Paid script
W-9 Tracker with Personalized Request Emails
Find out which contractors still owe you a W-9 before 1099 season, starting with the ones closest to the reporting threshold. The script drafts a personalized request email for each one, and you review and send them yourself.
Paid script
W-9 Tracker & Request Emails
Buy this script on its own for $29, one time. No membership needed. It runs on your own computer and nothing you enter leaves it. Read how it works and the questions below first.
The Automation Suite includes this and 10 more tools for $99. Members get this included. See the membership or sign in. Already bought it? Email me my access link.
How it works
How it works
Give the script your vendor list (name, TIN, W-9 on file, email) and your payments export. It totals each vendor's payments for the year, leaving out card and payment-network payments (those go on 1099-K) and anything categorized as goods or wages. It then flags vendors with no W-9, no TIN, a TIN that fails a format check, and anyone you paid who is not on your vendor list. Each vendor is marked over, approaching or under the $2,000 threshold for 2026 payments and ranked by priority. You get a status report that explains 24% backup withholding, a status CSV, and one plain-text W-9 request email per vendor plus a mail-merge CSV. Nothing is ever sent automatically.
FAQ
About this calculator
What do I need to run it?
Python 3.9 or newer and two CSV files: your vendor list and your payments. It uses only the standard library and works offline. Run it with --demo to see sample output.
Does it send the emails?
No. It writes each email as a text file and adds a mail-merge CSV, so you can review the wording first. The emails ask vendors not to put their SSN or EIN in a regular email. You can supply your own template with --template.
Does it verify TINs with the IRS?
No. It checks only the format, such as the digit count and number ranges that are never issued. To confirm that a name and TIN match, use the IRS TIN Matching program through e-Services.
Is this tax or legal advice?
No. It is a general-information tool for keeping your vendor records organized. Ask a tax professional about specific backup withholding or reporting questions.
See all free tools. More free tools: 1099-NEC & 1099-MISC Preparer, Economic order quantity (EOQ) calculator, Rental yield and gross rent multiplier calculator, or see all free tools.
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General information, not tax or legal advice. How we write and check our tools.