Bookkeeping Tips • October 20, 2026 • by Zachariah Smiley
January has a special misery reserved for business owners who skip this one: chasing W-9 forms from every contractor they paid all year, against a filing deadline, from people who suddenly become very hard to reach.
The rule is simple — anyone you paid $600 or more for services during the year needs a W-9 on file so you can issue their 1099. The painless time to collect it is now: run a vendor expense report in QuickBooks Online, see who crosses the threshold, and ask.
Even better, make it policy: no W-9, no next payment. Contractors hand it over in minutes when a check depends on it. In January, you're the one who needs the favor — collect them while the leverage is yours.
This is exactly the kind of thing I clean up and keep clean for Wichita small businesses — catch-up projects and monthly bookkeeping, quoted flat after a free look at your books.