How to Fill Out a W-9 for DC Government Contracts and Grants
IRS Form W-9 is the Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification. You fill it out and hand it to the government agency or grant-making organization so they can issue you a 1099 at year end and verify your tax ID. About 50 out of 69 tracked DC grant and contract programs require a W-9 as part of the application or award package.
A W-9 with a wrong name, missing EIN, or stale signature is one of the most common reasons a grant disbursement or contract payment gets delayed. The name on Line 1 must match the IRS records for your EIN exactly. Funders also reject reused copies with old dates, so pull a fresh signed one for each submission.
How to fill out each field
- 1Line 1: Legal business name
Enter your business name exactly as it appears on your tax return and IRS records, the name tied to your EIN. Do not use a trade name, DBA, or abbreviation here. If your entity is "Parkway Consulting LLC," write that in full, not "Parkway" or "PC LLC."
- 2Line 2: Business name / disregarded entity (if different)
Leave blank unless you have a DBA or disregarded entity name that is different from Line 1. Most LLCs and corporations filing under their registered name leave this blank.
- 3Line 3a: Federal tax classification
Check the box that matches your entity type: Individual/sole proprietor, C corporation, S corporation, Partnership, Trust/estate, or Limited liability company. If you check LLC, enter the tax classification letter in the box: C for C corporation, S for S corporation, or P for partnership. Single-member LLCs that are taxed as sole proprietors check "Individual/sole proprietor" unless they have elected corporate treatment.
- 4Lines 5 and 6: Address
Enter your principal business address on Line 5 (street number, name, suite). City, state, and ZIP on Line 6. Use your registered business address, not a P.O. box, and not a personal home address if your entity has a separate business location.
- 5Part I: Taxpayer Identification Number
Enter your nine-digit Employer Identification Number (EIN) in the Employer identification number box on the right side. If you are a business entity, always use your EIN, not your Social Security number. Write the nine digits with the hyphen: XX-XXXXXXX.
- 6Part II: Certification and signature
Sign and date the form. Your signature certifies that the TIN you provided is correct, that you are not subject to backup withholding (unless you know you are), and that you are a US person. Do not pre-sign and stockpile copies. Pull a fresh signed copy for each submission, funders check the date.
Common mistakes that get applications bounced
- ×Using a trade name or DBA on Line 1 instead of the legal entity name tied to your EIN.
- ×Entering a Social Security number instead of the business EIN.
- ×Leaving Line 3a (tax classification) blank on an LLC.
- ×Reusing a signed copy from a previous application with a stale date.
- ×Signing as an individual instead of an authorized representative of the entity.
FAQ
Only if you are a sole proprietor with no employees and no separate legal entity. For any LLC, corporation, or partnership, always use the EIN. Most DC government contracts and grants expect a business EIN.
Each time a payer asks for one. There is no fixed expiration, but most funders want a recently signed copy, not one from a prior year. Pull a fresh one for every application.
Notify the payer and submit a new W-9. Name or TIN changes that do not match IRS records can trigger backup withholding on your payments.
No. The W-9 goes to the requester (the agency, grant program, or prime contractor), not to the IRS. The requester uses it to prepare year-end 1099 forms.
DuoGov tracks active DC/MD/VA solicitations nightly, search your trade and see what's open.
Browse opportunitiesThis guide is educational and explains the process in plain English, it is not legal advice. Forms and requirements change; always download the current version and confirm requirements at the official source.