# Keep documents on a vendor

Add a W-9, certificate of insurance, contract or license to a vendor, replace it when a new one arrives, and see what has expired.

Canonical: https://demo.qixcount.com/help/bills-and-vendors/keep-vendor-documents

Who can do this: Owners, or people with *View vendors*; adding, replacing, deleting and opening a W-9 need *Edit vendors*

Where: Expenses & bills, then Vendors

You'll need: A saved vendor; a PDF, JPG or PNG file up to 10 MB

## Add a document

1. Open **Expenses & bills**, then **Vendors**, and select the vendor's name.
2. Select the **Documents** tab.
3. Select **Add a document**.
4. Choose the file. It must be a PDF, JPG or PNG up to 10 MB.
5. Select the **Type**: W-9, Certificate of insurance, Contract, License or permit, or Other.
6. Enter **Signed** and **Expires** if the document has those dates.
7. Enter a **Note** if you want one, such as a policy number.
8. Select **Add a document**.

The document appears under **Vendor documents** with its type, file name, size, who added it and when. QixCount does not read the file. You choose the type and enter the dates yourself.

A file of another kind, or one over 10 MB, is not added, and a message names the file.

## Understand the status

| Status | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| On file | A W-9 with no expiry date, or one that expires in more than 90 days. |
| Current | Another document with no expiry date, or one that expires in more than 90 days. |
| Expires in | The expiry date is within 90 days. The status counts the days left. |
| Expired | The expiry date has passed. The status counts the days since. |

The **Paperwork** card lists the W-9 first, then expired documents, then documents that expire within 90 days, then any details to finish on the vendor. It reads the same facts as the Paperwork column on the vendor list. People who can edit vendors can select **Ask for a new one** beside an expired document. Below that the card shows any W-9 or document request you sent the vendor. See [ask a vendor for a W-9 or a document](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/bills-and-vendors/ask-a-vendor-for-a-w9).

For a vendor tracked for 1099, the **1099 this year** card shows what you have paid them this year that counts toward a 1099, against the amount that needs a form.

## Set a reminder

Under **Remind**, choose 7, 14, 30, 60 or 90 days before the document expires. This needs an expiry date.

On that day QixCount emails the person who added the document. If that person is no longer active in the business or can no longer view vendors, the email goes to the business owner. The day is counted in your business's time zone. The email is sent once. If it could not go out on the day, it goes out on the next day it can, as long as the document has not expired.

With **Email the vendor too** on, the vendor gets a private link on the same day to send a new document of that type. This needs an email address on the vendor. A vendor who already has a request waiting for that type is not asked again. When the vendor could not be emailed that day, because they were emailed about it minutes earlier or the business has reached its daily limit of request emails, QixCount tries again each day until the document expires. Your own reminder still arrives, and says whether the vendor was emailed. What they send is added to their documents. See [ask a vendor for a W-9 or a document](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/bills-and-vendors/ask-a-vendor-for-a-w9).

No reminder is sent for a document that was replaced or deleted. After the email goes out, the document's row shows the day the reminder was sent.

## Replace a document

1. On the **Documents** tab, open the menu at the end of the document's row and select **Replace**. An expired document also has a **Replace** button on its row.
2. Choose the new file and enter its dates.
3. Check that **Replaces** names the old file.
4. Select **Replace document**.

The old file moves to **History** under the list, with the date it was replaced and who replaced it. It is not deleted. Files under History can be viewed, not changed or deleted. Only a document of the same type can be replaced.

## View, download or delete

Select **View** to open a document in a new browser tab. Open the menu at the end of the row to select **Download**.

> [!WARNING]
> Deleting a document removes the file permanently. This cannot be undone. To keep the old file, replace the document instead.

1. Open the menu at the end of the document's row.
2. Select **Delete**.
3. Select **Delete document**.

## Who can open a W-9

Anyone who can see the vendor sees every document in the list, including that a W-9 exists, its status and its signed date. Only owners and people with *Edit vendors* can view or download a W-9, add a document, replace one or delete one.

## What a W-9 changes

- The vendor's 1099 information shows the W-9 as received, with the signed date and any expiry date from the document. With an expired W-9 it shows expired. Deleting the W-9 document sets it back to not received.
- A vendor with a W-9, including a replaced one under History, cannot be deleted. Make the vendor inactive instead. See [remove an unused vendor](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/bills-and-vendors/remove-a-vendor).

Adding a W-9 does not change the vendor's tax ID or 1099 tracking. Enter those on the vendor; see [set up a vendor for 1099 forms](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/taxes/set-up-vendors-for-1099).

## Files from bills and expenses

**From their bills and expenses** lists files attached to this vendor's bills, newest first, with a link to each bill. With expense viewing access it also lists files on the vendor's expenses. These files stay on the bill or expense. Add, change or remove them there.

Next, [review the vendor page](https://demo.qixcount.com/help/bills-and-vendors/vendor-page-and-history).