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SSN / Name mismatch

  • We have not processed your refund because the Social Security Number,
  • or the IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, and/or name
  • shown on your tax return does not match our records or those of the
  • Social Security Administration ...
  • Please mention reference number 1441 to the IRS Customer Service
  • Representative.

I think I know why this happened. I previously used Taxact and it was able to fill my name in full (first name: "Shankar Prasad"). For 2018 and 2019, I switched to H&R Block, and it has truncated my first name "Shankar Pras" - the software just does not let me type in the full name. The last name is also long, but fit within what H&R Block allowed.

The 2018 return had no problem even though the first name was truncated, possibly because I owed money and the name mismatch was not flagged. But, for 2019, I am getting a refund and this likely triggered the name mismatch.

I called IRS as the page suggested, but the rep was not very clear on what the issue was and what I should do next to rectify this. Can anyone here offer suggestions on what I should do to expedite the refund? If I had realized this, I would have just hand-written the missing part of the name before I mailed the return :-)

Thanks for the help

-- Shankar Prasad

Reply to
Shankar Prasad
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That might be the problem, but not quite as you think it is happening. The IRS name/SSN match is based on the first four letters of your last name and your SSN. You post as Shankar Prasad and state that that is your first name. I must assume there is an additional surname that you aren't including in your posting. (not a problem). The IRS identity match is based on your SSN and the first four letters of your surname as recorded in the Social Security Administration records. I suspect that somehow Prasad (or some part of it) got moved to the "last name" field on your tax return submission and that is causing the reject.

Ira Smilovitz, EA Leonia, NJ

Reply to
ira smilovitz

ira smilovitz wrote on 10/11/20 2:23 AM:

Legally my name (as in SSN) is First: Shankar Prasad Last: Venkoba Rao

I mailed a 2019 paper return and my name is as follows in the right boxes on the 1040: First: Shankar Pras Last: Venkoba Rao Unless some scanning error happened at IRS, and the name fields got transposed.

I also checked my spouse and dependent names and SSNs - they are all correct, without any truncation.

Curious. Maybe I will call IRS again on Monday to see if a different agent will be able to help better. Is it possible for me to go to an IRS office to get this resolved in person?

-- Shankar Prasad

Reply to
Shankar Prasad

Yes, going to the local IRS office is generally a good idea. Call them before you go - you may have to make an appointment.

As far as different agents, I remember seeing a study years ago where people called the IRS help number multiple time, talked to multiple agents, and asked the same question six time. A very large percentage of the time they got different answers from all the agents, and most of the time all the answers were wrong.

Reply to
Stuart O. Bronstein

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