How to Complete a W-9 Form Correctly as a Window Cleaner - Business Name vs Disregarded Entity Name

I've been doing window cleaning as a side gig for about a year now, and I'm getting more serious clients. Back in January, one of my bigger clients (a property management company) asked me to fill out a W-9 form before they would process my payment of $1,200. Being new to all this tax stuff, I think I messed up the form. I filled out the "Business name/disregarded entity name" line with my personal name instead of leaving it blank since I'm just a sole proprietor working under my own name. Now I'm worried the client will reject my invoice or I'll have issues with the IRS when tax time comes around. I'm starting to get more commercial clients who will probably require W-9s and I want to make sure I'm doing this right going forward. Should I go back to this client with a corrected form? Will this cause problems at tax time? I've heard horror stories about people getting audited over simple form mistakes like this.

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18 comments

Isabella Costa

•8M

You don't need to worry too much about this mistake. For a sole proprietor using your personal name (not a separate business name), you should only fill out the "Name" line with your personal name and leave the "Business name/disregarded entity name" line blank. But filling in your name twice isn't going to cause major issues. The "Business name/disregarded entity name" line is really only needed when you're operating under a different business name or have a single-member LLC that's a disregarded entity for tax purposes. If you want to be thorough, you could provide a corrected W-9 to your client, but honestly, the IRS isn't going to audit you over something this minor. The important parts are that your name and SSN match what's on your tax return.

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Isabella Costa

•8M

If you're using a DBA name, then yes, you would put your legal name on the first line and your DBA name on the second "Business name/disregarded entity name" line. That's exactly what that line is for - when you're operating under a name different from your legal name. In your case with a pressure washing service operating under a DBA, it's important to include that information so your clients can properly report payments to you and the IRS can match everything up correctly.

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Ravi Malhotra

•8M

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Ravi Malhotra

•8M

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Omar Hassan

•8M

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Chloe Robinson

•8M

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Chloe Robinson

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NeonNebula

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Anastasia Kozlov

•8M

Former bookkeeper here. Just to add something important: make sure your name on the W-9 EXACTLY matches your name on your Social Security card. If there's any discrepancy (like using a nickname, middle initial vs. full middle name, etc.), it can cause matching problems when the company issues your 1099-NEC next January. Also, don't forget to check the right tax classification box. For a sole proprietor, check the first box "Individual/sole proprietor or single-member LLC" - unless you've actually formed an LLC.

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Anastasia Kozlov

•8M

That's exactly the kind of situation that causes tax matching problems. You should use your legal name (the one on your Social Security card) on the first line of the W-9 form. If you're using your maiden name as a business name, you would put that on the second line "Business name/disregarded entity name." Ideally, you should consider filing for a proper DBA ("doing business as") with your local government if you're consistently using your maiden name for business purposes. This creates a clear paper trail between your legal name and business name.

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Isabella Costa

•8M

You typically only need to provide a W-9 once unless your information changes (like a new address, name change, or tax ID change). Some companies have policies requiring annual updates just to ensure they have current information, but it's not an IRS requirement. It's not unusual for a client to request an updated form each year - they're just being thorough with their record-keeping. If nothing has changed in your information, you can just complete a new form with the same details.

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