W-9 statuses
Reward approval statuses
FAQ
What happens to rewards that were held?
When an reward is approved but a W-9 status is not Match for that calendar year then the reward status is changed to Approval Held. The moment the advocate's W-9 reaches Match, Approval Held rewards are approved automatically updated to Approved. No action needed from you.
An advocate's status is "No Match" — what should they do?
The most common causes are typos in the tax ID, using a nickname or married name that doesn't match IRS records, or mixing up SSN and EIN. The advocate can re-open the tax form from their portal banner, correct the details, and re-submit.
Can I change the thresholds?
The collection threshold (when the request email goes out) is configurable in Tax Settings: $500, $1,000, $1,500 or $1,750. The $2,000 limit where reward approvals pause is fixed — it follows the IRS reporting threshold and cannot be changed.
Is the advocates' information secure?
Yes. The form is protected by email verification, the tax ID is encrypted and only its last 4 digits are ever displayed, and advocates certify and sign electronically following the official IRS W-9 form.
Does this apply to advocates outside the US?
The W-9 applies to US persons. Advocates' earnings are tracked per campaign where tax collection is active — talk to your account manager about how to structure programs with international advocates.
Can I collect W-9s for previous years?
Tax records are kept per calendar year. Use the Tax Year selector in Tax Management to review any year's records.
Questions? Review the related articles or contact support@getambassador.com.
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