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A service-company supervisor with a clipboard briefs two crew members in hi-vis vests beside plain white vans and a mower trailer at golden hour at the edge of a neighbourhood.

Your W-9, license and COI, and where each comes from.

Communities pick companies whose paperwork is current. Each document below shows a sample, the official page behind it, and your state’s filing office.

Open your checklistCreate your vendor account

Your W-9, COI and business license.

Open a tab for a sample and the place the real one comes from.

Use the current form from the link below, not this picture. The picture is a simplified mock with made-up data.

A simplified example W-9 with made-up data and the taxpayer ID shown as XX-XXXXXXX, stamped EXAMPLE.
Stamped EXAMPLE.
  • The current Form W-9 is the March 2024 revision.1
  • The IRS posts the current Form W-9 PDF at irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fw9.pdf.2
Sources (2)
  1. IRS, as of
  2. IRS, as of

Pool operator cards and lifeguard certificates.

Where your trade calls for a credential, this is what one looks like.

Certifying bodies each design their own. This mock shows the details a community looks for: who, what, when issued and when it ends.

An example training certificate with a made-up name, course and dates, stamped EXAMPLE.
Illustrative layout with made-up data.
  • PHTA's Certified Pool & Spa Operator (CPO) is a pool-operator education and certification program.1
  • The American Red Cross offers lifeguarding certification courses.2
  • The CDC Model Aquatic Health Code is guidance, not federal law; it becomes law only where a state, local, territorial or tribal jurisdiction adopts it.3
Sources (3)
  1. PHTA, as of
  2. American Red Cross, as of
  3. CDC, as of
Sources (17)
  1. Employer identification number Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  2. Get an employer identification number Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  3. Business structures Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  4. What is a Certificate of Insurance? (ACORD FAQ) ACORD. As of .
  5. About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  6. Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024) Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  7. Sole proprietorships Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  8. Choose a business structure U.S. Small Business Administration. As of .
  9. Partnerships Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  10. Limited liability company (LLC) Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  11. S corporations Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  12. Forming a corporation Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  13. Exempt organization types Internal Revenue Service. As of .
  14. Certified Pool & Spa Operator (CPO) Pool & Hot Tub Alliance (PHTA). As of .
  15. Get Your Red Cross Lifeguard Certification American Red Cross. As of .
  16. Model Aquatic Health Code (MAHC): Key points Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As of .
  17. ACORD Forms Notification, December 2025 Bulletin ACORD. As of .

Official pages change. Each line shows the day we last read it.

Have the three on file before you propose.

Creating an account needs no document. We read your W-9, business license and general liability certificate, and each community can set its own list for your trade, starting from the W-9 alone.

Open your checklistInsurance explained