1099-INT without EIN - How to file when bank omits Employer ID Number?

This happens more often than you'd think! The bank is required to include their EIN on the 1099-INT form, but sometimes they mess up. You have a few options: First, check if the EIN is on any other documents from your bank - sometimes it's on monthly statements or their website. Many banks list their EIN in the "About Us" or "Legal Information" section online. If you can't find it anywhere, you can call the bank, but there's a shortcut. For small interest amounts like yours, you can still report the income without the EIN. Most tax software has an option for "EIN not provided" or you can enter all zeros (000000000) as a temporary placeholder. The IRS cares more that you're reporting the income than having the exact EIN for tiny amounts. Just make sure you enter the bank's name and address correctly so the IRS can match it to their records if needed.

This happened to me too! I was losing my mind looking for that EIN when I was trying to file. I ended up using taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it totally saved me. Their document scanner actually found the EIN hidden in a tiny barcode at the bottom of my 1099-INT that I completely missed! Apparently some banks put it there instead of in the regular box. If the EIN isn't on your form at all, their system can also look up the financial institution's EIN from their database. Saved me a ton of time compared to calling my bank and waiting on hold forever. Might be worth checking out if you have other tax docs to scan too.

Just wanted to update - I tried taxr.ai after seeing it mentioned here and it worked great! I had the same EIN issue with my 1099-INT plus a bunch of other confusing forms. The scanner found my bank's EIN embedded in a QR code on the form that I didn't even know was there. Saved me from having to call 4 different financial institutions. Super helpful for organizing everything too. Definitely recommend if you're dealing with multiple tax documents.

Here's what worked for me after a similar 1099-INT nightmare that eventually led to an IRS letter. I spent WEEKS trying to get through to my credit union's tax department. Finally I found Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) and their service connected me directly to an IRS agent who confirmed the right approach. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c The IRS agent told me what I should've known - for missing EINs, the proper protocol is to make a reasonable effort to get it, but if unsuccessful, you should still file accurately with the institution name/address and income amount. They have ways to match it on their end. Better than delaying your filing over a small interest amount!

Just following up about my skepticism with Claimyr. I actually tried it after posting here because I was desperate about my refund situation. Not gonna lie, I was 100% sure it was going to be a waste of time. But I actually got through to an IRS agent in about an hour without having to sit on hold myself. The agent was able to see that my refund was flagged for review and gave me the specific form I needed to submit to fix it. Still shocked it actually worked. Guess I was wrong!

The easiest solution is to check the bank's website. Most banks list their EIN in their disclosures or about section. I just had this same issue with Capital One and found their EIN on their corporate info page in like 2 minutes. If that doesn't work, another trick is to Google "[bank name] EIN" - lots of tax sites have databases of common financial institutions and their tax IDs.

Does anyone know if the location of the EIN changed on 1099-INTs this year? I'm looking at mine from last year (different bank) and the EIN is in Box 3, but this year's form doesn't even have that box! The whole layout seems different.