We ask for the information on this form to carry out the Internal Revenue laws of the United States. If you want to receive exemption from withholding on compensation for independent (and certain dependent) personal services, you are required to give us the information. Our legal right to ask for information is Internal Revenue Code sections 1441, 3401, and 3402. Code section 6109 requires that you provide your social security number or individual taxpayer identification number. We need it to ensure that you are complying with these laws and to allow us to figure and collect the right amount of tax. Routine uses of this information include giving it to the Department of Justice for civil and criminal litigation, and cities, states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. commonwealths and possessions for use in administering their tax laws. We may also disclose this information to other countries under a tax treaty, to federal and state agencies to enforce federal nontax criminal laws, or to federal law enforcement and intelligence agencies to combat terrorism. If you fail to provide a properly completed form, the withholding agent cannot accept it and is required to withhold.

You are not required to provide the information requested on a form that is subject to the Paperwork Reduction Act unless the form displays a valid OMB control number. Books or records relating to a form or its instructions must be retained as long as their contents may become material in the administration of any Internal Revenue law. Generally, tax returns and return information are confidential, as required by section 6103.

The time needed to complete and file this form will vary depending on individual circumstances. The estimated average time is: Recordkeeping, 1 hr. 5 min.; Learning about the law or the form, 31 min.; Preparing and sending the form to IRS, 57 min.

If you have comments concerning the accuracy of these time estimates or suggestions for making this form simpler, we would be happy to hear from you. You can write to the Internal Revenue Service, Tax Products Coordinating Committee, SE:W:CAR:MP:T:T:SP, 1111 Constitution Ave. NW, IR-6526, Washington, DC 20224. Do not send the tax form to this address. Instead, give it to your withholding agent.