Paper Form Is Actually Required
Investor Center handles routine sales for individually registered accounts, and if you can sell online you should. The paper form becomes necessary when the system won’t let you proceed. Trusts, estates, corporations, and other entity accounts generally need written sale instructions with supporting legal documents. Joint accounts where one holder has died, accounts flagged for address discrepancies, and registrations that no longer match your legal name also push you to paper.
Sales large enough to trigger a Medallion Signature Guarantee requirement are another common trigger. If the online portal returns an error directing you to submit a written request, the form is your only option. Some shareholders also prefer paper for a documented trail on a large liquidation, which is a reasonable choice on its own.
What to Gather Before You Start
Collect everything before you pick up a pen. Restarting because of a missing detail is the single most common source of delay.
- Holder Account Number from your Computershare statement, usually starting with a “C” or “I” prefix.
- Your Social Security Number or TIN. Computershare reports proceeds on Form 1099-B, and without a valid taxpayer identification number on file, they must withhold 24% as backup withholding.1Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 307, Backup Withholding
- The exact security name and CUSIP from your most recent statement. Shares in more than one company require a separate form for each.
- Your most recent statement, so you can confirm your name, address, and share balance match Computershare’s records. Any mismatch bounces the form back.
Medallion Signature Guarantee
A Medallion Signature Guarantee is a stamp from a qualified financial institution that verifies your identity and protects against forged sale requests. Computershare requires one when the total account value is $10,000 or more.2Computershare. What Is a Medallion Guarantee? Accounts below that threshold held by U.S. residents may qualify for an exemption, but Computershare can still require the stamp on any transaction it treats as higher risk.
Banks, broker-dealers, and credit unions are the usual places to get a Medallion stamp.3eCFR. 17 CFR 240.17Ad-15 – Signature Guarantees Many banks provide it free to existing customers; non-customers may pay up to $100. Call ahead, because not every branch keeps a Medallion stamp on site, and the institution may require that you hold an account there. A notary seal is not a substitute. Computershare rejects notarized forms that lack a Medallion guarantee.4Computershare. Stock Transfer Instructions and Forms
If You’re Selling for an Estate or Trust
Selling shares from a deceased shareholder’s account typically requires a certified copy of the death certificate, letters testamentary or letters of administration from the probate court, and an Affidavit of Domicile. Trust accounts generally need the pages of the trust agreement showing the trustee’s authority to sell. Missing any one of these stalls the entire request.
Filling Out the Form
Print clearly in black ink. Computershare reviews these forms by hand, and illegible entries cause the same delays as missing information.
Number of Shares
Say whether you’re selling your entire position or a specific number. For a partial sale, write the exact share count, including fractional shares if applicable. A blank field or vague wording like “some” gets the form returned.
Sale Type
Computershare offers four sale types, and your choice affects both price and fees.
- Batch order: grouped with other shareholders’ orders and executed at periodic intervals. You receive the weighted average price from the batch, minus a $15 service fee and $0.12 per share. Cheapest, but no control over timing or price.5Computershare. Notice of Plan Administrator Change
- Market order: executed as soon as Computershare’s broker receives the instruction during market hours, at the current price, minus a $25 service fee and $0.12 per share.
- Day limit order: you set a minimum price, and the sale only executes if the stock hits that price during a single trading day. Same $25 and $0.12 per share. Expires unfilled if the price isn’t reached.
- Good-til-cancelled limit order: like a day limit, but stays open across trading days. Computershare charges a separate $25 service fee for each trading day the order remains open, plus $0.12 per share when it executes.
For paper submissions, batch orders are the practical default. The form arrives days after you mail it, which makes real-time price control unrealistic anyway. A sale requested by phone through a representative adds another $15 on top of whichever fee applies. All fees come out of your proceeds, not a separate charge.
Cost Basis Method
Computershare defaults to First-In, First-Out on partial sales unless you say otherwise.6Computershare. Cost Basis and FATCA Information Under FIFO, your earliest-acquired shares are treated as the ones sold, which often means higher capital gains if the stock has appreciated.7Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions – Stocks (Options, Splits, Traders) If you want a different method, such as last-in, first-out or specific lot identification, mark that on the form. On a full-position sale the method only changes how gains are allocated across lots, not your total tax.
Signing
Your signature must match the registered name on the account exactly. No shortened versions, no maiden name on an account registered in your married name, no initials where the registration spells out your full middle name.4Computershare. Stock Transfer Instructions and Forms If the account lists multiple holders, every named holder signs. For an entity account, the authorized signer writes their capacity (trustee, executor, corporate officer) next to the signature.
Sign in front of the person giving you the Medallion stamp. The stamp has to sit directly over or next to your live signature. Signing earlier and bringing the form in for a stamp afterward can invalidate the document, and so can any correction fluid on the page. If the form is rejected for a signature issue, you need a new form and a new guarantee. The bank cannot simply re-stamp the old one.
Don’t skip the tax certification section. An unsigned W-9 area makes the submission invalid and triggers backup withholding on any proceeds.
Where to Send It
Computershare uses two addresses, depending on how you ship.8Computershare. Contact Us
- Standard mail: Computershare, P.O. Box 43006, Providence, RI 02940-3006.
- Courier or overnight (FedEx, UPS): Computershare, 150 Royall Street, Suite 101, Canton, MA 02021.
Couriers can’t deliver to a P.O. Box, so the Canton street address is mandatory for anything other than regular USPS mail. For a high-value transaction, a trackable method gives you proof of delivery and a timeline to follow up on. USPS Registered Mail carries insurance up to $50,000 and creates a chain-of-custody record, which is worth the extra cost on a large position.9United States Postal Service. Registered Mail The Basics
Photocopy the entire signed and stamped form before you seal the envelope. If anything goes wrong in transit or processing, that copy is your only proof of what you submitted.
After You Submit
Computershare reviews the form for completeness, verifies the Medallion guarantee, and checks that your signature matches the account registration. If something is missing or off, they contact you rather than processing a flawed request.4Computershare. Stock Transfer Instructions and Forms That review time sits on top of shipping, so a mistake on the form can easily push your sale out by a week or more.
Once the form clears, Computershare sends the instruction to its broker. Batch orders go at the next scheduled batch window; market orders execute during the next open session. Trades then settle one business day after the trade date under current SEC rules.10U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Shortening the Securities Transaction Settlement Cycle
Getting Paid
After settlement, Computershare takes out the service fee and per-share processing fee and sends you the net. If a bank account is linked to your Computershare profile, payment comes by electronic funds transfer, usually within a few business days of settlement. Without a linked account, Computershare mails a paper check to the address on file, which adds postal delivery time on top of processing.
Computershare generates a transaction confirmation showing trade date, execution price, shares sold, fees deducted, and net proceeds. Keep it. You’ll need those figures to report capital gains, and they should match the Form 1099-B that Computershare issues the following January.11Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1099-B – Proceeds From Broker and Barter Exchange Transactions
Common Reasons Forms Get Rejected
Most rejections trace back to a short list of preventable mistakes. Knowing them ahead of time saves you a second trip to the bank for a fresh Medallion stamp.
- Signature doesn’t match the registered name. Even a missing middle initial or a nickname can trigger a rejection.
- Notary seal instead of a Medallion guarantee. A notary cannot substitute, and the form will come back.
- Missing or unsigned tax certification. Computershare treats the submission as invalid and applies backup withholding.
- Incomplete estate or trust documentation. A missing death certificate, letters testamentary, or trust authorization page stops processing.
- Correction fluid or visible alterations. Any whiteout or cross-out can void the Medallion guarantee. Start fresh if you make a mistake.
When Computershare can’t process a form, they send a letter explaining what went wrong. Between that letter, fixing the issue, getting a new stamp, and resubmitting, you can easily add two to three weeks. The extra five minutes of double-checking before you mail is worth it.