Why the IRS Rejects EIN Applications for LLCs (3 Hidden Reasons)

If the IRS rejects your LLC sign application, you're blocked from banking and taxes, and here's the 48-hour fix. Here's the problem. One checkbox kills 34% of all LLC IN applications. Double-check form SS-4 line 7a.

A mismatch between your LLC name and your state filing certificate auto rejects the IN in 72 hours. Never list yourself as both the responsible party and the LLC. The IRS flags this as a duplicate TIN attempt and denies the application outright. The IRS processes 8.

2 million IN applications every year. In 2026, 34% of those get rejected on first submission. Most rejections happen because of preventable errors on form SS-4. A Delaware founder files for an LLC IN online, accidentally lists their personal SSN in two fields, and the IRS auto denies it within 72 hours.

Now, they can't open a business bank account, can't file taxes, and they're [music] stuck in a 6-week resubmission loop. This is exactly why we built Bastian Formations to handle IN applications for LLCs in all 50 states. Most people fail here. They use their home address as the LLC's principal address on line 4a, but their state filing lists a registered agent address.

The IRS cross-checks your application against your state certificate of formation. If those addresses don't match exactly, the system flags it as a potential fraud attempt and rejects the IN. Do not assume the IRS will accept any address. Use the exact address printed on your state filing documents, character for character, including suite numbers and zip plus four codes.

Step one, pull your LLC's certificate of formation from your state Secretary of State website. Look at the principal office address or registered agent address listed on that document. Copy it exactly, including abbreviations like street versus street and suite numbers. This is the address you will use on form SS-4 line 4a.

Bastian Formations handles this automatically for Wyoming LLCs at $249, including the EIN application and registered agent service in one package, so the address matches from day one. Step two, on form SS-4 line 7a, write your LLC's legal name exactly as it appears on your state filing, including LLC or LLC punctuation. [music] This is important. The IRS uses automated text matching software.

If your state filing says Acme Ventures LLC and you write Acme Ventures LLC with periods, the system reads that as two different entities and rejects the application for name mismatch. In 2026, 22% of EIN rejections trace back to punctuation errors in line 7a. Here's the problem. Path A is filing the EIN yourself using the IRS online portal.

It's free, but [music] 34% of first-time filers get rejected, and resubmission adds 4 to 6 weeks. [music] Path B is using Bastion Formations, where the team files your EIN for you as part of the $249 Wyoming LLC package. The application matches your state filing 100%, and approval happens in 1 to 3 business days with zero rejections in 2026. Step three, when the IRS asks for your responsible party on line three, use the exact name and SSN or ITIN that matches your government ID.

If you're a non-US founder without an SSN, you must apply by fax or mail using form SS-4 on paper, not online. The online portal auto-rejects foreign applicants. Here's the [music] exact wording to include in your cover letter when you fax form SS-4 to the IRS at 855-641-6935. Write, "I am a non-US resident forming a US LLC and do not have a US social security number.

I am applying for an EIN as the responsible party using my passport as identification. Attached is a notarized copy of my passport and my LLC certificate of formation. " This wording satisfies IRS publication 1635 requirements and prevents the missing TIN rejection that kills 18% of non-US EIN applications. I am a non-US resident forming a US LLC and do not have a US social security number.

I am applying for an EIN as the responsible party using my passport as identification. Attached is a notarized copy of my passport and my LLC certificate of formation. Match your LLC name and address exactly to your state filing. Never use your SSN in two fields on form SS-4.

If you're stuck, Bastion Formations handles EIN rejections in 48 hours for $249. If this helped, smash like, hit subscribe, and visit the Bastion Formations website for help forming your US LLC with zero EIN rejection risk. Visit https://bastionformations. com.