How to find a company with only partial EIN for tax filing?

This is actually more common than you'd think! You have several options to identify this employer: First, try calling the IRS directly at 800-829-1040. Explain that you're filing for someone incapacitated and need the full employer information. Since you have the partial EIN, they may be able to provide the complete details. Another approach is to check if your friend has any old pay stubs, W-2 forms from previous years, or bank statements showing direct deposits from this employer. The deposit description often contains the company name. You might also try searching the Florida Division of Corporations website (sunbiz.org) for businesses in the Venice area with names that could abbreviate to "DECI." If all else fails, you can still file the return using paper forms instead of software. Form 1040 doesn't technically require the full employer name - just the income and withholding amounts that you already have from the transcript.

After struggling with a similar situation last year, I discovered taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) and it was a game-changer! I had partial info from an old employer that went out of business, and their document analyzer was able to extract additional clues from my IRS transcripts that I completely missed. Their AI can scan tax documents and often identify patterns that humans overlook. For example, sometimes the transcript format contains hidden clues about the employer type or location. They also have access to business databases that can match partial EINs with possible companies in specific geographic areas. When I uploaded my transcript, they found identifying information in a section I didn't even know to check. Might be worth trying!

Just want to follow up! I decided to try taxr.ai after posting my question about turnaround time. It actually worked! I uploaded the transcript and it identified a pattern in the abbreviated name and street number that pointed to "Delivery Experts Culinary Industries" - a food service company with a distribution center near Venice. I called them to confirm the EIN and it matches the last 4 digits I had. What surprised me was how it connected dots I never would have - apparently the street number format on the transcript follows a specific pattern based on the industry type. Who knew? Anyway, got all the info I needed and was able to complete the filing. Definitely saving this for future reference!

Have you tried calling the IRS directly? I was in your shoes last year and spent DAYS on hold. Eventually gave up and used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have this service where they wait on hold with the IRS for you, then call you when an agent picks up. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was super skeptical, but within 2 hours I was talking to an actual IRS agent who looked up the full employer details using the partial EIN I had. Saved me from having to file an amended return later. The agent was also able to confirm that the transcript had all the correct tax withholding amounts, which gave me peace of mind.

I need to eat my words about the IRS not helping. I was so skeptical about Claimyr that I decided to try it myself just to prove it wouldn't work. Well, I was wrong. Got connected to an agent in about 90 minutes (which still seems like magic compared to my previous attempts). The agent was able to look up the employer using the partial EIN and verified it was indeed a company called "Delivery Experts Culinary Industries" in the Venice area. They were actually really helpful and explained that they can provide this information when it's for completing your own return or one you're authorized to file. For anyone else doubting this works - it does. And it's way better than spending a week playing detective like I originally tried to do.

Have you tried searching the Secretary of State business registry for Florida? If the business is registered in Florida, you might be able to find it there. I've had luck with this approach in the past when trying to track down business information. Also, if you know what industry they worked in, that might help narrow it down. "DECI" could be the first letters of each word in the company name (like Department of Economic and Commercial Initiatives or something).

Just a heads up - I'm a tax preparer and you CAN override the software requirements for employer information in most tax programs. Look for an option like "override" or "force continue" in the software. In TurboTax, there's usually a small link at the bottom of the screen when it's giving you an error. In H&R Block software, you can right-click on some fields to get an override option. If all else fails, you can enter "UNKNOWN" for the employer name and just make sure the income and withholding amounts match exactly what's on the transcript. The main thing the IRS cares about is that all income is reported correctly.

I've been following this thread and it's great to see you found a solution! For anyone else who might run into this issue, I wanted to add another option that worked for me in a similar situation. You can also try contacting the Florida Department of Revenue directly. They sometimes have records that can help identify employers, especially if they're registered to collect state taxes. I had a partial EIN situation last year and they were able to cross-reference it with their business tax records to give me the full company name. Another tip - if your friend has any medical records or insurance documents from when they were employed, sometimes the employer information is listed there as part of the insurance coverage details. I found my mystery employer that way once when I was helping my elderly neighbor with her taxes. It's frustrating how the tax software can be so rigid about requiring complete information when you have all the actual tax numbers you need!

I'm glad to see so many helpful suggestions in this thread! As someone who's dealt with similar situations, I wanted to add one more resource that might help future readers. The Social Security Administration sometimes has employer information in their records that can help identify companies when you only have partial details. If your friend was paying into Social Security from this job, you might be able to request their earnings record which often includes more complete employer information than what appears on IRS transcripts. You can request this through their my Social Security online portal or by calling 1-800-772-1213. They'll need to verify identity, but since you're helping with tax filing, they may be able to provide the information you need. Also, don't forget to check if your friend has any old tax documents in their email - sometimes people scan and save W-2s or other tax forms electronically, even if they don't keep physical copies. It's worth searching their email for terms like "W-2," "tax," or "payroll." Great to see the community coming together to help solve this puzzle!

This is such a comprehensive thread with great solutions! I wanted to add one more approach that helped me in a similar situation last year. If your friend worked for a larger company that might have multiple locations or subsidiaries, try searching LinkedIn for people who work at companies in the Venice/Sarasota area with job titles that might match what your friend did. Sometimes you can piece together company names from employee profiles, especially if you have that partial "DECI" abbreviation to work with. Also, the address fragment "11101" might be more helpful than you think. You could try searching that specific address number in Venice on Google Maps or county property records - sometimes businesses are listed with their full legal names in property databases, even if they use abbreviations elsewhere. One last tip: if your friend received any direct deposits from this employer, check if their bank has archived deposit descriptions that might show the full company name. Banks sometimes keep more detailed records than what shows up on regular statements. It sounds like you've already found your solution, but hopefully these ideas help others who might face this same frustrating situation!

What a fantastic thread! As someone who works in tax preparation, I see this exact scenario more often than people realize, especially with clients who have health issues or memory problems that make tracking down old employer information difficult. I wanted to highlight something that several people touched on but maybe didn't emphasize enough: the IRS is actually quite reasonable about situations like this when you're the taxpayer (or authorized representative) trying to complete a legitimate return. They understand that sometimes employer information gets lost or incomplete, especially when people change jobs frequently or companies go out of business. The key is documentation - keep records of all your attempts to locate the employer information. If you do end up filing with incomplete employer details (whether through software override or paper filing), include a brief explanatory statement with your return showing what steps you took to identify the employer. This demonstrates good faith effort and makes it much less likely to cause processing delays. One thing I'd add to all the excellent suggestions here: if your friend worked through a temp agency or staffing company, that could explain the abbreviated name format. "DECI" might be the staffing agency rather than the actual workplace. Temp agencies often use shortened business names on tax documents, which makes identification even trickier. Great job solving this puzzle, and thanks to everyone who contributed such helpful resources!

This thread has been incredibly helpful! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now - trying to help my elderly father with his taxes and we only have partial employer information from an IRS transcript. Reading through all these suggestions gives me so many options I hadn't considered. I'm particularly interested in trying the Claimyr service to get through to the IRS, since I've been trying to call them for weeks with no luck. The idea of having someone else wait on hold and then connecting me when an agent picks up sounds like it could save me hours of frustration. I'm also going to try the Florida business registry search and see if I can piece together what the abbreviated company name might stand for. My dad worked in construction, so maybe that will help narrow down the "C" in whatever abbreviation we're dealing with. Has anyone had success with the IRS providing employer information when filing for an elderly parent? I have power of attorney, but I'm wondering if that makes the process any different than filing for a friend like in the original post. Thanks to everyone who contributed to this discussion - it's turned into such a valuable resource for anyone facing this frustrating situation!

Great thread! I'm a CPA and wanted to add a few more professional tips for anyone dealing with incomplete employer information on tax returns. First, if you're using tax software that's being stubborn about the employer field, try entering "SEE ATTACHED STATEMENT" in the employer name field, then include a separate page explaining the situation. Most software will accept this format, and it creates a clear paper trail for the IRS. Another often-overlooked resource is the state's Department of Labor or Workforce Development office. They maintain employer databases for unemployment insurance purposes and can sometimes help identify companies using partial EINs, especially if the person filed for unemployment benefits at any point. For future reference, I always tell clients to photograph their W-2s with their phone as soon as they receive them, even if they plan to keep the physical copies. Digital backups have saved so many people from exactly this type of situation. The key thing to remember is that the IRS primarily cares about accurate income reporting and tax calculations. As long as you're reporting all income correctly and can show you made good faith efforts to identify the employer, you're unlikely to face any penalties or significant delays in processing.

This has been such an incredibly helpful thread! As someone who volunteers with VITA (Volunteer Income Tax Assistance) helping low-income taxpayers, I see situations like this fairly regularly. What's amazing is how this community came together to provide so many different solutions. I wanted to add one more resource that might help future readers: many local libraries have business reference databases that aren't available through regular Google searches. Librarians are often incredibly skilled at helping track down business information using specialized databases like ReferenceUSA or Hoover's. If you have a partial EIN and some location information, they might be able to cross-reference it with their business directory resources. Also, for anyone helping elderly relatives or friends with memory issues, consider setting up a simple filing system now for next year's taxes. I always recommend creating a "Tax Year 2025" folder (physical or digital) and dropping in W-2s, 1099s, and other tax documents as soon as they arrive. This prevents the scramble to find everything at filing time. The collaborative problem-solving in this thread really shows the power of community knowledge sharing. Between IRS calls, AI tools, business registries, LinkedIn detective work, and professional CPA advice, someone facing this challenge should be able to find a solution through at least one of these approaches!

This thread is absolutely incredible! As someone who just went through a very similar situation with my grandmother's taxes, I can't believe how many resources and solutions everyone has shared here. I particularly want to highlight something that hasn't been mentioned yet - if your friend worked for any kind of healthcare-related company (hospitals, nursing homes, medical offices), these employers are often required to report additional information to state licensing boards. The Florida Department of Health maintains databases of healthcare employers that might have more complete business information than what shows up on IRS documents. Also, one thing that helped me was checking if there were any workers' compensation claims or workplace injury reports filed. Even minor incidents often create paper trails with complete employer information that you can access through the state's Division of Workers' Compensation. What really stands out to me is how this community turned what seemed like an impossible problem into a comprehensive troubleshooting guide. Between AI document analysis, IRS callback services, business registries, LinkedIn detective work, library databases, and all the professional insights from CPAs and tax preparers - there are so many more options available than I ever realized! For anyone bookmarking this thread for future reference: the key seems to be trying multiple approaches rather than getting stuck on just one method. Thanks to everyone who shared their expertise - this is exactly what online communities should be about!

Wow, this has turned into such an amazing resource thread! I'm relatively new to dealing with complex tax situations, but I wanted to share something that might help others in similar predicaments. I recently had to help my uncle with his taxes after he had a stroke, and we ran into a similar issue with incomplete employer information. What ended up working for us was a combination of approaches mentioned here - we used the IRS callback service (Claimyr) to get through to an agent, but we also prepared by gathering every possible piece of documentation first. Before calling, we searched through old emails, bank statements, and even insurance paperwork to find any mention of his employer. We also checked his LinkedIn connections and searched local business registries. Having all these partial clues ready made the IRS agent's job much easier when we finally got connected. One thing I'd add that hasn't been mentioned - if your friend has any old tax preparation receipts from previous years (from H&R Block, TurboTax, etc.), those often contain employer information that might not be in other documents. Tax prep companies usually keep detailed records of where they pulled information from. The collaborative problem-solving in this thread really shows the power of community knowledge! Between all these strategies, someone should be able to track down even the most elusive employer information.

This thread has been absolutely invaluable! I'm dealing with a similar situation right now helping my disabled brother with his taxes, and I was feeling completely overwhelmed until I found this discussion. What really strikes me is how this community transformed what seemed like an impossible problem into a step-by-step action plan. I'm planning to try the Claimyr service first since several people had success with it, but I love having all these backup options - the AI document analysis tools, business registry searches, and even the library database suggestion. One thing I wanted to add for future readers: if you're helping someone with memory issues or health problems, consider reaching out to their former doctors' offices or medical providers. Sometimes employer information is buried in old insurance authorization forms or medical history paperwork that patients don't even realize they have. The emphasis throughout this thread on documenting your efforts really gives me confidence that even if we can't find the complete employer information, showing good faith effort will be enough for the IRS. That takes a lot of the pressure off and makes the whole process feel much more manageable. Thank you to everyone who shared their expertise and experiences - this is exactly the kind of community support that makes navigating complex tax situations possible for regular people like us!

This has been such an incredible thread to follow! As someone who works in tax resolution, I see cases like this regularly, and I'm impressed by how comprehensive the solutions have become through everyone's contributions. I wanted to add one more angle that might help future readers: the Department of Labor's OSHA database. If your friend's workplace ever had any safety inspections or violations, the records often contain complete employer information including full legal business names and accurate EINs. You can search by location and industry type, which could be helpful when you have fragments like "DECI" and a street number. Another resource I've found useful is the Better Business Bureau database - businesses often register with more complete information there than what appears on tax documents, and you can search by partial business names and geographic areas. What really impresses me about this discussion is how it demonstrates that there's almost always a solution when you know where to look. Between IRS callback services, AI document analysis, business registries, professional databases, and all the creative detective work people have shared, someone dealing with incomplete employer information has so many more options than they might realize. The key takeaway seems to be persistence and trying multiple approaches rather than getting stuck on just one method. This thread should definitely be a reference guide for anyone facing similar challenges!