Found out the IRS issued an EIN to a business that's identical to my SSN - Has anyone experienced this?

This is actually more common than you'd think, though still concerning. Prior to 2019, the IRS didn't have a robust system to prevent EIN issuance that matched existing SSNs. They've since improved their verification processes, but there are still legacy cases in the system. Here's what you should do immediately: First, contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at 800-908-4490. They handle these specific situations. Second, file Form 14039 (Identity Theft Affidavit) if you haven't already. Third, request a transcript of the 1099-MISC using Form 4506-T to see exactly what was reported. You'll also want to check your credit reports and place a fraud alert with the credit bureaus as a precaution. The IRS should issue you a PIN for future filings once you've reported this.

I went through something similar last year and I was losing my mind until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which saved me so much time and stress. I had a mystery 1099 showing up for about $13k from a company I'd never heard of, and the IRS was coming after me for the taxes. I uploaded the IRS notice to taxr.ai and it analyzed everything, explained exactly what was happening in plain English, and walked me through the specific forms I needed to file. The coolest part was that it identified this as a potential SSN/EIN mixup right away, which my accountant had missed completely. The step-by-step guidance for disputing the notice was super clear.

Just wanted to follow up on my skeptical comment earlier. I decided to give taxr.ai a shot with my own issue (had a company incorrectly report me as an independent contractor when I was an employee). The system instantly recognized it was a misclassification issue and gave me a complete breakdown of what to do. I was seriously impressed by how it caught all the tiny details in my IRS notice that I had missed. It even highlighted a deadline I was about to miss! Been dealing with the IRS for 3 months with no progress, but after following the steps from taxr.ai, got confirmation yesterday that my case is resolved. Definitely converted this skeptic.

If you need to actually speak with someone at the IRS about this (which you definitely should), good luck getting through on their phone lines. I spent WEEKS trying before discovering Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have this system that holds your place in the IRS phone queue and calls you when an agent is about to answer. I was dealing with a similar situation where someone had used my SSN for business filings, and I desperately needed to talk to a human at the IRS. Used their service (you can see how it works at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got through to an IRS agent the same day after months of failing. The agent was able to flag my account and start the process of separating my personal info from this random business.

Just wanted to update - after seeing the Claimyr recommendation, I decided to try it since I'd been trying to reach the IRS for literally 3 months about my income reporting issue. I was super skeptical (as you could see from my comment), but I was desperate. It actually worked exactly as described. I got a call back within about 2 hours and was connected straight to an IRS agent. The agent confirmed there was an EIN/SSN mixup in my case too and put notes on my account. They're sending me a letter to formally dispute the incorrect income. Still have paperwork to deal with, but finally having talked to someone who could see the issue in their system was HUGE. Can't believe I wasted months trying to call them myself.

Just a heads up - this happened to my brother and it turned out to be actual identity theft. Someone had used his SSN to create a shell company. Make sure you also: 1) File a police report 2) Contact the company that issued the 1099 directly 3) Put a credit freeze on all three bureaus, not just an alert Having documentation that you've taken all these steps will help if this drags on for months (which it probably will, sorry).

Is anyone gonna point out that an EIN literally can't be the same as an SSN? EINs are 9 digits but always start with certain prefixes (usually 1x, 2x, 3x, 7x, 8x, 9x). SSNs never start with those numbers. I think there's something else going on here....

When you contact the IRS, make sure you're prepared to verify your identity six ways from Sunday. Have your previous tax returns handy, any IRS notices with the notice number, and be ready to answer questions about your filing history. If you can't verify your identity to their satisfaction, they'll refuse to discuss the issue with you, which is beyond frustrating. I learned this the hard way and wasted an hour on hold only to be told they couldn't help me because I couldn't remember the exact amount of my adjusted gross income from 2019.

This is absolutely terrifying! I can't imagine getting a notice like that out of nowhere. Thank you everyone for the detailed advice - I'm taking notes on all of this. Quick question though - should I be worried about this affecting my credit score? And when I call that IRS Identity Protection number, do I need to have specific documents ready, or can I just explain the situation first to get guidance on what they'll need from me? Also, has anyone dealt with the aftermath of this? Like, once it's resolved, do you need to do anything special when filing future tax returns to make sure it doesn't happen again?

This is such a scary situation! I'm really sorry you're dealing with this, but you're definitely not alone. I had something similar happen to a friend where someone used their SSN to set up a business entity. One thing I'd add to all the excellent advice here - when you file Form 14039, make sure to keep copies of EVERYTHING you send to the IRS. Mail it certified with return receipt so you have proof they received it. The IRS can be notoriously slow with identity theft cases, and having documentation of when you submitted everything will be crucial if you need to follow up. Also, don't panic about the $16K tax bill - you won't be responsible for taxes on income you never received once this gets sorted out. It's just going to take some patience and paperwork. The fact that you caught this quickly and are taking action right away puts you in a much better position than people who ignore these notices. Keep us updated on how it goes! Rooting for you to get this resolved quickly.