How to stop chasing contractor W-9 forms before payment
Contractors frequently delay submitting their tax forms through endless email threads and unreturned messages, leaving businesses unable to process payments or resolve stale vendor accounts. Chasing down these documents stalls year-end 1099 preparation and traps funds indefinitely.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
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How to stop chasing contractor W-9 forms before payment
- 1Withholding contractor payment until the W-9 paperwork is returnedDid this help you?
- 2Requiring the W-9 upfront before issuing any checks for the yearDid this help you?
- 3Threatening or proceeding with state escheatment / abandoned property reportingDid this help you?
- 4Sending a statement with the credit balance showing upcoming expiration datesDid this help you?
- 5LinkedIn stalking to find specific accounting managers at the vendor companyDid this help you?
- 6Limiting outreach attempts and letting the vendor reach out when they realize they are missing moneyDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“When you're getting clients ready for 1099 season, how painful is still chasing contractor W-9s (email threads, spreadsheets, "I'll send it next week")?”source ↗
“I have two vendors that overpaid years ago and need an updated W-9 to get them their payment.”source ↗
“Over the years several times people have reached out and get no response.”source ↗
“They want me to resolve without escheatment. Just wanted to see if there's a trick.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 4How did my accountant get my taxes so low?
- 3Can I get a loan with unfiled tax returns?
- 2Why is it so hard to get contractor quotes?
- 2How do you file taxes when a third party won't give you the forms?
- 17How to handle expense reports without being good at math