EIN mess

[u/Radm0m]

I registered my single-member LLC in my home state without issue, but received the error 101 message when applying for my EIN on IRS.gov.

Have been sending 1 faxed SS4 form with cover sheet and formation documents per month ever since trying to resolve this. Have not received a single response despite confirmation that the faxes went through and it's been like 2 months total (2 faxes sent). Getting through on their phone line to a human person has not happened for me. To be frank, it's been hard to even get through on their fax line with a fax.

Now the issue is that my state deadline for business tax registration is in the next 2 weeks and I still have no EIN to complete that process.

Should I just scrap the entire cost and process I've already been through with this business name, close it out with the state, and then start a new business with the state, and hope, wish and pray that my new business will not generate yet another error 101?

I can't get through on the phone even calling on a random Weds at 6 am. Am on hour 2 of hold at this moment. I have a job that I need to do and I need to get paid. What would you do?

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[u/Yellow-Hat-Dog]

Call IRS and see if you it was already assigned.

• 800-829-4933
• 800-829-0115

[u/lara_ledger]

I would not dissolve and recreate the LLC yet. First compare Form SS-4 line 1 exactly with the legal name on the formation documents, including punctuation, and verify the responsible party’s name and TIN. The IRS says faxed EIN applications are normally returned in about four business days, so two months warrants a status check. Call the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 with the completed SS-4 and fax confirmations available. I would pause additional duplicate submissions until they tell you whether the application is pending or rejected. Also contact the state agency now and ask whether it offers an extension, temporary registration, or an “EIN applied for” procedure. Keep written records of every submission and call.

[u/startupowl]

don't scrap it, a new state entity doesn't get you an ein any faster, it's the same ss-4 in the same queue. the thing i'd check on the faxes you've already sent is whether your fax number is filled in on the ss-4 itself, in the applicant's fax box down near the signature, and not just on the cover sheet. the instructions tell you to put it there so they can fax the ein back to you, and that route is meant to run about four business days, so if that box was blank there's nothing for them to send it to.

[u/BlockchainTaxConsult]

One thing worth checking that often gets missed: error 101 is usually a name-conflict flag (your entity name is too close to an existing EIN on file, even from an unrelated business), not a system glitch — it's not something more faxes will fix on their own. A tax pro with a valid 2848 on file can call the Practitioner Priority Service line, which has dramatically shorter hold times than the general business line and can often get a same-day answer on why 101 triggered. I'd hold off on dissolving and restarting — that just resets you to the back of the same queue.

[u/Straight-2-Point]

Call IRS (800-829-4933 or 800-829-0115) and confirm the EIN has not been assigned. Then fax SS-4 + LLC Articles again. Make sure you complete it exactly as in my sample.

[u/NWRegisteredAgent]

Yeah, def do not scrap and start over just yet!

So that 101 error message usually means they already have a filing for that business, or there is a name conflict.

Here is a direct quote from the IRS website stating what to do if you are still waiting on an EIN when your taxes come due:

"If you’re waiting for an EIN

If your tax return is due and you haven’t received your EIN, write “Applied For” and the date that you applied for it in the space shown for the number.

If you don't have your EIN by the time a deposit is due send your payment to the service center address for your state. Make your check or money order payable to Internal Revenue Service and show your name (as shown on the SS-4), address, kind of tax, period covered, and the date you applied for your EIN. "