Affiliate income and W9's

[Trisha]

I've had one merchant tell me I need to fill out a W9 before they will send me a check, but no others have required this. Honestly, I don't even remember what a W9 is. Why is it necessary for some merchants but not others?

[john_k]

Many affiliate programs simply ask for your SSN or Tax ID Number (TIN). They will then send you a 1099 after the close of the year. (unless they go bankrupt!) The income they show on that is part of your taxable income for the year that you will need to report. As with a W2, they send a copy to the IRS so Big Brother & Co. can compare against what you report.

Any affiliate program or other company paying out money for business expenses (like paying you to sell their products) is supposed to have a W9 on hand when they send the payment. Otherwise, technically, they should be paying sales tax.

I'm sure others out there can add to this or even make a correction or two - but that is the main reason they are asking you to fill it out.

[Lil_Red]

Every ad network we use requires a W-9. If an ad network hasn't taken your SSN, EIN, or required you to fill out a W-9 and are based in the US, they are not in compliance with tax law.

[Trisha]

I think the other merchants I use ask for a SS number only, that's why I was wondering why just one would need a W9 filled out.