Where do I locate Payer's TIN on IRS tax refund 1099-INT form?
I just received a tax refund 1099-INT in the mail from the IRS. I'm trying to enter this into my tax software but it's asking for the Payer's TIN and I can't seem to find it anywhere on the form they sent me. I've looked over the entire document multiple times and I'm totally confused. There is a field labeled "Payer's Federal Identification Number" on the form - could this possibly be the TIN? Or am I supposed to be looking for something else entirely? This is my first time dealing with interest from a tax refund and the whole process is driving me crazy. I don't want to enter the wrong information and mess up my filing. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
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Samuel Robinson
That's a common source of confusion! The "Payer's Federal Identification Number" is indeed the TIN (Taxpayer Identification Number) you're looking for. In this case, since it's from the IRS, it would be the IRS's EIN (Employer Identification Number), which is a type of TIN. For the IRS, their EIN/TIN is 52-1545001. You can use this number when entering your 1099-INT information. The different terminology on various forms and tax software often creates confusion, but they're asking for the same thing.
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Camila Castillo
•Wait, are you sure the IRS EIN is 52-1545001? I thought their number was different. Should we really be giving out the IRS's identification number on here?
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Samuel Robinson
•You're right to be cautious, but this isn't sensitive information. The IRS EIN (52-1545001) is publicly available and can be found on numerous official documents and websites. It's the identification number used when the IRS acts as a payer, such as when issuing interest on tax refunds. The number is used by millions of taxpayers each year when reporting interest from tax refunds, so it's not confidential information. It's similar to how company EINs are often publicly available for tax reporting purposes.
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Brianna Muhammad
I went through the exact same confusion last year! I spent hours trying to figure this out until I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me decode my tax documents. It has this feature where you can upload confusing tax forms like your 1099-INT and it explains every field and tells you exactly what goes where. I uploaded my IRS 1099-INT and it immediately pointed out that the "Payer's Federal Identification Number" was actually the TIN I needed. Saved me so much headache! It also explained all the other fields I was confused about and told me exactly how to report everything correctly.
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JaylinCharles
•Does it work with other tax forms too? I have a bunch of weird forms this year including some 1099-NECs and a K-1 that I barely understand.
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Eloise Kendrick
•Sounds useful but I'm skeptical about uploading my tax docs to some random site. Is it secure? How do they handle your personal tax info?
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Brianna Muhammad
•It works with pretty much all tax forms - 1099s (including NECs), W-2s, K-1s, and even those weird miscellaneous forms. It's especially good at explaining the less common boxes that always seem to trip people up. Regarding security, I had the same concern initially. They use bank-level encryption and don't store your documents after analysis. They're also SOC 2 compliant which is apparently the security standard for handling financial data. I was nervous at first but honestly it feels safer than some of the tax prep software I've used.
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Eloise Kendrick
Just wanted to update everyone - I tried taxr.ai after my skeptical comment above and I'm actually impressed! It immediately identified that the "Payer's Federal Identification Number" on my IRS 1099-INT was indeed the TIN I needed (52-1545001). But what really helped was that it explained every single box on the form and what I needed to do with each value. Turns out I've been reporting some of this interest income incorrectly for years! No wonder I got that weird letter from the IRS last year. Definitely recommend if you're confused by tax forms like I was.
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Lucas Schmidt
If you're still having trouble with this or any other IRS questions, try Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). I was banging my head against the wall trying to get confirmation about some 1099-INT reporting issues and couldn't get through to anyone at the IRS (kept getting disconnected after waiting for 45+ minutes). Claimyr got me connected to an actual IRS agent in about 15 minutes who confirmed exactly where to find the TIN on various forms and answered all my other questions. Check out how it works here: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c I was ready to just guess on my taxes but speaking to an actual IRS person gave me peace of mind that I was doing it right.
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Freya Collins
•How exactly does this work? Do they just call the IRS for you or something? I don't understand what service they're providing that I couldn't do myself.
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LongPeri
•This sounds like a scam. There's no way to "skip the line" with the IRS. They're notoriously understaffed and everyone has to wait. I seriously doubt this is legitimate.
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Lucas Schmidt
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LongPeri
I have to admit I was wrong about Claimyr. After posting that skeptical comment, I was still struggling with my tax refund 1099-INT questions and decided to give it a try out of desperation. It actually worked! They got me through to an IRS agent in about 20 minutes (instead of the 2+ hours I spent trying myself last week). The agent confirmed that the Payer's Federal Identification Number (52-1545001) is indeed the TIN I needed for the IRS-issued 1099-INT. They also explained how to report it correctly based on my specific situation. I'm genuinely surprised this service exists and works. Would have saved me hours of frustration if I'd tried it sooner.
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Oscar O'Neil
For future reference, here's what I learned about 1099-INT forms from the IRS: 1. When the IRS issues a 1099-INT for interest on your tax refund, they are the "payer" 2. The Payer's Federal Identification Number is the TIN you need (52-1545001) 3. You generally need to report this interest on Schedule B if it's over $1,500 total interest 4. This interest is fully taxable at the federal level but may not be taxable for your state (depends on where you live) Hope this helps others who run into the same confusion!
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Sara Hellquiem
•Do you know if I need to include this interest in my AGI calculation? And does getting a 1099-INT from the IRS increase my chances of being audited?
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Oscar O'Neil
•Yes, interest from a tax refund shown on a 1099-INT must be included in your AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) as it's considered taxable income at the federal level. Receiving a 1099-INT from the IRS does not increase your audit risk. It's a routine form sent when they pay you interest on refunds that were delayed. Since this information is already reported to the IRS (they created the form), there's no additional audit risk as long as you properly report the interest on your tax return.
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Charlee Coleman
Quick clarification - I'm a tax preparer and want to add that you actually need to report ALL interest on your tax return, not just amounts over $1,500. The $1,500 threshold is just for when you need to itemize the sources on Schedule B. Even small amounts of interest income need to be reported on your 1040.
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Liv Park
•Thanks for clearing that up! So where exactly do I put the smaller interest amounts on the 1040 if I don't need Schedule B?
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Chloe Martin
•For smaller interest amounts (under $1,500 total), you report them directly on Line 2b of Form 1040 ("Tax-exempt interest"). Wait, that's not right - taxable interest goes on Line 2a ("Taxable interest"). You just enter the total amount there without needing to itemize the sources on Schedule B. Only when your total taxable interest exceeds $1,500 do you need to attach Schedule B to show the breakdown of sources.
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