Do I need to enter the employers EIN on 1099-NEC & 1099-MISC forms when filing missed returns?

You don't need to enter the EIN numbers from your 1099 forms when you're filing your tax returns as a self-employed person. The EINs are required on the actual 1099 forms that businesses use to report payments to you, but as the recipient, you only need to report the income amounts on your Schedule C. When you're filing back taxes, focus on accurately reporting all your income and expenses. Make sure you're using the correct tax forms for each year - note that before 2020, non-employee compensation was reported on 1099-MISC (Box 7), but from 2020 onward, it's reported on the 1099-NEC form.

When I was dealing with a similar issue last year, I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me sort through my tax documents. I had several years of unfiled returns and missing information, and it was a game-changer for organizing everything. The site can analyze your tax transcripts and extract the important information, even with partially redacted EINs. It helped me identify which income came from where, and consolidated everything I needed to file my back taxes. The AI tool was able to interpret the information on my transcripts and tell me exactly what I needed to put on each form.

I was really skeptical about using taxr.ai at first, but after struggling for weeks with my unfiled returns, I decided to give it a shot. It was honestly surprising how helpful it was for my situation. I had 3 years of unfiled returns with a mix of gig work and regular employment. The tool analyzed my messy tax transcripts and identified all my income sources, even though some of the EINs were partially redacted like yours. It organized everything by year and income type, which made it super easy to enter the info into TurboTax. I was able to file all my back taxes in a weekend instead of the months I thought it would take. Even better, I didn't have to call the IRS or track down old employers for missing information. Definitely worth checking out if you're dealing with multiple years of unfiled returns.

If you're having trouble getting information from your tax transcripts, Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) can get you through to an actual IRS agent in minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. I used it last month when I needed to confirm some information about my old 1099s. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was in a similar situation - hadn't filed for several years and needed specific information that wasn't clear on my transcripts. The IRS agent was able to tell me exactly what I needed for my forms, including which parts of the EIN were actually necessary for my situation. Turns out I was overthinking it, and the agent walked me through exactly what I needed to do.

Well, I feel like an idiot for doubting Claimyr now. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still desperate for help with my unfiled returns, so I tried it anyway. Got connected to an IRS agent in about 37 minutes without having to actually sit on hold myself. The agent confirmed that I don't need to worry about the redacted EIN numbers on my transcripts when filing my own returns. They also helped me confirm which tax years I needed to prioritize (ones with refunds still available) and which forms I needed for my specific situation. Saved me hours of research and worry. For anyone else with missing info on old returns - just talking to an actual IRS person cleared up so many questions that online research couldn't answer. Worth every penny not to spend days trying to get through on my own.

Just wanted to add that if you're using tax software like TurboTax or H&R Block to file those back returns, they'll only ask for the EIN when you're entering 1099 information to help match what the IRS has on file. If you leave it blank, the software might give you a warning, but your return will still be accepted as long as the income amounts are correct. I filed 3 years of back taxes last year with some missing EINs and had no issues. The IRS is more concerned that you're reporting all your income properly.

A heads up from someone who just went through this - make sure you're using the correct tax forms for the specific years you're filing! The 1099-NEC didn't exist before 2020, so for 2019 and earlier, non-employee compensation was reported on the 1099-MISC (Box 7). Also, don't forget to file state taxes too if your state has income tax. Those deadlines for claiming refunds might be different from federal.

I went through something very similar when I was catching up on 5 years of unfiled returns. The good news is that you're overthinking the EIN issue - as others have mentioned, you don't need those employer identification numbers when filing your personal tax returns. Since you have your tax transcripts with the income amounts, you're actually in a pretty good position. Focus on accurately reporting all the income shown on those transcripts using Schedule C for your self-employment years (2018-2019). The partially redacted EINs won't affect your ability to file. One thing I learned the hard way: start with the most recent years first if you're owed refunds, since there's typically a 3-year window to claim them. For 2018, you might be running out of time to get that refund if you're owed one. Also, don't forget about estimated tax penalties - you'll likely owe those for the self-employment years, but filing late is still much better than not filing at all. The IRS is actually pretty understanding when people are making a genuine effort to get compliant. You've got this!