How to stop chasing contractor W-9 forms before payment

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

1. 1
   Withholding contractor payment until the W-9 paperwork is returned
2. 2
   Requiring the W-9 upfront before issuing any checks for the year
3. 3
   Threatening or proceeding with state escheatment / abandoned property reporting
4. 4
   Sending a statement with the credit balance showing upcoming expiration dates
5. 5
   LinkedIn stalking to find specific accounting managers at the vendor company
6. 6
   Limiting outreach attempts and letting the vendor reach out when they realize they are missing money

In their words

Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.