Why is my business tax ID verification failing on my storefront setup?

[relsie06]

Hello to anyone who can help me. I'm in the process of finishing my storefront and recently registered my LLC. I went to finish setting up my payments and tax details when this error code comes up after I hit submit:

• Business tax id verification failed. Your business tax ID couldn't be verified because the TIN you provided is not currently in the IRS database. If the TIN was recently issued, you may need to allow several days for the IRS to update your TIN information. Contact support if you need further assistance.

Apparently my EIN number hasn't been processed through the IRS yet. However, the error message will not go away so it's not even allowing me to try and submit the details again. Has this happened to anyone else? Will this message eventually go away? I can't accept payments or finishing setting my account up until this is resolved. It's been a week now. Thanks in advance!

[Greta]

Hi there, @relsie06!

I'm happy to look into this with you. 

Can you confirm how long it's been since you first encountered that error? Additionally, where are you seeing this error (is it on your admin homepage, or in the section where you enter in your tax details)? You may want to try clearing your cache and/or using an incognito window to see if you're able to enter in your tax details again. 

If several days have passed and you're still receiving the same error, and you don't have the option to submit your details again, I recommend contacting our live Support team. They can troubleshoot the issue with you, and if necessary, connect you to our tax specialists. When it comes to reaching out to our live Support line, I'll provide some steps here to make it easier.

1. Head over to this link: Contact Shopify Support · Shopify Help Center
2. Log in (recommended) or Continue without logging in
3. Select the support topic that best suits your inquiry (such as Account or Store settings)
4. Scroll down to where it says Get support and select one of the available support options

The Support Advisor can try to replicate the error on their end (to rule out any device/network issues) and walk you through the next steps.

By the way, I know you mentioned that you're putting the finishing touches on your store, and I wanted to say congratulations! It's such an exciting time, and I wish you all the best on your launch. Before you go live, I recommend checking out our ecommerce checklist, to make sure you're all set before the big day. It's super helpful for making sure you don't miss any little details!

Please let me know if you have any more questions.

[thugamoeba]

Hi Greta,

@Greta I hope all is well! I was currently encountering the same problem, however from Shopify's end. Ive been trying to get registered since dec 22, nearly 2 months now. Im told there is an error when trying to verify on the irs database when trying to match my EIN with my business name. I haven't received the CP575 but I provided a 147C letter, Ive been trying to remedy this with no success and I suspect there is an issue from Shopify's end and I doubt waiting more would be a solution considering the amount of time that has passed. Facts to know are that I'm an international with no SSN and that's why I had to reach out to be registered through Shopifys support channel. 

I would greatly appreciate any support or aid in this matter to get it sorted ASAP, its a very small step in the process of building a business but has taken 2 months which has hindered plans greatly. Thank you for any time spent on this case, and please feel free to reach out through any methods if you have any questions to follow up!

Sincerely,

[Greta]

Hi, @thugamoeba!

Thank you for your comment, we can definitely look into this together. 

Can you confirm whether the issue is that you're unable to get Shopify Payments set up on your store, or that you're unable to collect taxes on your store with your tax ID? When you've been in touch with our support team, were you speaking with a support advisor or a tax specialist? I'm unable to access tickets over the Community Forums (due to our authentication procedures), but I'd be happy to provide some more context on your best next steps. 

I look forward to helping you further!