Vendor tax IDs are stored masked and only the last four digits are ever shown.
A W-9 carries a Social Security or Employer ID number. Most teams collect them by email and keep the numbers in spreadsheets, so one forwarded message or shared folder exposes every vendor's tax ID.
myCertGate fixes this by keeping only what you need: proof the form is on file and a masked number to match it.
Vendor record
Sample record for illustration.
The tax ID on file is a masked value. The full number isn't kept in vendor records, so it can't leak from them.
Vendor profiles, lists and exports show ***-**-1234, enough to match a vendor and nothing more.
Vendors upload the W-9 themselves through a one-job link. No inbox forwarding, no shared drives.
The uploaded form sits in private storage that only your workspace's members can open.
| Typical process | myCertGate | |
|---|---|---|
| How W-9s arrive | Email attachments, forwarded around | Vendor uploads through a secure link |
| Tax ID in your records | Full number in spreadsheets | Masked, last four shown |
| Where files live | Inboxes and shared folders | Private workspace storage |
| Who can see them | Anyone with the folder or email | Your workspace members only |
No. Only a masked version of the tax ID is saved, and screens and exports show just the last four digits.
Through a secure upload link you send them. The file goes straight into your workspace's private storage, with no email attachment and no vendor account.
Only members of your workspace. Files are kept in private storage and are never published on a public link.
Yes. The last four digits plus the vendor's legal name and the uploaded form are enough to match records for 1099 prep and payment checks.