Should I include a DBA on my W-9 for an art show?
Title: Should I include a DBA on my W-9 for an art show? 1 I'm participating in my first major art show next month and the organizers just asked me to fill out a W-9. I've been slowly building my art brand over the past year - mostly Instagram, a Facebook page, and I purchased a domain name for a website I'm planning to launch. The thing is, I've never officially registered a business or anything. It's just me selling my paintings. The W-9 has a line for "business name" and I'm wondering if there's any advantage or disadvantage to putting my brand name as a DBA on that line? Or should I just leave it blank and only fill in my personal name? I don't want to mess anything up tax-wise since this is my first time dealing with this kind of paperwork.
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Vera Visnjic
12 You can definitely include your DBA (Doing Business As) name on your W-9, but it's not required if you haven't formally registered it. The most important part is that you use your actual legal name and correct SSN or EIN on the form. If you put your brand name on the "Business name/disregarded entity name" line, it helps the art show organizers identify payments to you under that name in their accounting system. This can be helpful if they're cutting checks to your brand name rather than your personal name. There's no tax disadvantage to including your DBA on the W-9. The IRS will still associate the income with your SSN. Just make sure your legal name and tax ID are correct on the form.
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Vera Visnjic
•5 Thanks for the clarification. What happens if my brand eventually takes off and I decide to formally register my business later? Would I need to submit a new W-9 to places that already have my information?
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Vera Visnjic
•12 Yes, if you formally register your business later (like forming an LLC or corporation), you would need to submit a new W-9 with your updated information. At that point, you'd likely have a new EIN instead of using your SSN, and the business would be a separate legal entity. If you're just registering your existing DBA officially with your county or state but still operating as a sole proprietor, you typically wouldn't need to submit a new W-9 unless your tax ID changes. The DBA registration just formally establishes your right to do business under that name.
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Vera Visnjic
8 I was in a similar spot last year when I started selling my digital designs online. I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which was super helpful for figuring out all the self-employment paperwork. Their system analyzed my situation and confirmed that I could use my brand name as a DBA on my W-9 even though I hadn't officially registered it. They also explained that for tax purposes, a sole proprietorship with a DBA is still reported on Schedule C of your personal tax return, so there's no extra complexity there. The tool walks you through all the proper documentation you need when you're operating under a brand name without formal business registration.
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Vera Visnjic
•15 Does taxr.ai help with figuring out what expenses are deductible too? I'm just getting started with my photography business and I have no idea what I can write off.
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Vera Visnjic
•3 I've never heard of this before. How exactly does it work? Is it just another tax prep software or something different?
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Vera Visnjic
•8 Yes, it absolutely helps identify deductible expenses! It asks questions about your specific creative business activities and then provides a customized list of potential deductions you might qualify for. It saved me from missing several deductions I didn't know applied to my situation. It's not just another tax prep software. It's more like having a tax advisor who specializes in helping artists and creatives. It analyzes your specific situation and documents, then explains exactly what you need to do. The document guidance was especially helpful for me since I was confused about all the different forms.
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Vera Visnjic
3 Just wanted to follow up - I checked out taxr.ai after seeing this thread and it was incredibly helpful! The system analyzed my photography business setup and gave me super clear guidance on handling my DBA on both my W-9 and Schedule C. It even created a personalized checklist of tax forms I'll need based on my specific situation. I feel so much more confident now about my first year filing with business income. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about any art business tax stuff!
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Vera Visnjic
17 If you're dealing with W-9 forms, you might eventually need to contact the IRS with questions. I tried calling them for weeks about a 1099 issue related to my DBA name and it was impossible to get through. Finally used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) which got me connected to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The agent clarified that using my DBA on the W-9 was fine as long as my personal info was correct, and explained exactly how to report the income properly on my Schedule C. Saved me a ton of stress since I was worried about potential mismatches between my brand name and tax records.
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Vera Visnjic
•10 Wait, so this service actually gets you through to a real IRS person? How does that even work? The IRS phone system is notoriously impossible.
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Vera Visnjic
•6 This sounds like a scam. No way someone can magically get you through to the IRS when millions of people can't get through.
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Vera Visnjic
•17 It uses a system that navigates the IRS phone tree and waits on hold for you. Once an agent answers, you get a call connecting you directly to them. It's using technology to handle the frustrating waiting part so you don't have to sit there for hours. It's definitely not magic - it's just automating the hold process. Think of it like having someone wait in a physical line for you, then texting when they're at the front so you can take their place. The service lets you go about your day instead of being stuck listening to hold music for hours.
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Vera Visnjic
6 I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I decided to try it myself because I had a question about reporting income under my DBA that I couldn't find a clear answer to online. The service actually worked exactly as described. I got a text when they reached an agent (took about 35 minutes) and then I was connected to a really helpful IRS representative who cleared up my confusion about how to properly report income when using an unregistered business name. Saved me hours of frustration and got me an official answer directly from the source.
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Vera Visnjic
22 Just a practical tip - make sure whatever name you put on your W-9 matches what you want on your payment checks! I made the mistake of only putting my legal name on my W-9 for an art fair, but all my booth signage and materials had my brand name. The fair made checks out to my legal name, which created issues depositing them since my bank account was in my brand name.
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Vera Visnjic
•1 Oh that's a good point I hadn't considered! Does that mean I should open a bank account with my brand name too? Or can I deposit checks made out to my brand into my personal account?
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Vera Visnjic
•22 If you're operating as a sole proprietor with a DBA (which sounds like your situation), you'll need to check with your specific bank. Some banks will let you deposit checks made out to your DBA name into your personal account if you've provided them documentation showing you operate under that name. To be safe, many artists open a separate bank account for their business activities. Some banks offer business checking accounts for sole proprietors where you can register your DBA name on the account. This makes depositing checks made out to your brand name much easier and also helps keep your business finances separate from personal ones, which is helpful for tax purposes.
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Vera Visnjic
14 Don't overthink this too much! I've been selling art at shows for years. I use my brand name on my W-9, but I've never formally registered it. The main thing is that you report all your income on your taxes. If you're a sole proprietor, it all goes on your Schedule C anyway.
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Vera Visnjic
•19 This is actually bad advice. While you might get away with it, using an unregistered business name could potentially violate local DBA registration requirements depending on where you live. Many states require you to register your DBA before doing business under that name.
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Nia Williams
•You're right that it's important to check local requirements! I just looked into my state's DBA rules after seeing your comment, and it turns out I do need to register if I want to open a business bank account under my brand name. The registration was pretty simple though - just a form and small fee at the county clerk's office. It's probably worth doing it properly from the start to avoid any complications down the road.
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