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How to tell the IRS your business name has changed

For about 30 years I have done business as a sole proprietorship with
an EIN. Every year clients send me 1099s and I report the income on
Schedule C.
About 20 years ago I changed the business' name. (The old name was
four unpronouncable initials, the new name is the slightly more
pronouncable name of a nearby waterfall.) I filed the required DBA
with the county and use the new name. The Sched C says "old name/new name"
and the IRS has always accepted that.
Now clients are telling me that my new business name fails the IRS'
TIN match, presumably because 30 years ago I got the EIN with the old
name. I cannot get a new EIN, only one per person allowed no mater how
many sole proprietorship businesses you have. So how do I tell the IRS
that the business with the EIN now has a different name?
Reply to
John Levine
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The first name line of an IRS sole prop account and the IRS name code should be that of the sole prop, not the DBA. The DBA goes on the second name line. If done correctly, changing the DBA will not cause a name code mis-match. You'll probably have to deal with someone in a local office to get the name and name code changed - someone who has a contact at the service center where the actual change will be made. When doing so, you should get your name listed as the sole prop with the new DBA shown second.
Reply to
paultry
In article <rtg62e$prm$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me you write:
Yes, that's what is on my W9, and my name certainly hasn't changed, but the TIN match rejects it anyway.
Got any other suggestions?
Reply to
John Levine
But how does IRS have your BMF EIN styled? They would have captured the info from the SS-4 you did 30 years ago. I've seen SS-4s prepared incorrectly and I've seen correctly prepared SS-4s input incorrectly. If the sole prop account is set up correctly with first name line being John Levine, then the name code should be LEVI. If the first name line is John's Widget Company, the name code will be JOHN. If you or IRS is now trying to change the first name line to Widgets by John, WIDG is not going to match either name code, and the change will bounce. I'd want to see a BMF transcript to see how they have your name and name code now, and work from there.
Reply to
paultry
I presume so since it worked fine with the old name. How would I find out?
As I believe I already said, my name on the first line hasn't changed. Only the DBA has.
Reply to
John Levine
I checked the IRS website - they don't seem to have any guidance on this at all. It's like they figure this will never happen, so they make no provisions for it, and don't even seem to have a team you can contact that might have a clue what to do.
Have you tried going to your local IRS office and talking to someone there? You may need an appointment.
You can get a new EIN if you incorporate your business. But that's the only thing I can think of.
Reply to
Stuart O. Bronstein
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933. They should be able to verify your EIN and tell you what the correct current TIN match is and what you need to do to change it (if that is possible).
Ira Smilovitz, EA Leonia, NJ
Reply to
ira smilovitz
In article <XnsACAED7C419F63spamtraplexregiacom@130.133.4.11> you write:
That was my experience, too.
Done that, I have an LLC into which I am trying to move all my business. But there is a long tail of occasional clients.
Reply to
John Levine

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