Taxes - Independent Contractor

[Rick Durkee]

Thanks for the replies.

I have checked for the exact title of what they want. They want officials to have an "Independent Contractor Federal I.D. number". Does that change anything or make any more sense?

[Hugh Refner]

Originally Posted by Rick Durkee

Thanks for the replies.

I have checked for the exact title of what they want. They want officials to have an "Independent Contractor Federal I.D. number". Does that change anything or make any more sense?

That exact wording does not make sense. If you are acting as a "sole proprietor", then your Social Security number will suffice on a W-9 form. If you are an LLC, an S-corp or a C-corp, then you would have a Federal tax ID number for your corporation (I think I'm correct regarding the LLC status, but IANAL, so you should check).

Based on your posts in this thread, it sounds like you are not established as any type of a corporation, so you should ask them if your Social Security number is OK. Their concern is just what number to put on their 1099 form at the end of the calendar year if you earn over $600.

[BayStateRef]

You have been told three times that a W-9 is what you need. That is the proper answer.

This is from a state of California "FAQ" about this topic (it does not involve officials, but independent contractors):
My service-providers have federal employer identification numbers (FEINs) and business names. How do I determine if they are sole proprietors? Can I report their FEINs instead of their social security numbers (SSNs)?
By statute, you are required to obtain the first name, last name, and SSN of any service-providers that are sole proprietors. The federal Form W-9 was recently revised and now requires sole proprietors to list their first and last names. You may want your service-providers to complete new Forms W-9. If the SSN is still not known after reviewing the W-9, ask the service-provider for the SSN. If the service-provider does not provide it, fill out the SSN box with zeroes (000000000).

[Rick Durkee]

Originally Posted by BayStateRef

You have been told three times that a W-9 is what you need. That is the proper answer.

Before your reply there was only one response after I had posted the clarification of the exact language.

Originally Posted by BayStateRef

This is from a state of California "FAQ" about this topic (it does not involve officials, but independent contractors):
My service-providers have federal employer identification numbers (FEINs) and business names. How do I determine if they are sole proprietors? Can I report their FEINs instead of their social security numbers (SSNs)?
By statute, you are required to obtain the first name, last name, and SSN of any service-providers that are sole proprietors. The federal Form W-9 was recently revised and now requires sole proprietors to list their first and last names. You may want your service-providers to complete new Forms W-9. If the SSN is still not known after reviewing the W-9, ask the service-provider for the SSN. If the service-provider does not provide it, fill out the SSN box with zeroes (0000000000).

Thanks very much BayState and others who replied. I appreciate it.