What is tax validation for payees?

GoDaddy customers in the United States are required to complete an electronic Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Form W-9 to complete their payee setup. To comply with tax regulations, we've added a tax validation step in the payee setup process.

How does tax validation work?

Once a day, for all U.S. payees, our commissions payout partner Tipalti compares the name and tax identification number (TIN) you provided in Form W-9 to the same information in the IRS database. If this info does not match, you'll be notified via email that payments will be withheld until you provide corrected information. Emails are sent to the email address you provided during payee setup.

I got the email that says my info wasn't validated. How can I correct my tax information?

To correct your tax information, see Add or change my payee information. During the step for completing IRS Form W-9, watch for these red error messages:

• If you see "Please correct the details entered for Name and EIN as their validation failed": The Name and/or EIN you previously entered were incorrect. Enter the correct Name and EIN as appropriate.
• If you see "Signature does not match the name inserted in the Address tab": Make sure the name in your electronic signature in Form W-9 matches the name you entered in the address section (in step 4 of the linked article).
• If you see "Entry does not match the email on file": Make sure your contact email address in Form W-9 matches the email you entered in the address section (also in step 4).
• After you change this information, complete the rest of the steps in the article to resubmit your revised Form W-9.

Once the tax form has been updated and resubmitted, if the new information matches what is on file in the IRS database, any held payments will be released within 1-2 business days; otherwise, you'll be notified again via email and payments will continue to be held until we receive valid information.

When do I need to update my IRS Form W-9?

If your payee account information changes, your current tax information will not pass validation. Update and resubmit your W-9 when you change any of this payee information:

• First name
• Last name
• Company name
• Contact address country
• Payment details country
• Phone number

To change your payee information and update your W-9, see Add or change my payee information.

What if I get the email that says my info didn't pass validation, but I'm sure my info is correct?

Please contact your appropriate Support team (Aftermarket or Reseller) if you have troubles with EIN validation.