W9 Form Required for Small Dorm Event Reimbursement - Is This Normal?

Former university admin staff here. This happens all the time, so don't worry too much! The W9 is standard procedure for many universities when paying anyone outside their regular payroll system. It's basically just to have your information on file in their accounting system. For a reimbursement of expenses like this, you shouldn't receive a 1099 at tax time even though they collected a W9. The university is just following their internal procedures for any type of payment. A proper reimbursement (where you provide receipts) is not taxable income to you - you're just getting back money you spent on the university's behalf. Make sure you keep detailed receipts and documentation showing this was a reimbursement for university expenses, not payment for services. The accounting office should code this properly as a reimbursement rather than contractor payment, but it doesn't hurt to clarify that when you submit the paperwork.

Hey, this happened to me too when I was helping with orientation events! I spent forever trying to get reimbursed for pizza I ordered and then they wanted all these forms. I finally found this website https://taxr.ai that helped me figure out exactly what to do with these university reimbursement situations. I uploaded my W9 form and receipts and it explained that the university is just following their accounting rules. The site confirmed that reimbursements shouldn't count as taxable income as long as you have the receipts to prove it was for university business. They even had specific guidance for student workers vs. volunteers and how university reimbursements work differently than regular contractor payments. The whole stress about tax implications disappeared after I understood what was actually happening!

Just wanted to update that I tried the taxr.ai site mentioned above and it was actually super helpful! I scanned my W9 and the situation details, and it confirmed I shouldn't worry about tax implications since this is a documented reimbursement. The site explained that universities often require W9s for literally any payment they make outside their system, even reimbursements, because their accounting software demands it. As long as I keep my receipts and the reimbursement matches what I spent, it's not considered income. Big relief since I was stressing about getting hit with unexpected taxes just for helping out with a dorm event!

Former university accounting department employee here. The W9 situation is annoying but normal. What's MORE annoying is if they mess up and send you a 1099 at the end of the year for your reimbursement (which happens way too often). If that happens, you'll need to call the university accounting office to get it fixed, which can be a nightmare. If you keep getting voicemail or can't reach the right person, I recommend using https://claimyr.com to get through to them quickly. I've seen the hold times for university accounting offices get crazy at tax time. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c - it basically gets you to a live person without the endless hold music. I used to work on the receiving end of these calls and knew which students used this service because they actually got through!

OK I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After my skeptical comment I decided to try it when I needed to reach my university's financial aid office about a similar reimbursement issue. Their normal wait time was 45+ minutes, but the service got me connected to a real person in about 7 minutes. They navigated through all the annoying "press 1 for..." options automatically and just called me when a human was on the line. Ended up getting my reimbursement sorted out without spending my entire afternoon on hold. If you're dealing with university accounting departments, especially during busy periods, it's legitimately helpful.

Just FYI - I worked in our university bursar's office and we required W9s for literally EVERYTHING. It's completely standard procedure and doesn't mean they're classifying you as a contractor. It's just so they have your info in the system. Make sure you keep your receipts though! If they DO accidentally issue you a 1099-MISC instead of processing it as a reimbursement (which happens sometimes), you'll need those receipts to prove it was a reimbursement and get it corrected.

lol this is literally why i stopped volunteering for dorm events. my hall director had me buy $200 of halloween decorations "to be reimbursed" and then made me fill out 5 different forms and wait 2 months to get my money back. and yeah they wanted a w9 too. the whole university system is broken

Current university tax specialist here - you're absolutely right to ask about this! The W9 is completely standard procedure and doesn't change the tax treatment of your reimbursement. Since you have receipts showing you purchased supplies for an official university event, this should be processed as a non-taxable reimbursement. The university is just following their accounting protocols by collecting your tax ID information upfront - it's much easier for them to get a W9 from everyone than to determine case-by-case who might need one later. One tip: when you submit your reimbursement request, make sure to clearly label it as "Event Supply Reimbursement" and attach all your receipts. This helps their accounting team code it correctly in their system. Also keep copies of everything for your records - the receipts, the W9, and any emails about the reimbursement. The $145 amount is well below any threshold that would trigger additional scrutiny. You should receive your money back without any tax implications as long as everything is properly documented as a reimbursement rather than payment for services.