EIN application rejected?
Decode the IRS error and fix the input.
The IRS online assistant returns one of 13 reference numbers when it rejects your SS-4. We map each one to a verified cause, a step-by-step fix, and the right escalation path — retry online, mail, fax, or wait.
Processed in your browser only. Pasted rejection text is never sent to our servers.
- Sourced to IRS Pub 1635
- Every claim links its IRS source
- Client-side · no logging
The IRS detected a name conflict — another entity in the IRS database is using a name that is identical or substantially similar to the one you submitted. [1]
- An existing entity (any state, any year) is registered at the IRS under a name that overlaps yours.
- A previously dissolved entity still carries an open record.
- Your name was approved at the state level but conflicts at the federal level — state and IRS uniqueness checks are separate.
- 1Verify your state-approved entity name on your filed Articles.
- 2If state-unique but IRS-conflicted: file SS-4 by mail or fax — an IRS agent will review the name and may accept it with documentation, or require a name change.
- 3If you want a different name: amend with the state first; do not retry online with a name your state has not yet approved.
Informational, not tax advice. The IRS issues all EINs — we do not. Talk to a CPA or EA →
- All 13 codes mapped to IRS Pub 1635
- Retry · mail · fax · wait — the right path each time
- Traced to the Form SS-4 instructions
- Single-EIN-per-day rule, with .ics reminder
- Cincinnati & Ogden fax/mail channels
Reference index
All 13 IRS error codes
Every reference number the EIN assistant can return, each mapped to a verified cause and fix path.
Most common rejections
Start with the codes everyone hits
These four account for the majority of EIN application rejections. Decode them first.
Educational pillars
When the EIN error is really a formation problem
Some rejections are input typos. Others mean your entity, name, or responsible party needs to change first. These guides cover the deeper cases.
Name conflicts at the IRS level — fixing code 101
Why state-approved names still fail at the federal level, and exactly what to do when they do.
Code 109 — when "technical" actually isn't
Half of 109s are real system blips that clear on retry. The other half are background record mismatches the assistant can't disambiguate.
"The IRS thinks I already have an EIN"
Trust EINs, estate EINs, and prior sole-prop EINs all linger on file. Apply for a new one when the old one exists and you'll see codes 111 or 112.
When in formation should I apply for the EIN?
State approval first, EIN second. Applying before your Articles are filed is the most common avoidable cause of code 109.
Do you even need an EIN?
Sole proprietors usually don't. LLCs almost always do. Disambiguating EIN, ITIN, and SSN saves a 15-minute round trip.
One LLC operating in multiple states — one EIN
Foreign qualification doesn't change your federal EIN. State tax IDs are separate.
Responsible-party rules — codes 103 and 115
Who counts as RP, what to do when the prior RP is deceased, and how third-party designees actually work.
How it works
From rejection to refiled — in four steps
Read the reference number
The IRS online assistant returns a three-digit reference number (101–115) when it can't issue your EIN. That number is the whole diagnosis.
Decode the real cause
We map each reference number to its verified cause from IRS Pub 1635 and the Form SS-4 instructions — in plain English, not IRS shorthand.
Follow the fix path
Each code resolves one of four ways: correct the input and retry online, file SS-4 by mail or fax, or wait out a timing rule. We tell you which.
Refile with confidence
Pre-flight your SS-4 inputs against the same checks the assistant runs, so the next submission clears instead of bouncing again.
How we research
Every claim on this site is sourced from IRS Pub 1635, Form SS-4 instructions, or 26 CFR §301.6109-1, with each source linked so you can verify it directly. See our methodology and full citation manifest.
Questions
EIN rejection FAQ
The questions people ask right after the IRS assistant bounces their SS-4.
A rejection isn't the end of the line.
An EIN reference number is a fixable diagnosis, not a dead end. We map your code to its verified cause, the exact correction, and the right channel to refile — every step traced to IRS Pub 1635 and the SS-4 instructions. No email, no countdown timers.
Decode in under a minute
Paste the rejection. Get the fix.
Drop your IRS reference number into the decoder — or pick it from the list — and get the verified cause, the step-by-step fix, and the right channel to refile.
Informational, not tax advice. The IRS issues all EINs — we do not.