Esty LLC cannot verify my information.

[PhillipsCraftsDecor]

Hello,

I opened a new store when I entered my tax information. I get an error that Esty can not match my information with the IRS. I have put all of the information that I have used to be verified on Square as well. Esty seems to be making this more difficult than I think it needs to be. I have tried to reach out to Esty in the help center but have not gotten a reply in over 2 days. I have seen a post that is over a year old, but I think that it might be outdated since Esty asked if you are a disregarded entity under the LLC Incorporated option. Please Advise how I need to submit my information. I have an LLC and I am Considered to be disregarded because I am the Sole Member. 

[NanaLetha]

Did you enter your SSN?

[PhillipsCraftsDecor]

Yes I have entered my SSN

[JJewellerySuppliesUK]

Everything needs to match up exactly to the info you supplied at registration.  

How to Verify Your Seller Information for Etsy Payments – Etsy

[PhillipsCraftsDecor]

Yes, I have entered the info that I supplied when I Registered. I have also typed this information to be verified on other platforms and have had no problems so it seems to be a esty thing

[ArtDollsbyJD]

If you are a sole proprietor, with an LLC then you are regarded by the IRS as a disregarded entity.   You can use your SSn.  Do you have an EIN number.  I have that and I am a sole proprietor but never went the LLC route as it makes no sense for a business with only one employee in my state and that is me.  How to Update Your Legal Name and Taxpayer Information – Etsy Help

[PhillipsCraftsDecor]

Yes, I am the sole member of my LLC, which is classified as a disregarded entity. I have an EIN. When I click through, I have to provide both my SSN and EIN, and it will not take the information. I have read all of the Esty Help Page and cannot get Esty support to respond. 

[TheOliveandThistleCo]

Have you figured out a solution for this? I am currently having this same problem. 

[steelhipdesign]

Start your own thread.  People will be responding to the OP not you.  

Here are the tips I give to people in this situation:

Make sure everything is in the same name.  Etsy uses all accounts, tech, financial and government credentials as proof as your ID.  They don't really care about business entities - they need your ID for tax, debt and legal liability.  If you are entering this information make sure your VPN or any adblocker apps are turned off.  

Etsy doesn't work with some financial institutions like Wise or Revolut and credit unions.  You may need a mainstream bank account. They also require a real credit/debit card not a "virtual" or "top up" card.  Check with your bank the card has AVS - address verification system.  

If you are in the US and using an EIN or ITIN, use your SSN.  

Your location also has to match the your identity credentials.  If the metrics don't match country codes, often included in tech data Etsy harvests, you won't get verified.  Etsy takes data from your device, digital "fingerprint" and connection. 

Thousands of banned users try to return to the platform every day.  Etsy must combat that onslaught using security measures and pattern matching systems to detect suspicious accounts.  This is now law.  Etsy must be this strict for legal compliance.  It's the same for every other selling platform now.  

[SparkBirdStudioLLC]

@PhillipsCraftsDecor @TheOliveandThistleCo 

I was having similar issues trying to switch from a sole proprietor to an LLC. It kept saying they couldn't verify my account etc. I never received a response from Etsy Support so I tried typing my LLC's Secretary of State Identification number into the "Business Registration Number" instead of the account number that is actually on my Certificate of Registration. This did the trick and I was immediately verified. Is it possible that you made the same mistake and put the wrong number in this section. I found my number on the "Articles of Organization" form that was submitted to my State (State of Illinois) when I initially formed my LLC. It is located on the top right hand side of the form and is labeled as a "file" number. It is 8 digits long in the state Illinois, I'm not sure about other states.   

[GlassBerries]

@ SparkBirdStudioLLC:

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS GREAT ADVICE!  Without reading your post I would have supplied the Registration number for my state Sales Tax License (because that's usually what everyone wants).  It never would have occurred to me to provide the file number on my Articles of Organization, which is what they are actually looking for.

Because of your warning I was able to supply the correct number from my Articles of Organization and verification went right through.

[GlassBerries]

I just want to mention that I also have a Single Member LLC that pays taxes as a Disregarded Entity.  I had to provide both my Social Security number and my EIN.  The Etsy Tax and Legal info page now indicates that they will issue my 1099s  to my SSN, not to my EIN as they have been doing for years.  But the IRS assures me it will work either way, so I'm going to live with it.

[AnnsVisionsofHeaven]

Hi there! When you entered you business name did you a) say you were individual/sole proprietor since you are a single member LLC,  or did you enter "corporate"?  Also when it asks for full legal name mine is NAME LLC NAME SOLE MBR from the IRS form but I have no clue if I should enter that in first name or last name fields. Any info is so appreciatead

[GlassBerries]

@AnnsVisionsofHeaven 

It's been awhile since I went through the process, so I don't remember the exact order of the questions.  But...

Under the Legal Shop Information section, the first choice is to identify as an Individual or a Business.  The fine print said that Business INCLUDES Single Member LLCs that are Disregarded Entities.  That's me, so I selected BUSINESS. 

All the questions that came after were for Business entities.  There was one place to put in the name of the business (I think it might have been marked as DBA (doing business as...) , and a completely separate place to put in my own personal name as the owner of the business.  I also had to provide my state filing number for my LLC.  

When they get down to the tax questions, there are places to identify as a Disregarded Entity that files taxes on your personal return.  There are also places to put in both your SSN and your EIN, if you have one.

Your confusion may stem from the fact that you are trying to put business information into the Personal forms.  IF you have created a legal LLC, and even if you are a disregarded entity taxed as a Sole Proprietor, you might have more success by identifying as a Business in the very first question.  That's what worked for me.

[AnnsVisionsofHeaven]

I'm still stuck on this. I entered Business since I am an LLC and the current form says you should select Business if you are. I checked Disregarded entity becucase I am. I entered my SSN exactly. I entered my business entity name and EIN as requested straight off the IRS form. I entered the Business ID straight off the Articles of Incorporation. Whereas it originally did not verify me and threatened to shut down my shop I've graduated to an endless loop of an error message that  says "Due to a service error we are unable to check your TIN at this time, please try again later." So far it has not gone away. I have asked support to escalate this but they just keep sending me a generic article. As a result I have to maintain two sets of books because I can't shut down the sole proprietor business, bank, and credit card till I get everything transferred over to the LLC. IF anyone has solved this in 2024 I'd love to hear

[KyaniteSkyDigitals]

How long ago did you get your new EIN number for your LLC? Allow about 2 months for the IRS to update their database for verification. If it's been that long, then maybe the issue is something else, but I figured I'd put that out there since that's what I ran into. Etsy should really give us notice of this. After I waited long enough, my changes from Sole Prop to LLC went through without an issue. Personally, I switched all my bookkeeping (started a new Quickbooks file, etc.) as of the date of my LLC formation, Etsy's stuff seems to just be for the 1099K they might issue after the end of the year, but note I'm not an accounting professional.

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