W-9 tracking software for general contractors.
W-9 tracking software for general contractors has one job: get a current W-9 from every sub you pay and know, without opening a filing cabinet, who still owes you one. SubLien asks, follows up on a set schedule, keeps the source file, and shows it beside that sub’s certificate and lien waivers.
- Summit Roofing LLCOn file — reviewed
Recorded by Dana Whitfield · Feb 11
- Delta MechanicalOn file — not reviewed
Uploaded Mar 2 · waiting on your review
- Cedar Ridge ConcreteRequested
Asked Mar 1 · reminder 2 of 3
- Ironline ElectricReturned to vendor
Sent back Feb 27 · replacement requested
- Bayou Framing
Never asked
Ask once, then stop thinking about it
The same four steps run for every vendor you add. A person on your team only does the last one.
One email, the right person
The request goes to the contact you set for W-9s on that vendor — often the bookkeeper or CPA, not the field super — and falls back to the primary contact rather than sending to nobody. A brand-new sub can be asked for their certificate and their W-9 in the same message, with a separate secure link for each.
No account, no portal
Your sub opens a secure link and uploads from any modern phone, tablet or computer. The link lasts 30 days and every reminder carries a fresh one, so a request that sat in an inbox for a fortnight still works.
The file is stored, not read
A W-9 carries a full taxpayer identification number, so SubLien treats it as a document to keep rather than data to mine: it is stored encrypted with access-controlled delivery, it is never sent to an AI provider, and its contents are not read, extracted, validated or verified.
A person records the decision
Your reviewer opens the original and records one of two things — keep this W-9 on file, or return it to the vendor and ask for a replacement — with their name, the time, and the sentence they agreed to stored on the record. Nothing turns green without a reviewer to attribute it to.
A tracked W-9 is not a tax opinion.
SubLien runs the collection and keeps the paperwork. What the form means for your books stays with the people qualified to say.
- No IRS TIN matching and no taxpayer identification verification.
- No 1099 preparation, filing, or year-end reporting.
- No decision about worker classification, backup withholding, or whether a vendor should be paid.
- No reading of the form's contents — SubLien records that a file arrived and what your reviewer decided about it.
The chasing, and where it stops
Three sends, then it hands the vendor back to you rather than emailing them forever.
It asks
- Three days after the request, then day 7, then day 12. Or 7 / 14 / 21 if you set the weekly cadence in Settings — the pace is yours, the number of sends is fixed.
- The contact you chose for W-9s. Per vendor, falling back to the primary contact so a request is never sent to nobody.
- Only the latest request. Re-request a W-9 and the new row is the one that gets chased; the old one goes quiet instead of double-emailing your sub.
And then it stops
- The form arrives. The ladder ends the moment the upload lands, and the vendor moves to your review queue.
- The last rung is reached. SubLien stops emailing, flags the vendor as at risk, and tells your team — the escalation is a human one.
- You put it on the record yourself. If the sub emails you the W-9 instead, upload it to their record and the chasing stops there too.
The W-9 is the third thing you chase. It shouldn't live somewhere else.
Waiver, certificate and W-9 come back through the same door, land on the same vendor record, and leave in the same export.
Lien waivers
Conditional or unconditional, progress or final — your sub signs from a link, and the signed PDF lands on their record with its audit trail.
See lien waiver softwareCOI tracking
The ACORD 25 beside its extracted facts and the minimums you configured, with a person on your team recording the conclusion.
See COI tracking softwareOne export
Owners and admins export signed waivers, certificates, W-9 files and audit trails as a ZIP — and the records stay available for as long as your account is open.
Read the full FAQW-9 collection is included, not an add-on
Every plan includes every feature; only the monthly document allowance changes. Requesting, collecting, chasing and reviewing W-9s never spends that allowance, so asking every vendor for one costs nothing extra.
80 documents a month, billed quarterly or annually. Every plan includes every feature — only the monthly document allowance changes. One lien waiver sent or one COI reviewed counts as a document; W-9 collection, reminders, users, vendors and projects are free. A one-time onboarding fee covers setup.
W-9 tracking questions
If yours isn’t here, the full list is on the FAQ page — or ask it on the call.
Does SubLien read what is on the W-9?
No. SubLien stores the source W-9 as a private, access-controlled file and does not send it to an AI provider or read, extract, validate, or verify its contents. Your AP, accounting, or tax team opens the original and decides whether to rely on it.
Is the taxpayer identification number checked against IRS records?
No. There is no IRS TIN matching, no taxpayer identification verification, and no 1099 preparation or filing. SubLien tracks whether a current W-9 was asked for, came back, and was reviewed by someone on your team — the tax work stays with your accountant.
What statuses can a W-9 have?
Missing, Requested, On file — not reviewed, On file — reviewed, and Returned to vendor. Nothing advances on its own past 'on file': a W-9 stays unreviewed until a named person on your team records Reviewed or Returned, and the record stores which of the two they chose.
Do W-9s count against my monthly document allowance?
No. A document is one COI reviewed or one lien waiver sent. W-9 requests, uploads, reminders and review records are free on every plan, and so are users, vendors and projects.
Do my subcontractors need an account to send a W-9?
No. They get an email with a secure upload link that lasts 30 days and upload from any modern phone, tablet or computer. Each reminder carries a fresh link. If a sub emails you the form instead, put it on their record yourself and the chasing stops.
Can the W-9 request go to someone other than my main contact?
Yes. Each vendor can have a contact set to receive W-9 requests — often the bookkeeper or CPA rather than the field contact — and SubLien falls back to the primary contact rather than sending to nobody.
Do W-9s expire in SubLien?
SubLien does not put an expiry date on a W-9 or decide when a new one is needed — that call is your team's. Request a fresh one whenever you want; the new request supersedes the old one, which goes quiet instead of being chased twice.
Are W-9s only for subcontractors?
No. A W-9 is generally collected from US vendors, contractors, and other payees when your company needs taxpayer information for reporting. In a GC workflow that usually means subs and suppliers, and SubLien tracks any vendor you add.
The W-9 is one of three things a sub owes you before a check goes out. The other two have pages of their own: lien waivers and COI tracking. How the files are stored and who can reach them is on our security page, and what we do with the data is in the privacy policy. None of this is tax advice — your accountant decides what a W-9 means for your books.
Bring the list of subs you can't find a W-9 for.
Fifteen minutes on a screen share: we set up the requests for your real vendors and show you what the follow-up schedule does with the ones who never answer.
- Requests go to the contact you choose, with a secure link that needs no account.
- Three reminders, then the vendor is flagged for a human — never an endless drip.
- The source file is kept and never read; your reviewer records the decision by name.