To join a Client on Liquid, a Vendor must be invited to work with that company with an onboarding process. An onboarding process is simply a set of contracts, documents, and tax forms that your Client would like you to fill out, sign, and date before starting work. You may be familiar with completing this type of paperwork in person during Client meetings. Liquid simplifies this process by helping Clients and Vendors complete this process online, allowing both parties to keep such documents and forms organized and up-to-date.
Depending on what your Client has chosen, the specific onboarding process you are presented with may be different. Usually, the first document is a Master Contract, which is the overarching agreement between you and your Client. The second document is usually a Confidential Information and Inventions Assignment Agreement (NDA), which protects both you and your Client’s proprietary information. If your Client has customized their onboarding process, you may also be presented with other documents or forms.
On Liquid, since all Clients are US entities, all onboarding processes include a United States IRS tax form — W-9 for US citizens and residents and W-8 for international vendors. This is typically the final step in the onboarding process. If you have received the wrong IRS tax form, please contact support@poweredbyliquid.com to let us know.
What if I’ve already completed paperwork offline or on another platform?
If you and your Client have already completed paperwork offline or on another platform, then your Client may have chosen to:
- have you complete paperwork again on Liquid; or
- have uploaded your offline paperwork to Liquid; or
- have uploaded a dummy document that lists information about where the paperwork is stored.
In all cases, you will still be presented with a US IRS tax form — W-9 for US citizens and residents and W-8 for international vendors. This will allow your Client to expedite sending IRS Form 1099 in January, if one is required for your engagement. If you have received the wrong IRS tax form, please contact support@poweredbyliquid.com to let us know.