Son's E-Filing Rejected - SSN/Name Mismatch Error (Jr. vs Sr. Issue?)

This is definitely a Jr./Sr. mixup issue. I had a client with this exact problem on March 3rd this year, and another one back on February 12th. The IRS database sometimes cross-references the Jr./Sr. SSNs incorrectly. Make sure your son is entering his name EXACTLY as it appears on his Social Security card - including or excluding Jr. based on what's printed there. If his card doesn't have Jr. but he's using it on his tax return, that's likely the issue. You'll need to contact the SSA directly to resolve this discrepancy before the April 15th deadline.

I had this same problem with my son last year. Spent literally 6 weeks trying to reach someone at the IRS, calling over and over. Finally used Claimyr (https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c) and got connected to an agent in about 15 minutes. They confirmed it was exactly what the first commenter said - a Jr./Sr. confusion in their system. The agent was able to note it in their system and told us exactly how to file to avoid the rejection. Not sure if the issue is the same, but getting through to a human at the IRS made all the difference. Has anyone else had success with this approach?

Have you considered filing by paper instead? Electronic filing systems are notoriously picky about name/SSN matches, aren't they? But paper returns get processed by actual humans who can see that it's a Jr./Sr. issue and process it correctly. Would that be too inconvenient compared to e-filing? Sometimes the old-school approach works better for these edge cases, doesn't it? I've seen many families with generational name patterns have this exact issue resolved by simply mailing in the return.

I work with tax issues like this all the time. This is a common problem with suffixes: • Check the Social Security card FIRST - it's the master document • Compare what's on the SS card with what's in the IRS system • Make sure he's using EXACTLY what's on his SS card • If his SS card doesn't have Jr., don't include it on the return I recommend using https://taxr.ai to analyze any IRS notices you might receive. It can help interpret what's really happening with the rejection codes and tell you exactly what to do next. The system is particularly good at identifying these specific name/SSN mismatch issues.

This is like having two books with the same title but different authors - the IRS computer just sees the name and gets confused. I fixed this exact problem for my nephew last month. You need to call the Social Security Administration at 1-800-772-1213 and verify how his name is recorded in their system. Then call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 to confirm how it appears in THEIR system. If there's a mismatch, the SSA record is the one that matters. The IRS will need to update their records to match. Until then, file EXACTLY as the name appears on the SS card, even if that means leaving off the Jr.

This is a common Name-TIN validation error in the IRS e-file system. The IRS uses an automated validation algorithm that cross-references the submitted SSN against the Social Security Administration's Master File Database (MFD). When there are generational suffixes involved, the system sometimes erroneously applies the father's name configuration to the son's SSN or vice versa. This is classified as a "primary validation failure" in the e-file rejection codes, usually code 0500 or 0503. To resolve this, you need to submit Form 8822 (Change of Address) with the correct name configuration matching the SSA records, then wait for the IRS database to update before attempting to e-file again. Alternatively, filing by paper with a notation explaining the situation will bypass the electronic validation filters.

My brother-in-law had this exact issue last year - kept getting rejected because his dad has the same name. Turns out his Social Security card didn't have "Jr." on it, but he was adding it to his tax return! 😂 The IRS computers were basically saying "this SSN belongs to [First Name] [Last Name]" (no Jr.), but he was submitting as "[First Name] [Last Name] Jr." Once he dropped the Jr. from his tax return, it went through immediately. The moral of the story: your Social Security card is like your tax ID card - whatever's printed on that card is your official tax name, whether you like it or not!

I went through this exact same situation with my daughter last year! The key thing everyone is mentioning is absolutely correct - you MUST use the name exactly as it appears on the Social Security card, nothing more, nothing less. What helped me was actually requesting a replacement Social Security card first to see exactly how the name was recorded in their system. Sometimes parents assume the Jr./Sr. suffix was added when the card was issued, but it might not have been. The replacement card request can be done online at ssa.gov and takes about 2 weeks. Once you have the physical card in hand, you'll know for certain what name to use on the tax return. If there's still a mismatch after that, then you know it's a deeper database issue that requires calling both agencies. But in most cases, the problem is solved just by using the exact name format from the SS card.

I've been dealing with similar Jr./Sr. issues in my family for years! One thing that really helped us was creating a simple checklist to avoid this problem in the future: 1. **Always check the Social Security card first** - this is your "source of truth" 2. **Take a photo of the SS card** so you have it for reference when filing 3. **Never assume suffixes are included** - even if everyone in the family calls him "Jr." 4. **Keep records of any name changes** you make with SSA What's frustrating is that this seems to be getting more common as the IRS systems get more automated. I've helped three different families with this exact issue just in the past two months. The good news is that once you get it sorted out the first time, subsequent years are usually smooth sailing. Also, if you end up needing to call the IRS, try calling right when they open (7 AM local time) - the wait times are much shorter then. Good luck getting this resolved before the deadline!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now with my son! He's been trying to e-file for weeks and keeps getting that SSN/name mismatch rejection. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly helpful - I had no idea this Jr./Sr. confusion was so common with the IRS system. Based on what everyone is saying, it sounds like the first step is definitely checking his Social Security card to see exactly how his name appears there. I think we might have been assuming his card has "Jr." on it when it actually doesn't. The replacement card idea from Paolo is brilliant - that way we'll know for certain what the official record shows. Has anyone had luck with the paper filing approach as a backup plan? I'm worried about the April 15th deadline and want to make sure we have options if the electronic fix takes too long to resolve. It sounds like paper returns bypass these automated validation issues entirely. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - this community has been more helpful than hours of trying to navigate the IRS website!