Taxes - Independent Contractor
 

A local Recreation Director called me and stated that his city is going to require that any officials who work the men's league games at the rec facility will be required to get "registered"(?) or "certified"(?) or something with the IRS as an Independent Contractor. H&R Block always files my officiating income as an Independent Contractor, but the city wants something further, including the officials to obtain and submt a Tax I.D. number.

Is this a practice where any of you officiate?

An individual's Tax ID number is his/her SSN. It sounds as though they just want you to complete a W-9.

Here is the form:
http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf?portlet=3
Fill out the first page at the top and give it to the Rec Director and tell him to send it to city hall.

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.

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).

Thank you!
 

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

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

Personally, I'd tell the rec director that if he wants anything more than a W9, he can take his assignments and shove them. Men's rec isn't worth jumping through hoops.

man am I glad officiating isn't taxable income in Canada.

I'll bet I still pay a lower over-all percentage, so I'll pay taxes on my little bit of officiating income. :)

ya but I don't have to pay out of pocket for a check up at the doctors...

I'll take the Canadian set up.

You can have it.

OK, I'll drop it now so this doesn't get political. :)

Merci beaucoup. Thank you very much.

Hopefully you're filing a schedule C and writing off a majority of your income if you're just a high school ref.

Translation, please, on "schedule C" for all those who have just moved here from Canada? (and conscientious objectors who have little experience paying taxes or filling out annual tax forms ... ;) )