Many people are alarmed when they get to the portion of sign up that requires giving your Social Security number.
I can understand the confusion, because I was also worried about this when I first enrolled. I also know that there was a time when people thought it was ludacris to enter your credit card information online and now we can literally order something on Amazon and recieve it at our doorstep within the hour.
But let me explain WHY Beachbody requires your Social Security number (or tax I.D. number) in order to enroll as a coach.
PAYROLL
When you sign up as a Coach, you have not only the perk of a 25% discount, but the potential of earning commissions and bonuses by referring your friends. In order to create your Coach ID number, they need to ensure you are a US (or Canadian) citizen just like any employer would.
TAXES
Each Coach is responsible for paying federal, state, and/or local taxes on any income generated as an Independent Coach. Even if a Beachbody business is tax-exempt, the Federal Tax Identification number must be provided to Beachbody. Every year, Beachbody will provide an IRS Form 1099 MISC (Non-employee Compensation) earnings statement to each U.S. individual or entity that:
1) had earnings of over $600 in the previous calendar year; or
2) made purchases during the previous calendar year in excess of $5,000.
WHY DO I HAVE TO GIVE MY SSN?
SECURITY
Beachbody uses industry-standard security measures in place to protect the loss, misuse, and alteration of the information under our control, and we make good-faith efforts to store your personal information in a secure operating environment.