If an artist chooses to use a pseudonym, can they sign contracts or other official documents with that pseudonym, or are they expected to give their real name to people who hire them?
You must use your legal name on documents. If you are a US citizen that means the name associated with your Social Security number and/or EIN number. If you haven’t registered your business name as a legal entity then that means you have to use your personal name. “EIN Numbers” and “Social Security Numbers” are also referred to as “Tax ID Numbers” on documents.
You can also say “Nickname d.b.a. Real Name” (d.b.a. = “doing business as”) but you MUST include your real name as well.
US Citizens: Let’s take this opportunity to remind every freelancer that they should be using an EIN number instead of a SSN. It takes 5min to get one online from the IRS, and it is simply a number that replaces your SSN for invoicing and other business purposes. Your SSN is a security risk - but no one can open a bank account or credit card with just an EIN. In fact, many big companies refuse to take SSNs now, and insist you get an EIN. They don’t want to get sued if there’s a security breach in their paperwork. Getting an EIN in no way impacts your taxes or business status or anything else. It’s a safety measure to deter identity theft.
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