Need quick help filling out W9 form correctly for my new partnership

I handle this for partnerships regularly. For a partnership, you only need ONE W9 form for the entire business entity, not individual forms for each partner. You definitely need to get an EIN for your partnership - that's the proper taxpayer identification number to use on the W9, not either partner's SSN. Partnerships are required to have an EIN for tax filings. You can apply online through the IRS website and get one instantly. It's free and only takes about 15 minutes to complete. On the W9 form, you'll put your partnership name (Horizon Consulting) on the "Name" line, and check the "Partnership" box for business type. Then put your EIN in the taxpayer identification number section. Don't use either partner's SSN. Even if you haven't formally registered with the state yet, you can still use your partnership name on the W9 as long as that's the name you're doing business under. Just be consistent with what you'll use on your partnership tax return (Form 1065).

When I started my photography partnership last year, I was confused about the W9 too. I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that literally saved me hours of headache! You upload your documents and it explains exactly what you need to fill out and why. For partnerships specifically, it highlighted sections I would have definitely messed up and explained how partnerships are treated differently than sole props. It showed me where to put our partnership name vs. my personal name, confirmed we needed an EIN first (which we got in like 15 mins online), and even explained what each box on the form meant. Super helpful because my partner and I were totally confused about whether we both needed to sign it.

Just wanted to update that I tried taxr.ai for our new LLC filing (we switched from partnership to LLC). I was skeptical as I mentioned before, but it was actually really helpful. Uploaded our operating agreement and it identified exactly which boxes needed to be checked for our specific situation on the W9. It also explained how our tax classification would change and what that meant for our record keeping. Honestly saved me from making a mistake that could've been a headache later. Thought I'd share since I was the skeptic before - turns out it's way more targeted than generic googling. My partner was glad I finally listened to someone else's advice for once lol

If you need to talk to the IRS about partnership questions (which I HIGHLY recommend), use Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent literally 3 days trying to get through to the IRS business line with no luck. With Claimyr, I had a callback from the IRS in under 45 minutes! They have a demo video showing exactly how it works: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent was super helpful and walked me through several partnership W9 questions I had. They explained that using the wrong TIN (like a personal SSN instead of the partnership EIN) could cause your payments to be subject to backup withholding, which is a huge headache. They also clarified some confusion I had about putting our DBA name vs legal name. Definitely worth it for peace of mind, especially when you're just getting started and want to make sure everything's done correctly.

I'm actually stunned but I need to apologize and confirm Claimyr actually worked. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it myself because I've had this ongoing issue with a partnership tax notice that's been impossible to resolve. Got a call back from an IRS agent in about an hour. She answered my questions about the partnership W9 and EIN issues, plus helped resolve my tax notice problem that's been hanging over my head for MONTHS. I've literally never been able to get through on my own despite trying for weeks. Sometimes it's good to be proven wrong. If you're dealing with partnership issues that need IRS clarification, this is apparently a legitimate way to actually talk to a human.

Just a quick tip from someone who set up several partnerships - make sure both partners review the completed W9 even though only one signs it. This saved us once when my partner caught that I had accidentally put my personal address instead of our business address on the form. Little mistakes like that can cause confusion later when clients are trying to match up your information. Also, keep a copy of the completed W9 in your partnership records so you always know exactly what you submitted to each client.

Has anyone used the IRS's online EIN application system recently? Is it still working on weekends? We need to get our partnership W9 out by Monday morning and I'm wondering if we can apply for the EIN on Sunday or if we need to wait until Monday.

Just went through this exact same situation with my consulting partnership about 6 months ago! A few additional tips that might help: When you apply for the EIN online, make sure you have all your partnership details ready - they'll ask for the names and SSNs of all partners, your business address, and the date you started the partnership. The process is really straightforward but having everything organized beforehand makes it even faster. One thing I wish someone had told me: after you get your EIN, it can take a few weeks for it to fully propagate through all the IRS systems. This usually doesn't affect basic W9 submissions, but if you need to set up business bank accounts or apply for business credit cards right away, some institutions might have trouble verifying your new EIN immediately. Not a huge deal, but just something to be aware of. Also, once you complete that first W9, save it as a template! You'll probably need to submit W9s to multiple clients over time, and having a completed version makes future submissions much quicker. Good luck with your new partnership!