Sign your W-9 without uploading your SSN

A client, platform or bank has asked for a completed Form W-9. Open the PDF here, type into its fields, sign Part II and download it — the form and the taxpayer number on it are handled inside your browser, not on a server. Trying it is free; the signed download comes with a plan from €2.99 a month.

Your SSN stays on this deviceFills the IRS's own fieldsNo account needed to try

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Open the W-9, W-4, W-8BEN or direct deposit form you were sent, type into its fields and add your signature — the PDF and the SSN or bank details on it stay in this browser.

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Check your SSN or EIN before you sign

A wrong digit in Part I is the most common W-9 mistake. This checks the number's format against IRS and SSA rules — on this device only, nothing is sent or saved.

Type the 9 digits; dashes are optional.

A format check can't confirm the number is yours or matches IRS records — only that it could be a real number.

Not sure which box to tick on line 3a?

Single-member LLC, S corporation, trust or nonprofit: answer a few questions and see the box, the LLC letter, and what goes on lines 1, 2, 3b and 4. Free, and it runs only in your browser.

Open the line 3a picker →

Updated 28 September 2026 · Written by Joe Farwick, who runs this site

Who asks for a W-9, and what they do with it

Form W-9 is how a U.S. person gives their correct taxpayer identification number to someone who has to report a payment to the IRS. The requester keeps the form; it is never sent to the IRS. They use the name and number on it to file an information return — Form 1099-NEC for a contractor's fees, 1099-MISC for rents and royalties, 1099-INT for interest, 1099-B for broker sales, 1099-S for a real estate sale, among others.

So the usual senders are a new client you're about to invoice, a platform or marketplace that pays you, a bank or brokerage opening an account, or a company renting space from you. A request out of the blue from someone you don't do business with is a warning sign: a completed W-9 hands over your name, address and Social Security number, which is exactly what identity thieves want.

What to have ready before you start

The form itself: if the requester sent their own version, use it. The IRS says a U.S. person must use the requester's form when it is substantially similar to Form W-9. Otherwise download the current revision (March 2024) from irs.gov.

Your details: your name exactly as on your income tax return, any business or DBA name, your mailing address, and one taxpayer number — your SSN, your ITIN if you can't get an SSN, or an EIN. Sole proprietors may use either an SSN or an EIN. If you run an LLC, know how it is taxed, because that decides the box on line 3a; the picker above works it out in a few questions.

Line 4 exemption codes are for certain entities such as corporations and tax-exempt organizations. If you are an individual, you can ignore line 4.

Filling in and signing it here

Drag the PDF onto the drop area or tap it to pick a file — on a phone, that opens your Files or Downloads. The IRS W-9 is a fillable PDF, so its fields appear in a “Form Fields” list: type your name, tick the line 3a box and enter your number. For a scanned or printed-and-scanned form, click on the page instead and type where the text should go.

Next, make the signature: draw it with a mouse, trackpad or fingertip, or type it and choose from four handwriting styles. Click the Part II line labelled “Signature of U.S. person” to place it, drag or resize it until it sits on the line, and use Add Date for the date box. When everything looks right, download the signed copy. Filled-in fields are fixed into the page in the download, so they can't be changed by accident when the requester opens it.

What your signature certifies

Signing Part II is a statement under penalties of perjury: that the number is your correct TIN (or that you're waiting for one), that you aren't subject to backup withholding, that you're a U.S. citizen or other U.S. person, and that any FATCA code you entered is correct. If the IRS has told you that you're currently subject to backup withholding for underreporting interest or dividends, cross out item 2 before you sign.

For many payments — fees for services, rents, royalties — the IRS only requires your correct number, not your signature, unless you were told earlier that you'd given a wrong one. The form allows requesters to ask for a signature anyway, and signing and dating it saves a round trip.

After you send it

The requester reports what they pay you after the year ends. For payments made from January 1, 2026, the $600 threshold for most payments on Forms 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC rose to $2,000 per payee, and the IRS may adjust it for inflation from 2027. A smaller client may therefore never send you a 1099 — the income is still taxable and still belongs on your return.

If you don't give a requester your number, they may have to hold back 24% of later payments as backup withholding, and the IRS can charge a $50 penalty for each failure to furnish a correct TIN. You don't need to resend the form every year. Send a fresh W-9 when your name, number or tax classification changes; if only your address has changed, the instructions say to write “NEW” at the top of line 5.

Keep your signed copy somewhere private. It holds everything needed to impersonate you, so don't leave extra copies in shared folders or old email threads.

Sources

Your W-9 in three steps

Everything you fill in is on page 1 of the IRS form; pages 2 to 6 are instructions.

  1. 1

    Open the form

    Drop in the PDF the requester sent, or the current Form W-9 from irs.gov. It opens in this tab and isn't uploaded.

  2. 2

    Fill in lines 1–7 and Part I

    Type into the form fields: name, business name, the line 3a box, address and your SSN, ITIN or EIN.

  3. 3

    Sign and date Part II

    Create your signature, put it on the Part II line, add the date and download the signed PDF.

Questions about signing a W-9 here

Will the requester accept an electronically signed W-9?+

The IRS allows requesters to set up electronic W-9 submission, fax included, and whether a signed PDF is enough is their call. If they haven't said, ask; if they have their own portal or e-signature process, use that.

Is it safe to type my SSN into this page?+

The PDF and everything you type into it stay in your browser. Nothing is sent to this site's servers, so there's no copy here to leak. Protect the downloaded file the way you would a paper form.

Do I really have to sign the W-9?+

The IRS requires it for interest, dividend, broker and barter accounts opened after 1983, for real estate transactions, and after you've been told your number was wrong. For other payments it's optional under IRS rules, but the requester may still insist on it.

Does it work on an iPhone or Android phone?+

Yes. In Safari on an iPhone or Chrome on Android, pick the PDF from Files or Downloads and draw your signature with your finger. A larger screen makes placing the signature easier, but a phone is enough.

What does it cost to sign a W-9 here?+

Opening, filling in and signing a W-9 costs nothing, so you can check the result first. To download the signed PDF you need a plan: €2.99 a month or €24.99 a year, which also covers W-4s, W-8BENs and direct deposit forms. Cancel whenever you like; your plan keeps working until the end of the period you've paid for.

Who runs W9SignPDF, and why it exists

Joe Farwick, an independent software developer in Hamm, Germany, builds and runs W9SignPDF. He makes a few small PDF tools, each for one specific job. This one is for the moment a client or platform asks for a signed W-9 and the form in front of you needs your Social Security number.

That moment is why the site works the way it does. Many online signers upload your file to their servers to process it, which puts one more copy of your SSN in one more place. Here the PDF is opened, filled and signed by code running in your browser, and the file is never sent to the site. The same goes for the TIN check and the line 3a picker.

The guides are written from official sources — mostly the IRS's own forms and instructions — list them at the end, and show the date they were last checked. They explain the forms in plain English; they aren't tax advice.

Something not working, or a form that won't open properly? Email byjoefarwick@gmail.com. The imprint lists a postal address and a phone number as well.

What the signer does for a W-9

Nothing to upload

The PDF is read and edited by code running in your browser. This site never receives the file or the number on it.

Works with fillable forms

The IRS W-9 is a fillable PDF, so its boxes show up in a list: type your details, tick line 3a, pick options.

Signature and date where you need them

Draw it with a mouse or fingertip, or type it and choose one of four script styles; the date goes beside it.

Saved for next time

Your last five signatures stay in this browser's storage, ready for the W-4 or direct deposit form that often follows.

Scanned forms too

No form fields? Click anywhere on the page to add text, so a scanned W-9 can be completed as well.

Checks before you sign

A format check for SSNs, ITINs and EINs, and a picker for the line 3a box, both running on your device.

W-9 guides and tools

Sign your W-9 now

Open the PDF at the top of the page — it stays on this device.

Choose the W-9