Received a 1099-MISC with Payer's TIN completely blank - what now?
I'm freaking out a bit here. I did some freelance graphic design work last summer for a small marketing company, and just received my 1099-MISC in the mail yesterday. When I opened it, I noticed they left the Payer's TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) completely blank on the form. Everything else seems filled out correctly - my name, address, SSN, and the payment amount ($3,750). But the section where their EIN should be is just empty. I've never had this happen before and I'm worried about filing my taxes with an incomplete form. Does anyone know what I should do in this situation? Do I need to contact the company and ask them to issue a corrected form? Will the IRS reject my return if I file with a 1099-MISC that's missing the payer's TIN? I'm planning to file in the next couple weeks and this is stressing me out. I tried calling the company but only got their voicemail, and I haven't heard back yet. Any advice would be really appreciated!
19 comments
Join the conversation
Yara Abboud
This happens more often than you'd think. Yes, the company should have included their TIN/EIN on the 1099-MISC form - it's a required field. However, you can still file your taxes with this form. First, try contacting the company again - call, email, even send a polite message through social media if necessary. Let them know they need to issue a corrected 1099-MISC with their TIN included. Companies are required to provide this information. If you can't get a response, you can still report the income on your Schedule C (if you're filing as a self-employed contractor). Just enter all the information you have, including the company name and address. The IRS might contact you later asking for the missing information, but they won't reject your return outright for this reason. Make sure to keep records of your attempts to get the corrected form from the company. This shows good faith on your part if the IRS has questions later.
0 coins
PixelPioneer
•Thanks for the advice! But what if the company went out of business? My brother had this happen and couldn't reach the company at all. Is there any way to look up a business EIN publicly?
0 coins
Yara Abboud
•You generally can't look up a business EIN publicly as that information is protected. If the company has gone out of business, document your attempts to contact them. For your tax return, you should still report all income accurately on your Schedule C. Note in your records that you were unable to obtain the payer's TIN despite reasonable efforts. The IRS has procedures for dealing with this situation and they understand that sometimes taxpayers can't obtain all information through no fault of their own.
0 coins
Keisha Williams
Been there, done that! I had a similar issue last year, and I found this amazing tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that saved me so much stress. I scanned my incomplete 1099-MISC and the system instantly flagged the missing TIN and gave me step-by-step instructions on how to handle it. What I loved is that it also showed me exactly what to do on my Schedule C and gave me a template for documenting my attempts to contact the company. The tool even checked if there were any other issues with my tax documents that might trigger an audit. Super helpful for freelancers like us who get multiple 1099s each year!
0 coins
Paolo Rizzo
•That sounds interesting. Does it actually help you find the missing TIN somehow or just tells you what to do about the missing information?
0 coins
Amina Sy
•I'm skeptical about these tax tools. How does it handle state tax implications of missing information? In my state, they're way more picky about documentation than the IRS.
0 coins
Keisha Williams
•It doesn't find the missing TIN for you - that information isn't publicly available. But it provides clear documentation guidance and tells you exactly how to file with the information you have, minimizing your audit risk. For state taxes, it actually handles those implications really well. It gives state-specific advice for all 50 states since each has different requirements about documentation and reporting. In states with stricter requirements, it provides additional templates and guidance to help satisfy those state-level documentation needs.
0 coins
Amina Sy
I decided to try taxr.ai after my initial skepticism, and I have to say I'm impressed. I had three 1099 forms with issues (one missing TIN like yours, one with a name mismatch, and one with an address problem). The system flagged all three problems immediately. What really surprised me was how it walked me through creating a paper trail for each issue - including documentation templates and follow-up reminders. It even had specific advice for my state's requirements which are much stricter than federal. Saved me from what would have been a major headache during an audit last year!
0 coins
Oliver Fischer
If you've tried contacting the company multiple times with no luck, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I had a similar issue with a missing TIN and needed to speak with someone at the IRS about it. After trying for DAYS to get through their phone system, I was about to give up. Then I found Claimyr and watched their demo (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) - it basically navigates the IRS phone tree for you and calls you back when an actual human agent is on the line. The IRS agent explained exactly what to do with my incomplete 1099-MISC and even made a note in my file about the situation in case of future questions.
0 coins
Natasha Ivanova
•Wait, how does this actually work? The IRS phone system is such a nightmare that I can't imagine anything being able to get through it.
0 coins
NebulaNomad
•This sounds like BS. There's no way to "skip the line" with the IRS. I spent 3 hours on hold last month and got disconnected twice. No service can fix that broken system.
0 coins
Oliver Fischer
•It works by using an automated system that navigates all those annoying IRS phone menus and holds your place in line for you. Once it gets through to a human agent, it calls you and connects you directly. No more waiting on hold! I was skeptical at first too. The broken IRS phone system is legendary - I've been disconnected after waiting 2+ hours myself. But this service actually does work. It doesn't "skip the line" - you still have the same wait time - but their system handles the waiting instead of you having to sit there with a phone pressed to your ear for hours.
0 coins
NebulaNomad
I have to eat my words and apologize for my skepticism about Claimyr. After my frustrated comment, I decided to try it because I was desperate to talk to someone about an issue with multiple incorrect 1099 forms. Amazingly, it worked exactly as described. I entered my number, and about 2 hours later (while I was grocery shopping), I got a call connecting me directly to an IRS agent. The agent was super helpful and told me exactly how to handle the missing TIN situation - basically document my attempts to contact the payer and file with the information I have. They added notes to my account about the missing information so it wouldn't trigger unnecessary issues. Definitely much better than wasting an entire day on hold!
0 coins
Javier Garcia
Has anyone tried just putting all zeros for the TIN when it's missing? I did that a couple years ago when I had a similar situation and never heard anything from the IRS about it.
0 coins
Yara Abboud
•I would strongly advise against putting zeros or making up a TIN. The IRS has automated systems that flag mismatched or invalid TINs, which could increase your audit risk. It's better to file with the information you have and document your attempts to get the correct information. If you enter all zeros or a made-up number, it looks like you're trying to submit incorrect information rather than dealing with a legitimate documentation problem.
0 coins
Connor Byrne
•I agree with comment 8. I called my tax preparer about this and they strongly advised against putting zeros. They said it's better to have a blank field with documented attempts to get the info than to put in false information.
0 coins
Emma Taylor
I think everyone's missing an important point - if you received more than $600 from this company, they are REQUIRED BY LAW to provide a correct 1099-MISC with their TIN. You should report them to the IRS for non-compliance. There's actually a form specifically for this: Form 3949-A.
0 coins
Malik Robinson
•While technically correct, reporting them immediately might be a bit extreme as a first step. This could be a simple administrative error. I'd suggest making multiple documented attempts to contact them first before escalating to reporting them.
0 coins
Emma Taylor
•You're right that it could be a simple mistake, but too many companies get away with sloppy tax reporting that ends up causing problems for freelancers. I recommend first sending a certified letter requesting the correction with a specific deadline (keep a copy). If they don't respond by your deadline, then consider reporting the non-compliance. The IRS actually appreciates these reports because it helps them identify companies that regularly fail to comply with reporting requirements.
0 coins