… Or: How to get my W-9 form from Raconteur Press.
Welcome to the primary reason why Raconteur Press uses PubShare.
It is that time of the year when the Infernal Revenue Service gets altogether too interested in stuff, and I’m quickly learning that one of the big pitfalls for new authors is taxes owed.
If you published with us last year, you probably ought to have a W-9 form to present to your tax person for inclusion in your tax file. Most of our authors won’t need to pay taxes on what they earned from us in 2022, but given the proctological tendencies of said Fed agency, having one close to hand can’t hurt. And getting in the habit of having for your W-9 form for future years will hopefully be necessary.
So.
Log-in to your PubShare account.
On the left side of your screen, you should see an option for “Reports & Statements”, click on that.
This will give you a series of sub-folders, one of which is entitled “Tax Forms”.
Click on that sub-file, and you’ll get a page with various amounts of data on it, but the important part is a small button somewhere on that page labelled “Current Form W-9”.
Click on the radio button in the circled area. This is your W-9. Print it off; have it with you when you talk to your tax dude.
As mentioned previously I don’t think any of our authors made enough from our books this year for the W-9 to mean much, but that is liable to change this time around. Have it on hand anyway.
And this, Gentle Reader (and Gentle Authors) is why PubShare is worth every penny.
LawDog
I’m an accountant, but not your accountant. I am happy to provide some guidance in these matters. I am not doing anyone’s taxes besides my own this year. Next year should be a different story. If you are just now talking to an accountant about your 2022 taxes, plan to file an extension. Do not skip this step. The IRS will hit you far harder for late filing than they will for late payments.
We’re all hoping that everyone here starts making some real money. Save yourself some headaches and start tracking expenses. This includes what you spend to go to conventions where you are speaking or selling your wares.
Agreed! And taxes (and having enough to PAY the taxes) is important! Jenn is absolutely correct too! Track expenses!!!
A lot of us did not earn enough for a W-9 to be generated. So I printed the page noting the total income and added the amount to earnings as a writer. Keep the printed page with the rest of the tax documents and it works.
I did that too. This year was a weird year in taxes for me, so I made double damn sure to include all potential income sources when I filed.
How is this different from the 1099-Misc I got from another publisher?
The W-9 form — if you have made enough money — would be used to generate a 1099 form.