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Resolving Invalid Tax Information

When completing your PaymentWorks profile, your tax information is validated against the IRS database. If there’s an issue, an INVALID status will appear in your Company Profile. Here’s how to resolve it.

Follow these steps to correct and revalidate your information.

How to Resolve an INVALID Tax ID Status

  1. Understand What INVALID Means
    The INVALID status appears in the EIN or SSN validation field in the Legal Entity Information modal of your Payee Profile when the IRS database does not recognize the combination of:

    • Legal Name (as entered on Line 1 of your W-9)
    • Tax Identification Number (TIN) (either EIN or SSN)
    • Tax Classification (e.g., individual, corporation, partnership)
    • Country of Citizenship (U.S. vs. Non-U.S.)
  2. You will also receive an email notification if your tax information fails IRS validation.
  3. Verify Your Legal Name and TIN
    Cross-check your Legal Name and TIN against the information on your official IRS documentation:
    • IRS SS-4 Form or CP575 Notice (for EIN)
    • Social Security Card (for SSN)
    • W-9 Form (Line 1 must match exactly)
    • Even small discrepancies—like punctuation, abbreviations, or extra spaces—can cause validation to fail.
  4. Update Your Information
    • Log in to your PaymentWorks account.
    • Open your Payee Profile.
    • Open the Legal Entity Information modal.
    • Make any necessary corrections to your Legal Name, TIN, or other fields.
    • Click Save when changes are complete.

  5. Revalidate with the IRS
    • After saving, PaymentWorks will automatically re-run IRS validation.
    • Return to the Legal Entity Information modal in your Payee Profile to check the updated Tax ID Validation status.

Important Notes

  • IRS validation is required by most customers before your registration can be approved.
  • Make sure your information exactly matches IRS records to avoid delays.

Need Additional Help?

If you continue to see the INVALID status after verifying and updating your information, consult your tax advisor or contact the IRS for further assistance. For EIN-related inquiries, the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line can be reached at 800-829-4933.