Written and maintained by CASRAI Editorial Board
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Short answer. A vendor information form is the document a buyer uses to collect the details needed to set a new supplier up for payment: legal name, tax identification, remittance details and a business contact. Its tax block rests on the IRS Form W-9, and for health care purchasers a federal exclusion check belongs beside it. The form is data collection, not an approval.
Definition and scope
A vendor information form is completed when an organization wants to buy from, and pay, a supplier it has not paid before. Institutions give it different names: vendor application, vendor registration, new vendor setup, supplier registration, supplier verification. They describe the same job: put a supplier record in the accounts payable system so that a purchase order or invoice can be paid.
Vendor application, registration and setup forms
The terms overlap in practice. The University of Pittsburgh calls its form a Supplier Verification Form, and Texas A&M offers a Vendor Information Sheet (used for changing addresses or contacts of existing vendors) and a combined Substitute W-9 and Direct Deposit form. Treat the names as labels for the same step. A vendor setup form template found online is only a layout; what the form must contain is driven by the tax and screening rules covered below.
How the form is used in practice: who fills which part
Some institutions split the form by who knows the information. Pitt’s Supplier Verification Form has two sections: the supplier completes section 1 and returns it with an IRS document (a W-9, or a W-8 for foreign suppliers), and the requesting department completes section 2 and submits both to the purchasing system or expense report. Pitt states that a complete and accurate form is usually processed in one business day and may take up to five business days when volume is high (checked 2026-11-03).
That split is worth copying: the supplier provides facts only it can attest to (legal identity, tax certification, remittance details), while the requester provides the business context (who is buying and from which department).
Fields and the authority behind each
| Block on the form | Why it is there | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Legal name, tax classification and taxpayer identification number | Form W-9 is used to obtain a payee’s correct name and TIN for information returns filed with the IRS. A valid W-9 or substitute carries the name and TIN and is signed and dated under penalties of perjury by the payee or an authorized signer. | IRS, Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9 |
| Foreign supplier certification | A foreign person may not provide a W-9; the IRS directs foreign persons to the appropriate W-8 series form. Pitt’s form accepts a W-8 for foreign suppliers. | IRS requester instructions; Pitt supplier page |
| Remittance and bank details | Payment method is part of setup. Texas A&M requires domestic vendors to be paid by direct deposit (since January 1, 2019) and collects bank details through a secure upload site rather than email. Pitt’s payment terms depend on the payment method the supplier selects during enrollment. | Texas A&M Financial Management Operations; Pitt supplier page |
| Requester section | At Pitt, the buying department completes its own section rather than the supplier. | Pitt supplier page |
| Federal exclusion screening | Not a field the supplier fills in; the buyer runs it. OIG states that no federal payment is made for items or services furnished, ordered or prescribed by an excluded individual or entity. | HHS OIG, Exclusions background |
Why the tax block matters
The IRS requester instructions give three reasons a buyer should not skip it. First, the W-9 is how a payer gets the payee’s correct name and TIN. Second, the backup withholding rate is 24% for reportable payments, and a requester that does not collect backup withholding from affected payees as required may become liable for any uncollected amount. Third, where a W-9 or other certification of non-foreign status has not been received, the withholding rules require the payor to presume the payee is subject to withholding. The IRS also notes that a substitute W-9 can be incorporated into other business forms an organization already uses, which is how a vendor information form usually carries the tax block (IRS, checked 2026-11-03).
Screening before the first payment
For organizations that bill federal health care programs, a vendor form that stops at tax and bank details leaves out a step. HHS OIG maintains the List of Excluded Individuals/Entities (LEIE), says anyone who hires an individual or entity on it may be subject to civil monetary penalties, and tells health care entities to check it routinely (its page speaks of new hires and current employees). See the guides on OIG exclusion checks for medical supply vendors and on debarment and exclusion screening for how the check is run. For the wider document packet around the form, see what documentation to request when onboarding a vendor.
Where it matters for supply decisions
The form sits at the start of the purchasing chain, before an account is opened or an invoice is paid. It does not replace trade-reference checks or the account arrangements covered in net-30 payment terms and vendor account verification, and it says nothing about product quality. For the buyer’s side of the relationship, see hospital supplier.
Common misunderstandings
A completed form means the vendor is approved
The form creates a payable record. Pitt describes its form as the step that activates a supplier in its purchasing system, and nothing in the IRS, OIG or university pages cited here equates it with a quality or regulatory approval.
The supplier can email its bank details
Texas A&M states that, under Texas state law (TAC 202) and system policy, confidential information such as Social Security Numbers or bank account information may not be sent by email, and provides a secure upload form instead. Check your own institution’s rule before sending sensitive fields by email.
One template fits every supplier
Not quite: the IRS tells foreign persons to use a W-8 series form instead of a W-9, and Texas A&M publishes separate forms for domestic vendors and for other payee types such as employees and students.
Frequently asked questions
What is a vendor information form?
It is the form a buyer uses to collect a new supplier’s legal, tax, contact and payment details so the supplier can be paid. Vendor application, registration and setup form refer to the same step.
What is the difference between a vendor application form and a vendor registration form?
No fixed difference is documented; institutions use the labels interchangeably, and some call it a supplier verification form. Follow the label your institution’s procurement office uses.
Which tax form goes with a new vendor setup form?
For U.S. persons it is the IRS Form W-9, or an acceptable substitute that carries the name and TIN and is signed and dated under penalties of perjury. Foreign suppliers use the appropriate W-8 series form.
Does a vendor setup form template need a screening field?
The IRS and OIG pages do not prescribe a form layout. OIG’s guidance is that health care entities should check the LEIE routinely, so many buyers run that check alongside setup rather than asking the supplier to self-declare.
Sources
- IRS, Instructions for the Requester of Form W-9, checked 2026-11-03.
- HHS Office of Inspector General, Exclusions background (LEIE), checked 2026-11-03.
- University of Pittsburgh, Adding/Changing Suppliers, checked 2026-11-03.
- Texas A&M University Financial Management Operations, Vendor Setup, checked 2026-11-03.
This page is general information about administrative forms and is not legal or tax advice.
