# W-9 Forms

## What Is a W-9 Form?

A **W-9 Form** is an essential tax document used by Employers to collect the correct taxpayer identification number (TIN) of a contractor. The information on the Form W-9 and the payments made are reported on a Form 1099 at the end of the year.

Within Zeal, you can easily collect, review, and manage W-9 forms through a streamlined, secure paperwork experience. Contractors can fill out W-9 forms during their onboarding as part of paperwork or outside of onboarding with a shareable link.

## Sending & Managing the W-9 Form

### W-9 Form in Onboarding Links

During the Zeal [White-labeled Onboarding flow](https://support.zeal.com/hc/en-us/articles/14063315643277), the W-9 form will be prompted for the Contractor to complete as part of their onboarding.

To Create an **Onboarding Link** for a new hire in the Zeal dashboard:

1. Go to the **People Page**  
2. Locate and Select the eye icon next to a Contractor's name who's status is still **In progress** and select **"Onboarding Link"**.  
3. The onboarding link will include the W-9 Form in the required **Paperwork section**.  
4. The link can be sent in one of two ways  
   - Direct **Email** to the address on file.  
   - **Copy** the Link and send it manually.

Once the link is executed, the Contractor's W-9 information will be updated in Zeal. This ensures W-9 completion will be part of every new onboarding.

## Viewing Completed W-9 Form Information

Once a Contractor completes a W-9, a copy of the completed form is available in the Contractor profile for reference.

- Go to the specific Contractor profile → **Paperwork** tab.  
- You’ll see all completed Paperwork, which includes the W-9 form, available in a PDF format.  
- The completed forms are also accessible for the worker in their Contractor [Dashboard](https://support.zeal.com/hc/en-us/articles/33363590063757).

## Contractor Experience: Completing W-9s

As part of the Contractor Onboarding link, the Contractor will be asked to complete the:

- **Federal W-9 Form** ( _always required_)

Outside of the onboarding link, a Contractor can be asked to complete a Specific W-9 Form via a Shareable Link that can be provided to them by an Admin.

If you have questions about collecting or managing W-9 forms, please [Contact Zeal Support](https://support.zeal.com/hc/en-us/articles/13466302075533-Contacting-Zeal-Support) for further assistance.