What is the IRS's TIN/EIN for 1099-INT reporting?

The IRS uses 52-1320843 as their EIN when they issue interest payments. You'll need to enter this number when you're inputting your 1099-INT information into your tax software. It's actually pretty common for people to have trouble finding this information since the IRS doesn't always clearly display their own EIN on the 1099-INT forms they issue. Kind of ironic considering they require everyone else to include this information prominently! The interest from tax refunds is fully taxable at the federal level, but the good news is it's generally not taxable at the state level (though this varies by state, so check your state's rules).

I had the exact same issue last year with a delayed refund! After hours of searching online I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me identify the correct EIN to use. The tool actually scanned my 1099-INT and extracted all the info automatically, including figuring out it was from the IRS and supplying their EIN. Saved me so much time compared to manually entering everything and then stressing about whether I got the numbers right.

I wanted to follow up about taxr.ai - I decided to try it with my tax documents after posting my skeptical comment. Wow, it actually works amazingly well! I uploaded a bunch of my tax documents including my 1099-INT from the IRS and it pulled out all the information correctly, including that 52-1320843 EIN. It even organized everything by category so when I was ready to file, I had all my income sources neatly summarized. Definitely using this again next year instead of squinting at tiny numbers on forms.

If you're having trouble reaching the IRS to confirm their EIN or ask about your 1099-INT, I highly recommend using Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I spent days trying to get through to the IRS on my own last month with no luck. Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 25 minutes! They have this system that navigates all the phone menus and waits on hold for you, then calls you when an agent is actually on the line. You can see how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was able to confirm the EIN and also ask some questions about reporting the interest correctly.

I have to eat my words about Claimyr. After posting my skeptical comment, I was desperate to reach the IRS about some notice I received, so I gave it a try. I figured I'd just request a refund if it didn't work. To my complete shock, I got a call back in about 35 minutes with an actual IRS agent on the line! I confirmed the EIN (52-1320843) for my 1099-INT and also got some other questions answered. Saved me literally hours of frustration and my issue got resolved in one call. Never thought I'd say this, but totally worth it.

Just FYI, I've received these 1099-INT forms from the IRS for the past three years (they seem to love holding my refunds). The 52-1320843 EIN is definitely correct. Also, make sure you're reporting it on the right line of your tax return. Some tax software can get confused if you just enter "IRS" as the payer - I usually put "United States Treasury" or "Department of Treasury" as the payer name to avoid any issues.

Is it just me or does it seem ridiculous that the IRS requires everyone else to include their EIN/TIN on documents but then makes it hard to find their own? I spent 20 min on their website looking for their EIN before coming here lol.

This is exactly why I keep a tax folder with notes from previous years! The IRS EIN is 52-1320843 as others have confirmed. Pro tip: if you're using tax software, sometimes entering "Internal Revenue Service" as the payer name works better than just "IRS" - some programs have trouble recognizing the abbreviation and might flag it as incomplete. Also, double-check that your software is putting this on the right schedule since interest from government sources sometimes gets handled differently than regular bank interest depending on the program you're using.

Thanks everyone for confirming the EIN! I was in the same boat as Mae - spent way too long looking for this number. One thing I learned from my tax preparer is that if you're using tax software and it asks for the "payer's federal ID number" for the 1099-INT, make sure you're entering it in the right field. Some programs have separate fields for EIN vs SSN, and the IRS EIN (52-1320843) should go in the EIN field specifically. Also, if anyone else is dealing with this, the IRS interest is reported on Line 2b of Form 1040 along with your other taxable interest - it doesn't get special treatment even though it's coming from the government. Hope this helps someone else avoid the same headache!

Just wanted to add my experience for anyone else dealing with this - I had the same issue last year and called the IRS to confirm. The representative told me that 52-1320843 is indeed their correct EIN for 1099-INT forms, and she mentioned that they're aware many taxpayers have trouble locating this information on the forms. One thing she emphasized is to make sure you're reporting the full amount shown in Box 1 of the 1099-INT, even if it seems like a small amount. The IRS has that information in their system and any discrepancy could trigger correspondence later. Also, if you received interest from the IRS in multiple years, you should have separate 1099-INT forms for each year - don't accidentally combine them on your current year return. The whole situation is definitely frustrating, but at least now we know the magic number to use!