I operate as a single member LLC. I have a ton of clients, and most of my clients are businesses, who pay me with credit card (and some of them check).
I've been using the W9 form from 2007, which says that I can use the EIN of my business even if I'm a disregarded entity. The new W9 forms, however, seem to say that I need to use my social security number.
This year, I received a bunch of 1099s from the companies I serve. On one of them, the client had put my social (they had it from a previously sub-contracting agreement I did for them many years ago). On all of the others, they used the EIN of the company. I initially asked the client to re-submit under the EIN of the company instead, in which they asked if I was a single member LLC. I said yes, and they said "Then I can use your social". That has me concerned. For what it's worth, I just asked my Uncle, who runs a printing business and has thousands of customers, what he does. He says he uses a W-9 form and puts the EIN of the company, even though he's a sole owner. So is he wrong too?
So here are my question(s):
* As long as I continue to use the W9 form from 2007, which lets me put the company's EIN number on the W9 even if I'm a disregarded entity, I can keep sending that to companies and not have to give out my social, right? There's no rule that you have to use the latest W-9 form, is there? And if so, how can I change my SMLLC so I don't need to hand out my social security number to potentially 100+ people/companies over a few year period?
* Not all of my clients send me 1099s. As long as I pay taxes on the money I receive (I use freshbooks, so I get a total number, and that's what I report to the IRS - I don't do *any* cash transactions so there's no risk of me forgetting something), I'm okay even if they don't 1099 me, right?