Meredith Dietz is Lifehacker’s Senior Staff Writer. She earned her bachelor’s degree in English and Communications from Northeastern University, where she graduated as valedictorian of her college.

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Whenever you start a new job there’s always a stack of paperwork to fill out. Buried in there is something called a W-4 form or an Employee’s Withholding Certificate.

The main difference between a W-9 and a 1099 is that you fill out a W-9, while the business or entity that is paying you ...