Fill a W-9 Form Using PDF.co and Make

Step 1: Prepare the PDF and Field Names

Upload a fillable W-9 PDF to Google Drive.

Open PDF Inspector from your PDF.co dashboard and load the same PDF. Identify the exact internal names of the fields you want to fill.

Use the field names from your own file, since they can differ between form versions. The PDF must contain interactive form fields for this workflow.

Step 2: Download the Form from Google Drive

1. Create a new scenario in Make.
2. Add Google Drive – Download a File.
3. Connect your Google account.
4. Select the W-9 PDF or enter its File ID.
5. Run the module once to confirm that it returns the file data.

The File ID must identify the PDF itself, rather than its containing folder.

Step 3: Add PDF.co

1. Add PDF.co – Fill a PDF Form.
2. Create a PDF.co connection using the API key from your dashboard.
3. Set Import Options to Upload a File.
4. Map the Data output from Google Drive into the file input.
5. Set Output File Name to a name such as completed-w9.pdf.

Step 4: Configure the Fields

In the module’s Fields section, add an item for each PDF field you want to populate:

• Field Name: Enter the exact internal name found with PDF Inspector.
• Text: Enter the value to insert.
• Page or Pages Range: Use 0 for the first page.
• Font Name and Font Size: Set these together if you want to control the text size. A font name must be specified for the font size to take effect.

Start with sample values for a few text fields, such as the name and address. If a value is split across several PDF fields, configure each field separately.

For an automated workflow, map these values from an earlier form, spreadsheet, or CRM module.

Set Export Type to Download a File so the completed PDF is available as file data. See the Fill a PDF Form documentation for additional settings.

Step 5: Test and Save the Completed PDF

Run the scenario once and open the PDF.co output URL. Check that each value appears in the correct field and fits within its boundaries.

Add Google Drive – Upload a File and configure:

• Destination folder: Select where completed forms should be stored.
• File name: Map the PDF.co output filename.
• Data: Map the PDF.co output file data.

Run the scenario again and confirm that the completed W-9 is saved in Google Drive. This retains the PDF after its temporary PDF.co output link expires.