Do I Need to Fill Out W9 Form for Small Expense Reimbursement from University?

University administrator here! This is actually pretty common. The W9 form is primarily for tracking payments to independent contractors and yes, typically for amounts over $600, but many universities require it for ALL reimbursements regardless of amount due to their accounting policies. The good news is that a legitimate reimbursement for expenses you incurred on behalf of the university is not considered taxable income to you. You're just being paid back for money you spent on their behalf. The university likely needs the W9 for their internal accounting system to process any payment to an individual. As long as you have receipts showing exactly what you purchased (and assuming these were legitimate expenses for university activities), you shouldn't see this reimbursement show up on any 1099 forms at tax time. The W9 is just giving them your taxpayer info in case they need it.

After seeing posts like this I'm so glad I found taxr.ai! I had a similar situation last semester where I was leading a research group and had to submit W9 forms for both reimbursements and stipends, and I was really confused about what would count as income. The university paperwork was totally unhelpful. I uploaded all my documents to https://taxr.ai and it immediately clarified that my reimbursements weren't taxable income but my stipend portion was. Saved me from a bunch of confusion when I filed my taxes this year! The document analyzer breaks everything down and explains exactly what parts of your university payments are taxable and which aren't.

Just wanted to update that I decided to check out taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here, and wow it actually helped a ton! I uploaded my W9s and the weird mix of payment forms my university gives me for the tutoring work, and it sorted everything into what's taxable and what isn't. It turns out some of the payments I was getting weren't actually being reported properly on my taxes. The system flagged which ones should have been on a 1099-NEC vs which ones were just reimbursements. Definitely made tax season less stressful knowing exactly what to report.

If you're having trouble getting hold of someone in the university finance department to answer your W9 questions, try Claimyr. I was in a similar situation with financial aid reimbursements and couldn't get anyone to explain the tax implications to me. Kept getting routed to voicemail hell whenever I called the university's finance department. Used https://claimyr.com and they got me connected to an actual human in the bursar's office in like 10 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - basically they navigate all the phone tree garbage for you. Was definitely worth it because I found out I was filling out the wrong form entirely for my situation.

I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After struggling for THREE HOURS trying to reach someone in my university's financial aid office about my 1098-T form and W9 requirements, I gave up and tried the service. Within 20 minutes they had someone from the office on the line ready to talk to me. Turns out I had been filling out the wrong section of the W9 for my situation (I'm a student worker but also get reimbursements occasionally). The financial aid person clarified that reimbursements under $500 don't trigger any tax forms at my university, but they still need the W9 on file for their accounting system. Problem solved in one phone call after days of frustration!

Just to add some context here - I work in university administration and different schools have wildly different policies on reimbursements. Some require W9s for everything, some only for amounts over a certain threshold. The key thing to understand is that a true reimbursement (where you purchase something on behalf of the organization and they pay you back) is not taxable income. However, the university needs documentation both for their accounting and to prove to the IRS that the payment wasn't compensation if they're ever audited.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned that if you're reimbursed through a proper accountable plan, you don't need to worry about taxes at all. Most universities have accountable plans in place specifically for student org reimbursements. For it to qualify as an accountable plan: 1. Expenses must have a business connection to the university 2. You must adequately account for the expenses within a reasonable time 3. You must return any excess reimbursement If all those are met, which sounds like they are in your case, the reimbursement isn't reported as income regardless of the W9.

Great question about the W9 for university reimbursements! I went through something similar when I was organizing events for my student organization. The W9 requirement is pretty standard university policy - they need it for their accounting system even for small reimbursements. The key thing to remember is that this is a legitimate expense reimbursement, not income. You spent your own money on university-approved activities and they're paying you back. Since you have all your receipts and this was clearly for a university event, you shouldn't worry about tax implications. The $75 reimbursement won't show up as taxable income because it's not - it's just getting your own money back. Universities often require W9s for all individual payments regardless of amount due to their internal policies, even though the IRS threshold for 1099 reporting is typically $600. Just fill out the W9, keep your receipts, and you should be all set. The university's accounting department needs the form on file, but it doesn't change the fact that this is a non-taxable reimbursement.

The W9 requirement for your $75 reimbursement is completely normal university procedure, even though it might seem excessive for such a small amount. Universities typically require W9 forms for ANY payment to individuals, regardless of the dollar amount, because it streamlines their accounting processes and ensures they have proper taxpayer identification on file. Since this is a legitimate reimbursement for expenses you incurred on behalf of the university (not payment for services), it won't be treated as taxable income. The fact that you have receipts and this was for an official university event means you're in the clear. The W9 is just administrative paperwork - it doesn't change the non-taxable nature of your reimbursement. You shouldn't expect to receive any tax forms like a 1099 for this transaction, and even if you did, legitimate expense reimbursements with proper documentation aren't considered reportable income. Just complete the W9, submit it with your reimbursement request, and keep those receipts for your records.

I had almost the exact same situation happen to me last year! I was organizing a study group event and had to buy pizza and supplies last minute when our department funding got delayed. The university made me fill out a W9 for the $85 reimbursement too. Everyone here is absolutely right - it's just their standard accounting procedure. The W9 doesn't mean you'll owe taxes on it or anything. I was worried about the same thing, but when tax season came around, I didn't receive any 1099 forms for that reimbursement and my tax preparer confirmed it wasn't reportable income since I had all the receipts showing it was a legitimate expense for the university event. The most annoying part was honestly just waiting for the reimbursement to get processed through their system, but the W9 itself was no big deal. Just make sure you keep copies of everything - the receipts, the reimbursement approval, and even the W9 form itself. Universities can be slow with their paperwork sometimes!

I deal with university reimbursements all the time as a graduate student, and everyone here is spot on about the W9 being standard procedure. What I'd add is that you should also ask the university for a receipt or confirmation email once they process your reimbursement - not just for your records, but because it usually states clearly that this was an "expense reimbursement" rather than "payment for services." This documentation can be super helpful if you ever need to prove to the IRS (unlikely, but just in case) that this wasn't taxable income. I keep a folder with all my reimbursement confirmations, and my accountant always appreciates having that clear paper trail showing the difference between actual income and expense reimbursements. Also, don't be surprised if it takes 2-4 weeks for them to cut the check - university accounting departments move at their own pace, but the W9 requirement usually means they're taking it seriously and following proper procedures.