As a sole proprietor, am I required to provide my social security number to a customer who wants to issue me a 1099 Misc? I provided monthly swimming pool maintenance.

[Anita01 · Accepted solution]

Yes, I'm afraid so.  If you don't like doing that, you can always apply for an EIN for your business.  You don't have to have one unless you have a payroll, but you can always get one, just in case you need it for this purpose.

You can also explain that your customer does not need to provide you with a 1099 unless she is a business and wants to use her payments to you as a business expense.