Filling out a W-9 for an S corp takes about five minutes once you have the corporation’s legal name and EIN in front of you. Enter the legal name on Line 1, check “S corporation” on Line 3a, leave Line 4 blank in most cases, put the corporation’s nine-digit EIN in Part I, and sign and date Part II. The completed form goes to the business that requested it, not to the IRS.
Use the current version of Form W-9, revised March 2024, downloaded from irs.gov.1Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification Older copies circulate online, and some clients will reject a form with an outdated revision date. Have your EIN confirmation letter handy and know the corporation’s legal name exactly as it appears on the entity’s tax return.
Line 1: Legal Name
Enter the exact legal name of the S corporation as shown on its tax return. Not the marketing name, not the website name, not an abbreviation. The IRS matches this against the EIN in Part I, and a mismatch generates automated name/TIN discrepancy notices that can hold up your payments while the payer tries to sort it out.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
Line 2: Business Name or DBA
If the corporation operates under a trade name or DBA that differs from the legal name on Line 1, put it here. If the two names are the same, leave Line 2 blank.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
Line 3a: Federal Tax Classification
Check the box labeled “S corporation.” You pick one of the seven classifications on Line 3a, and for a standalone S corp that’s the right one. Do not check “LLC,” even if your business began as an LLC before electing S corp treatment; that scenario has its own rule, covered below.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
Line 4: Exemptions
This is where S corps trip up most often. Line 4 has two fields: an exempt payee code and a FATCA exemption code. The form lists code “5” for corporations, but the instructions explicitly state that S corporations must not enter an exempt payee code, because the corporate exemption is limited to sales of noncovered securities acquired before 2012.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
Most S corps also leave the FATCA field blank. FATCA reporting applies to accounts at foreign financial institutions, and a standard domestic S corporation is a “specified U.S. person” that does not qualify for the exemption.3Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 Both fields blank is the normal outcome.
Lines 5 and 6: Address
Enter the street address, city, state, and ZIP where you want tax correspondence and any 1099 forms sent. Use the corporate address rather than a home address where you can. A 1099 mailed to the wrong place can mean you miss a reporting discrepancy until it turns into an IRS notice.
Part I: Taxpayer Identification Number
Enter the corporation’s nine-digit EIN. Corporations should always use the entity’s EIN rather than an owner’s Social Security number, even for a single-shareholder S corp.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024) Putting your SSN on a corporate W-9 blurs the line between you and the entity and can undermine the liability protection the corporate structure provides. If you have applied for an EIN but not yet received it, you can note that on the form, but expect the payer to withhold 24% of payments until you supply the number.
Part II: Certification and Signature
An authorized representative of the S corp signs and dates the form. By signing, you certify under penalties of perjury that the TIN is correct, that the corporation is not subject to backup withholding, that it is a U.S. person, and that any FATCA code entered is correct.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024) An unsigned form gets sent back, and the payer has grounds to withhold in the meantime. If the IRS has previously notified the corporation that it is subject to backup withholding, cross out item (2) before signing.
If Your Business Is an LLC That Elected S Corp Status
An LLC that filed Form 2553 to be taxed as an S corporation fills out Line 3a differently. Check the box labeled “Limited liability company” and enter “S” in the tax classification field to indicate S corporation treatment.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024) Do not check the separate “S corporation” box; that one is for entities incorporated as S corps from the start. The distinction matters because the payer’s accounting software reads the classification to determine reporting obligations. Everything else works the same: the LLC’s legal name on Line 1, EIN in Part I, signature in Part II.
Where to Send the Form
The completed W-9 goes directly to the requesting party. It is never filed with the IRS. Because it contains the corporation’s EIN and details, treat it as a sensitive document. A secure upload portal is best; password-protected email works; paper mail is fine but slower, and some accounting departments will not process payments until the W-9 is on file.
Electronic signatures are accepted. The IRS allows requesters to set up electronic submission systems, including fax, as long as the payee signs electronically under penalties of perjury and the perjury statement matches the language on the paper form.3Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 The DocuSign or portal link a client sends you is valid so long as that certification language appears before you sign. Keep a copy for the corporation’s own records.
When to Send an Updated W-9
Provide a new W-9 whenever the information on the original changes. The common triggers are a corporate name change, a new EIN after certain restructurings, or a change in tax classification (for example, a C corporation electing S corp status). If the corporation was previously exempt from backup withholding and that status changes, you are required to notify any payer you had claimed the exemption with.2Internal Revenue Service. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024)
There is no annual renewal requirement. If nothing has changed, the original form stays valid. If a long-standing client asks for a fresh one anyway, send it; the fight isn’t worth the delayed payment.
Why S Corps Still Get Asked for a W-9
In most cases, a business paying an S corporation is not required to issue a 1099-NEC. The IRS generally exempts payments to corporations, including S corps and LLCs taxed as S corps, from 1099 reporting.4Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC Payers still collect a W-9 because they need the tax classification on Line 3a to confirm that the exemption applies. A properly completed W-9 with “S corporation” checked is what tells them they can skip the 1099.
Some payments to a corporation are always reportable. Payments for legal services must be reported on a 1099-NEC regardless of corporate status, and payments by federal executive agencies must also be reported. On the 1099-MISC side, medical and health care payments and gross proceeds paid to attorneys are reportable even when the recipient is a corporation.4Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC If the S corp provides those services, expect 1099s.
Backup Withholding: The Reason Accuracy Matters
If you fail to provide a correct TIN, the payer must withhold 24% of every payment and remit it to the IRS.5Internal Revenue Service. Backup Withholding The corporation eventually gets credit for the withholding on its return, but the cash flow hit in the meantime is real. Most S corps avoid the whole issue by certifying non-exemption from backup withholding in Part II and providing a correct EIN. Check the EIN against the IRS confirmation letter before signing, and return the form promptly.