EIN vs SSN for sole proprietor contractor - which should I use for my W-9?
I'm a contractor working as a sole proprietor and I'm confused about whether to use my EIN or SSN for tax purposes. I've been doing freelance content creation since 2023-2024 and always used my social security number for taxes. I took a break for a while, but recently got hired as a virtual assistant for a financial advisor. I got an EIN this year (2025) thinking I should get more serious about my contracting business. I filled out a W-9 form using my EIN and submitted it to the financial advisor. The tricky part is I got married last year, so I set up the EIN as DBA my maiden name, but my social security is now updated with my married name. Now I've been hired by someone else as a virtual assistant too. They only know me by my married name, not my maiden name. I'm feeling unsure about using my EIN since I'm not certain I'll continue doing contract work long-term (actively job hunting for something permanent). Should I keep using my EIN for all contract work? Or should I tell the financial advisor to switch to my SSN instead, and have the new client use my SSN too? My contract income goes into a separate personal checking account if that matters. Thanks for any advice!
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Emma Wilson
You can actually use either one as a sole proprietor - they're both valid options for your W-9. The EIN doesn't create a separate tax entity since you're still a sole proprietor filing Schedule C on your personal tax return. Using your EIN has some advantages - it offers a bit more identity protection since you're not sharing your SSN with clients. It also looks more professional and can help establish your business identity. The name discrepancy isn't a huge issue - you can operate your business under your maiden name with "DBA" (doing business as) while your personal taxes use your married name. If you decide to switch back to your SSN, just let your clients know you need to submit an updated W-9. It's a simple form change, and clients are used to receiving updated tax forms.
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Malik Thomas
•But does using an EIN mean you have to file business taxes separately? And what about the name difference between maiden/married - won't that cause issues with the IRS matching everything up?
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Emma Wilson
•No, a sole proprietorship with an EIN still files taxes on your personal return using Schedule C - there's no separate business tax return required. The business income and expenses simply get reported on your personal 1040 using the Schedule C attachment. The name difference isn't an issue as long as your tax return properly connects everything. The IRS understands people operate businesses under different names - that's what the "doing business as" (DBA) designation is for. Just make sure when you file your taxes that you include both your legal (married) name on your 1040 and your business name on Schedule C along with the EIN. The IRS systems will link them together correctly.
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NeonNebula
I went through something similar last year when I started freelancing. I was stressing about which to use until I found https://taxr.ai which helped me understand exactly how sole proprietorships work with EINs vs SSNs. The site analyzed my situation and showed me that using an EIN actually gave me better identity protection while still keeping my tax filing simple. What I really liked was their document review feature - I uploaded my W-9 and they confirmed I had filled it out correctly with my EIN and business name. They also explained how the Schedule C would link everything together when I file my taxes. Seriously saved me hours of research and worry!
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Isabella Costa
•How long did the analysis take? I'm in a rush to get my W-9 to a new client tomorrow.
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Ravi Malhotra
•Did they explain how to handle the name difference situation? My maiden name is on my business stuff but my taxes have my married name.
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NeonNebula
•The initial analysis took about 10 minutes to complete. They have this AI system that reviews your specific situation immediately, so you don't have to wait days for someone to get back to you. For the name difference situation, they explained exactly how to handle it. They showed me how to properly document my DBA (doing business as) status on my Schedule C, linking my maiden name business to my married name on my personal tax forms. They even provided sample forms showing exactly where to enter each name so the IRS can match everything correctly. It takes the guesswork out of the process completely.
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Ravi Malhotra
Update: I tried out taxr.ai and it was super helpful! It walked me through exactly how to handle my maiden name/married name situation with my EIN. They explained that I should continue using my EIN with my DBA maiden name for business purposes, and showed me how to properly connect it all on my tax forms. The document review feature caught that I was missing the "DBA" designation before my maiden name on my W-9, which could have caused confusion. They explained that using my EIN is actually better for identity protection since I don't have to give my SSN to clients. I'm sticking with my EIN and feeling way more confident about my decision now. Definitely worth checking out if you're confused about sole proprietor tax stuff!
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Freya Christensen
I had the EXACT same problem last year! I couldn't get a straight answer from the IRS because I kept getting stuck in their phone system for HOURS. Then I tried https://claimyr.com and they got me connected to an actual IRS agent in less than 20 minutes who confirmed I could use either number. The agent explained that as a sole proprietor, both SSN and EIN link to the same tax entity (me), so it doesn't change how I file. She also confirmed the maiden/married name thing is totally fine as long as I document the connection. You can see how the service works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c Saved my sanity not having to spend all day on hold!
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Freya Christensen
•It's completely legitimate. What Claimyr does is use their technology to navigate the IRS phone system for you. They call the IRS, get in line, and when they're about to reach an agent, they call you and connect you directly. You don't waste your time listening to hold music for hours. I was super skeptical too. I had spent almost 6 hours across multiple days trying to get through to someone at the IRS. I figured I had nothing to lose by trying this service since I was getting nowhere on my own. I was shocked when they called me back after about 15 minutes and suddenly I was talking to an actual IRS representative who could answer my question. It's basically like having someone wait in line for you.
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Omar Farouk
•Wait, is this legit? I thought nobody could get through to the IRS. How does it actually work?
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Chloe Davis
•This sounds like a scam. Nobody can get past the IRS phone tree. I tried calling for 3 weeks straight last tax season and never spoke to a human.
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Freya Christensen
•It's completely legitimate. What Claimyr does is use their technology to navigate the IRS phone system for you. They call the IRS, get in line, and when they're about to reach an agent, they call you and connect you directly. You don't waste your time listening to hold music for hours. I was super skeptical too. I had spent almost 6 hours across multiple days trying to get through to someone at the IRS. I figured I had nothing to lose by trying this service since I was getting nowhere on my
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Chloe Davis
I have to admit I was completely wrong about Claimyr. After dismissing it as a scam, I was desperate to resolve an issue with the EIN I got last year, so I tried it. I got connected to an IRS agent in about 25 minutes after spending WEEKS trying on my own. The agent clarified that for a sole proprietorship, using an EIN vs SSN doesn't change your tax situation - both are valid for a W-9, and the income still goes on Schedule C with your personal return. They explained how to properly show my maiden/married name connection on my forms to avoid confusion. This saved me from switching all my paperwork back to my SSN unnecessarily. I would have wasted so much time without getting this official confirmation.
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AstroAlpha
My accountant says using an EIN is generally better for sole props because: 1. It keeps your SSN private 2. It looks more professional to clients 3. If you ever form an LLC or corp later, you already have the EIN 4. It helps mentally separate business from personal But she also said there's absolutely nothing wrong with using your SSN if you prefer that. The IRS doesn't care which you use for a sole prop.
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Diego Chavez
•Does your accountant handle the "doing business as" situation? My business cards and website have my maiden name but all my personal stuff is under married name.
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AstroAlpha
•Yes, she handles several clients with DBA situations. What she does is file the Schedule C with the legal (married) name at the top, then indicates the business name (maiden name) in the appropriate field on the form. She said it's extremely common and the IRS has clear procedures for connecting them. She also mentioned that if you're really concerned about the name difference, you can file a simple DBA registration with your county clerk's office that formally documents your business name. It's usually inexpensive ($25-50 in most counties) and gives you an official document showing the connection between your legal name and business name.
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Anastasia Smirnova
anybody know if u need to update all ur payment providers (paypal, venmo etc) if u switch from SSN to EIN? dealing with this headache right now
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Sean O'Brien
•Yes! You absolutely need to update them all. I didn't update my Stripe account after getting an EIN and ended up with a tax notice because the income was reported under my SSN but I filed with my EIN. Total nightmare to fix.
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Fatima Al-Farsi
As someone who just went through this exact situation, I'd recommend sticking with your EIN. The identity protection benefit alone is worth it - you're not giving your SSN to every client you work with. The maiden name/married name issue is actually pretty straightforward. When you file your taxes, you'll use your married name on your 1040 form, but on Schedule C (where you report your business income), you'll list your business name as "Jane Smith DBA Jane Doe" (using your actual names obviously). The IRS sees this connection all the time. Since you already have the EIN set up and submitted one W-9 with it, I'd just continue using it consistently. It's actually more professional looking than an SSN on business forms. The only thing I'd suggest is making sure you update all your payment processors (PayPal, Stripe, etc.) to use the EIN instead of your SSN if you haven't already - learned that lesson the hard way! Don't overthink it - both are valid options, but the EIN gives you better privacy protection for your contracting work.
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Ava Kim
•This is really helpful advice! I'm actually in a similar boat - just got married and wondering about the name situation. Quick question though - do you need to formally register the DBA with your state/county, or is it enough to just indicate it on your tax forms? I've been getting conflicting info on whether the "DBA" designation needs to be officially filed somewhere or if it's just for tax purposes.
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