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I finally got my EIN number after waiting 3 weeks
When I started my side business in Ohio last month, I thought getting an Employer Identification Number would take 10 minutes on the IRS website. But my application got flagged for some reason and I had to mail in a paper form instead. It took 23 days from the day I sent it to get that letter back. Has anyone else dealt with a delayed EIN for no clear reason?
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shane_morgan2mo ago
Got flagged too but mine was because my business name was too close to an existing LLC in another state. The IRS system is just outdated and their paper processing is slow.
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viola_garcia562mo ago
The skittishness around the name thing is a real stretch. I've had a LLC for eight years down in Texas and never once had the IRS flag it for being close to someone else's company. Half the businesses here have "Lone Star" in the title. It's not like they're checking for trademark infringement.
Paper processing is slow, that's a given. But waiting three weeks for an EIN isn't a crisis. It's a minor delay in a government system. The IRS has way bigger problems than speedwalking through EIN applications.
The whole "stuck in 1995" complaint sounds dramatic. Mail is slow, but it's not like we're talking about a passport renewal. You can still operate as a sole proprietor without the EIN while you wait, as long as you're not hiring employees.
It's an EIN number. Not a green card. Not a business license. The amount of hand-wringing over a form letter is a little much.
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juliaa652mo ago
Oh man, that's so frustrating! @shane_morgan mentioned the name thing and that actually makes a lot of sense. I've heard the IRS system flags stuff like that automatically, even if your business is a totally different type than the other one. It's almost like they're trying to prevent confusion but it just ends up being a hassle for everyone. Paper processing feels like it's stuck in 1995 or something, waiting weeks for a letter that could just be a PDF.
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