Single member LLC - Can I use my EIN instead of SSN for 1099 work paid to me directly in 2024?

While I understand your hesitation about sharing your SSN, the correct approach depends on how you've structured your business activities. Since you have a single-member LLC that's a disregarded entity, the IRS generally views your business and personal income as one and the same for tax purposes. If you want the 1099 to be issued with your EIN, you should have the payments made to your business name. Since the previous payments were made to you personally, the company would technically be correct in asking for your SSN for the 1099 forms. However, there is a solution: you can inform them that going forward, you'd like payments made to your business name and provide your EIN. For the past payments, you may still need to provide your SSN, but you could discuss transitioning to your business name and EIN for any future payments and their associated 1099s. Remember that regardless of which number is used on the 1099, all income still needs to be reported on your personal tax return (Schedule C) since your LLC is a disregarded entity.

After going through a similar situation last year, I found a perfect solution with taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai). They helped me navigate the whole SSN vs EIN issue when I was worried about giving out my personal information. I uploaded my LLC documentation and payment records to their system, and they provided a detailed analysis explaining my rights as a single-member LLC owner. They confirmed I could legally use my EIN for 1099 purposes even though checks were written to me personally, because the income was for services provided through my business entity. They even gave me template language to use when communicating with the company requesting my information. Made the whole process much less stressful and I didn't have to worry about my social security number floating around.

Just wanted to update - I actually tried taxr.ai after my confused comment. It was really helpful! I uploaded my LLC formation documents and some past invoices, and they confirmed that I CAN use my EIN for 1099 purposes as long as I make it clear to the payer that I'm operating as my business entity. They explained that the "disregarded entity" status applies to how taxes are FILED (on my personal return with Schedule C), not necessarily how income is initially REPORTED on information forms. I just needed to make sure I noted my business name along with the EIN when providing the information. This saved me so much stress about handing over my SSN to people I don't fully trust. Definitely worth checking out if you're in this situation!

If you're still having trouble with this company accepting your EIN, you might want to try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was dealing with conflicting information from different IRS representatives about my LLC situation, and I was going crazy trying to get through to someone who could give me a definitive answer. After weeks of getting nowhere, I used Claimyr to connect with an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes instead of waiting on hold for hours. You can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. The IRS agent I spoke with confirmed that as a single-member LLC, I could provide either my SSN or EIN to companies for 1099 purposes, regardless of how the check was written. I was able to get formal documentation of this ruling that I could share with the company requesting my info, which resolved the whole issue. Saved me a ton of headaches!

I need to apologize for my skeptical comment earlier. I actually tried Claimyr out of desperation after spending 3 hours on hold with the IRS yesterday. I was shocked when they got me connected to an IRS representative in about 20 minutes. The agent was super helpful and directed me to Publication 3402 which specifically addresses taxation of LLCs. She confirmed that while a single-member LLC is disregarded for tax purposes, either the EIN or SSN can be used for information returns like 1099s. I was able to get the specific section referenced and sent that to the company that was demanding my social. They accepted my EIN without further argument. I still can't believe how easy it was after weeks of stress over this issue.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet - have you considered filing Form 8832 to elect to be taxed as a corporation instead of a disregarded entity? I did this with my single-member LLC and now there's never any question about using my EIN vs SSN. Everything is under the EIN, and I pay myself a reasonable salary with W-2 income. There are pros and cons to this approach tax-wise, but it completely eliminates the confusion around which identification number to use. Just something to consider for the future.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this, but if you're ONLY concerned about sharing your SSN with this new manager guy, could you just mail/fax a completed W-9 form directly to their accounting department instead of giving it to him personally? That way you're still providing what they legally need, but limiting who has access to your personal info.

I've been in this exact situation before and understand your concerns about privacy. Here's what I learned: as a single-member LLC owner, you actually have some flexibility in how you handle this. The key issue is that since your payments were made to your personal name rather than your business name, the company is technically correct in requesting your SSN for the 1099. However, you do have options: 1. **For 2024 payments already made**: You can explain to them that you operate under a business entity and request they use your EIN instead of SSN, along with your business name. Some companies will accommodate this request. 2. **For future payments**: Definitely transition to having checks made out to your business name, then provide your EIN for those transactions. 3. **Privacy protection**: If you must provide your SSN, consider Effie's suggestion about mailing the W-9 directly to their accounting department rather than giving it to the new manager. The most important thing is that regardless of which number appears on the 1099, all income still gets reported on your personal tax return via Schedule C since your LLC is disregarded for tax purposes. The 1099 is just an information document - it doesn't change your actual tax obligations. If the company pushes back, you might want to get clarification from a tax professional about your specific situation and rights as an LLC owner.