Still Chasing Vendors for W-9s? How to Automate the Whole Process

You’re at your desk.
It’s after hours.

Your inbox is open and you’re staring at a thread titled:

“Gentle reminder: W-9 needed 😊”

You’ve already followed up with this contractor twice. You’ve attached the same blank W-9 form. You’ve re-explained why you need it. You’ve tried to sound polite, but you’re tired.

And this is just one vendor.
You still have a list of others who “will get to it soon.”

If that feels familiar, you’re not alone.

For many small businesses, bookkeepers, and firms, collecting W-9s has become an endless loop of:

• sending forms
• chasing replies
• managing attachments
• updating spreadsheets

This article is for you if:

• you pay contractors or vendors,
• you need W-9s for them,
• and you’re tired of the chase.

Let’s walk through why this happens, and what a simpler, automated way can look like without turning it into a big software pitch.

What is a W-9… in simple terms?

If you don’t have a tax background, the alphabet soup of forms can feel confusing.

Here’s the simple version:

• A W-9 is a form a contractor fills out to give you their name, address, and tax ID.
• You use that information later to prepare a 1099 form that tells the IRS how much you paid them.
• If the W-9 is missing or wrong, your 1099s become a headache.

You don’t have to be a tax expert. You simply need clean, accurate W-9s if you pay contractors.

The real problem is not the form itself. Instead, the problem is how most teams try to collect it.

Why W-9 Collection Turns into a Never-Ending Chase

Let’s start with what “normal” looks like today.

The usual W-9 process (and why it hurts)

For many teams, W-9 collection goes like this:

1. An email goes out with a blank W-9 PDF attached.
2. Then you wait.
3. A reminder email follows.
4. The contractor prints the form, signs it, scans it or takes a photo.
5. The completed form returns by email.
6. Someone downloads the file, renames it, and moves it into a folder.
7. Finally, a spreadsheet is updated to say “Received.”

That might not seem too bad for one vendor. However, the pain shows up when this process is repeated for 10, 50, or 200 vendors.

As a result, you get:

• Time drain: hours spent writing and sending follow-up emails.
• Confusion: different team members email the same vendor, and no one is sure who replied.
• Lost documents: W-9s spread across inboxes, local drives, and “W9_final_FINAL” folders.
• January panic: missing W-9s show up right when you are preparing 1099s.

This is only your side of the story. The vendor experience can be just as frustrating.

How the Old Process Feels for Your Vendors

To understand the full picture, it helps to stand in your contractor’s shoes for a moment.

They receive your email:

“Please fill out this attached W-9, sign it, and send it back.”

To complete this one task, the vendor might have to:

• open the PDF on a device that doesn’t handle forms well,
• work out how to sign it (print and scan, or some digital tool),
• worry about emailing sensitive tax details back to you.

Because they are already busy, it’s easy for this job to move to “later.” Unfortunately, “later” often turns into weeks.

Consequently, you send another reminder. The whole cycle starts again.

None of this happens because you or your vendors are careless. You are simply using email, PDFs, and spreadsheets for a job they weren’t designed to handle.

What an Automated W-9 Collection Workflow Looks Like

Now imagine something different.

Instead of:

• individual emails,
• attachments,
• manual tracking,

you have one simple workflow.

A simple picture of W-9 automation

In an automated setup, the process looks more like this:

1. You add your vendors into a system.
2. You send each vendor a secure W-9 link (often in bulk).
3. They complete an online W-9 form on their phone or laptop.
4. The system stores the form and marks their status as “Complete.”
5. If they don’t respond, the system sends reminder emails, not you.

That is what people mean when they talk about “automate W-9 collection.”

It’s not magic or a huge IT project. Instead, it’s a cleaner way to handle a repetitive, important task.

How a Tool Like GetW9 Fits into This Workflow

To make this more concrete, let’s use GetW9 as an example of how automated W-9 collection works in real life. You could follow a similar pattern with any proper W-9 tool, but GetW9 is built specifically for this job.

1. Import your vendors

First, you pull your vendor details into GetW9:

• upload a CSV,
• or connect to your accounting system, such as QuickBooks Online.

From that moment, you can see one list of everyone who still needs to give you a W-9.

2. Send secure W-9 links

Next, you:

• select the vendors you want to contact,
• send secure W-9 requests through the system.

Each person receives their own secure link. They no longer need to manage forms or attachments.

3. Vendors complete a guided online W-9

On the vendor side:

• they open the link,
• see a clear, guided W-9 form,
• fill in their details, and submit.

Because the form is online and mobile-friendly, there is no need to print, sign, scan, or search for extra tools.

4. Track everything from a dashboard

Back in GetW9, you have a dashboard with:

• Completed W-9s,
• Pending requests,
• Not started vendors.

This means you always know:

“We have W-9s for 43 out of 50 vendors. These 7 still need attention.”

Instead of hunting through emails and folders, you can see your status in seconds.

5. Let the system handle reminders

Finally, you can set up automatic reminder emails once. After that, the system follows up with vendors at the right time.

You only step in for special cases or more sensitive relationships. As a result, your inbox stays cleaner and your team stays focused on work that needs a human touch.

How Automation Makes W-9s Easier for Your Vendors

A better W-9 workflow is not just about saving your time. It also reduces friction for the people you pay.

The old experience vs the new

With the old process, vendors:

• dig through their email to find the PDF,
• figure out how to fill and sign it,
• send sensitive data back by email.

By contrast, with an automated flow:

• they tap a secure link,
• complete a simple form in a few minutes,
• feel more confident that their information is handled in a safer way.

Because the job is simple, quick, and feels secure, vendors tend to respond faster. That improvement alone can cut weeks of back-and-forth.

Why Automating W-9 Collection Matters Before 1099 Season

You feel the weaknesses of your W-9 process most clearly in December and January.

The January crunch

At the start of the year, you are often juggling:

• closing the books,
• preparing 1099s,
• regular month-end work,
• and vendor questions.

If you realise at that moment that:

• “We never got W-9s from these 15 contractors,”

you are stuck running an emergency W-9 campaign at the worst possible time. This often means late nights, weekend work, and a lot of stress.

How automation changes your timeline

When you automate W-9 collection, the pattern changes:

• you can invite vendors as soon as you start working with them,
• W-9 collection becomes a normal part of onboarding,
• by January, most W-9s are already in place.

Instead of asking:

“How many W-9s are we missing?”

you can ask:

“Is there anyone left to tidy up before we send 1099s?”

That small shift has a big impact on how you feel during the busiest part of the year.

A Simple 5-Step Plan to Automate W-9 Collection

You do not need a huge project plan to get started. In fact, you can begin with a few small steps this week.

Step 1: List your contractors

Start by pulling a list of:

• everyone you paid as a contractor this year,
• any new vendors you expect to pay soon.

Your current accounting system or spreadsheet is enough for this step.

Step 2: Choose a W-9 tool that fits your workflow

Next, pick a tool designed to automate W-9 collection. Look for features like:

• secure W-9 links,
• an easy-to-read dashboard,
• automatic reminders,
• safe storage with a submission history,
• and, ideally, integration with your accounting system.

GetW9 was built around exactly these needs: automated W-9 collection, status tracking, and secure storage with a clear history of submissions.

Step 3: Send a small test batch of invites

To reduce risk, begin with a pilot group:

• select 10–20 vendors,
• send W-9 requests through the tool,
• observe how many complete the form without manual chasing.

This simple test gives you real-world feedback without forcing a full change overnight.

Step 4: Review your new dashboard

After a few days, sign in and check:

• which vendors are “Complete”,
• who is “Pending”,
• who has not opened the request at all.

From there, you can follow up only where it is truly needed, instead of guessing.

Step 5: Add W-9s to your onboarding checklist

Once the process feels comfortable, make “Send W-9 invite via GetW9” a standard step when you:

• onboard a new contractor,
• sign a new service provider,
• or start work with a new freelancer.

Over time, W-9 collection stops feeling like a big yearly project. Instead, it becomes a small, regular part of how you work.

What Changes When You Stop Chasing W-9s Manually

When teams move from manual W-9 collection to an automated workflow, they often notice several changes:

• Fewer late nights in January.
• Less stress and fewer “Did we get this one yet?” conversations.
• Less time writing follow-up emails and searching inboxes.
• A smoother, more professional experience for contractors.
• More confidence when someone asks, “Are we 1099-ready?”

You still have to send 1099s and meet your obligations. However, you are no longer blocked by a messy, manual W-9 process.

Bringing It All Together

Collecting W-9s will probably never be the most exciting part of your work. Even so, it doesn’t need to be the part that takes your evenings, fills your inbox, and turns every January into a small crisis.

By:

• listing your contractors,
• choosing a tool built to automate W-9 collection,
• sending secure links instead of PDF attachments,
• and letting automation handle reminders and tracking,

you can turn W-9 collection from a chase into a simple workflow.

If you’d like to see what that looks like in practice, you can try using GetW9 for your next round of W-9 requests. It is designed to sit quietly inside your workflow and take care of the heavy lifting:

• secure online forms for your vendors,
• automatic reminders,
• a clear dashboard of who’s done and who isn’t,
• and stored W-9s with a submission history you can refer to later.

Because you have better things to focus on than chasing one more W-9.

Try our past blogs:

What Is a W-9 Form? Why Businesses Need It in 2025 | GetW9
1099 vs W-9: What’s the Difference? | GetW9
CP2100/CP2100A & “B” Notices: Your 15-Day and 30-Day Action Plan