Fill and sign a W-9 without uploading your SSN or TIN

A W-9 asks for your name, address and a taxpayer identification number, which for most freelancers is a Social Security number. You can fill it in on your own computer, so that number is never typed into a website. Here is what the IRS says to put on each line, who keeps the form, and some general ways to send it.

Updated October 2026 · 6 min read

Get the current form from the IRS

As of October 2026, the IRS About Form W-9 page lists the March 2024 revision as current and shows no recent developments. The PDF is marked "Rev. March 2024" on the first page. Download it from irs.gov rather than from a template site, so you know it is the real form and nobody has changed it. If your client sends their own request, the IRS instructions say a US person must use the requester's form if it is substantially similar to the W-9.

You give it to the requester, not the IRS

The top of the form says "Give form to the requester. Do not send to the IRS." The requester is whoever is paying you and has to report those payments to the IRS, such as a client who will issue you a Form 1099-NEC. They use your name and number for that report. The IRS page describes the form's purpose the same way: to give your correct TIN to the person who must file an information return.

The IRS instructions also say that if you do not give the requester a TIN, you might be subject to backup withholding, at 24% of certain payments. That is why clients usually ask for the form up front.

Which lines a typical freelancer fills

This assumes you are an individual or sole proprietor in the US, with no separate company. Everything below comes from the form's own instructions.

• Line 1 (name). Required. For a sole proprietor, the IRS says to enter your individual name as shown on your Form 1040.
• Line 2 (business name). Your business, trade or "doing business as" name, only if you have one and it differs.
• Line 3a (tax classification). Check one box. An individual or sole proprietor checks "Individual/sole proprietor." If you have an LLC, the classification depends on how it is taxed, so read the instructions for line 3a.
• Line 3b. This is for partnerships, trusts and estates with foreign partners, owners or beneficiaries. A freelancer sole proprietor generally leaves it blank.
• Line 4 (exemptions). The instructions say individuals, including sole proprietors, are generally not exempt from backup withholding, and that the codes apply only to certain entities. Most freelancers leave it blank.
• Lines 5 and 6 (address). Where the requester will mail your information returns. If it is a new address, the instructions say to write "NEW" at the top.
• Part I (TIN). Enter your SSN, or your EIN if you are a sole proprietor and have one. The instructions say a sole proprietor with an EIN may enter either. Use one box only. If you have no number yet, see "How to get a TIN" in the instructions.
• Part II (signature and date). See below.

Line 7 (account numbers) and the requester's name and address box are optional.

Do you have to sign it?

Often the client will want a signature, so do what they ask. But the IRS instructions for Part II say that for "other payments," which include payments to a nonemployee for services, you must give your correct TIN but do not have to sign the certification unless you have been notified that you previously gave an incorrect TIN. Other kinds of account, such as interest and dividend accounts opened after 1983, do require a signature. Whether a signature is needed depends on the payment type, so check the instructions if you are unsure.

If you do sign, you are certifying under penalties of perjury that the number is correct and that you are a US person. The form also lists penalties, including criminal penalties for willfully falsifying certifications, so read the four certification items before you sign.

On electronic signatures: the IRS requirements for a requester's own electronic system (see "Electronic Submission of Forms W-9" in the requester instructions) apply to that system, not to you. They are not a rule about a PDF you fill yourself. If a client's rules matter to you, ask the client what signature they accept.

Fill it without uploading anything

If one of the first three is already on your computer, use it. They are fine for this.

Using Penwise

Disclosure: we make Penwise.

Penwise is a Chrome extension (there is also a free web version) that fills PDFs in the browser. The file is never uploaded and there is no account. We downloaded the current IRS fw9.pdf in October 2026 and checked its structure: it has 23 form-field widgets, all on page 1 (15 text fields, 8 checkboxes), and none on pages 2 to 6. That covers lines 1 to 7 and the TIN boxes. It has no field for the signature or date, so you add those yourself.

1. Open the downloaded PDF in Penwise and type into the fields on page 1.
2. Add your signature (drawn, typed in a handwriting font, or an uploaded image) and today's date over the signature line, if you are signing.
3. Download the PDF, with no watermark. Open the saved file and check every entry before you send it.

That is a plain filled PDF with a signature image. Penwise has no audit trail, multi-party signing workflow or certificate-based digital signatures, so if a client requires those, use their system.

Sending it safely (general advice)

This part is general good practice, not an IRS rule. Your SSN is what identity thieves want.

• Prefer the client's secure portal if they have one. Many payroll and accounting systems collect W-9s directly.
• Avoid plain email. If you must email it, password-protect the PDF and send the password by a different channel, such as a text message or call.
• Check who is asking. Confirm the request comes from a real contact, by a phone number or address you already know. A request that arrives unexpectedly deserves a second look.
• Send only the form. A client does not need a copy of your ID or bank statements for a W-9.
• Delete stray copies from Downloads, your email's Sent folder and shared drives when you are done, but keep one in a safe place for your records.

Related reading: is it safe to upload PDFs online.

FAQ

Do I send Form W-9 to the IRS?

No. The form itself says "Give form to the requester. Do not send to the IRS." The requester is the business or person paying you, and they keep it.

Which revision of Form W-9 is current?

As of October 2026, the IRS lists the March 2024 revision (Rev. 3-2024) as current, with no recent developments listed.

Do I have to sign a W-9 as a freelancer?

The IRS instructions say that for payments to a nonemployee for services you must give your correct TIN, but generally do not have to sign the certification unless you have been notified that you previously gave an incorrect TIN. A requester may still ask you to sign, so follow what your client asks. This is not tax advice.

Can I fill the W-9 PDF on my computer?

Yes. The IRS PDF has fillable fields on page 1. We counted 23 form-field widgets on page 1 and none on the other five pages. There is no field for the signature or date, so those need to be added as text or a signature. We filled the current form in Penwise and the entries were saved into the downloaded file.

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