HOW TO GET YOUR NEW TAXPAYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER FROM THE INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE
Recall that your Taxpayers Identification number is referred to as a TIN. Go to your local IRS office or call them at 1-800-829-FORM and request form SS-4. Don't volunteer why you want it. It's used for a number of reasons.
NOTE: Before COMPLETING the SS-4, review the important strategies below. Before implementing these strategies, the reader should consult with an attorney to ensure that all laws and regulations are obeyed to the letter.
Strategies for Completing the SS-4
The U.S. Constitution protects your right to live at any address or to use any address as your mailing address. In order to establish a new Credit File, you have three choices: (a) move to a new address; (b) use the address of a friend or relative; (c) use a mail receiving service.
It's important when you apply for your new Taxpayer Identification Number, and you live in any of the following states:
Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Tennessee, Utah, Washington, Wyoming (the "Alabama to Wyoming" list)
that you use an address on the SS-4 form of a friend, relative, or a mail receiving service, that is located in one of the areas specified below, so you can apply to the "right" IRS Service Center. The purpose of securing a Taxpayer Identification Number from one of the following IRS Centers is that the digits of the TIN number will be less than 62-6999999:
Georgia, So. Carolina - Send to IRS Center, Atlanta, GA 39901.
New Jersey, New York City and counties of Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk and Westchester - Send to IRS Center, Holtsville, NY 00501.
New York (all other counties), Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont - Send to IRS Center Andover, MA 05501.
Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Wisconsin - Send to IRS Center, Kansas City, MO 64999.
Delaware, District of Columbia Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia - Send to IRS Center, Philadelphia, PA 19255.
Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, West Virginia - Send to IRS Center, Cincinnati, OH 45999.
If you live in a state other than those listed in the "Alabama to Wyoming" list, file your SS-4 with your current address, and with the IRS service center for your state where you currently file your tax return.
If you have no legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency in any Internal Revenue District, send to: IRS CENTER, Philadelphia, PA 19255.
DO NOT SEND THE SS-4 FORM TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING IRS CENTERS:
Austin, Texas; Ogden, Utah; Fresno, California; Memphis, Tennessee.
The Credit Bureaus do audit the information it receives and it does look for items that are not valid and therefore raise a RED FLAG ALERT on the Credit Report.
When you receive the SS-4 form (See sample form on pages 15-19) complete the following information:
Line 1 Print your name
Line 4a Print your address
Line 4b Print your City, State & Zip Code
Line 8a Mark X - first box marked "individual" and print your Social Security Number on the line to the right.
Line 9 The box marked Banking Purpose put an "X" and to space on right, print "LOAN."
Don't forget to print and sign and date the form at the end.
After completion of the SS-4, make a copy for your records. Mail the SS-4 to the appropriate IRS Center. You can get the correct mailing address from the SS-4 FORM.
DO NOT call the number shown on the instructions to receive your new I.D. number directly from the IRS! Always use the U.S. MAIL to get the I.D. number. It will take from 3 to 4 weeks to receive your "Taxpayers ID Number" from the IRS.
The TIN you receive will look something like this: 00-1234567. You will have to write the number as 00-1234567, which is required by section 6039(e) of the Internal Revenue Code. The TIN has the same number of digits as a Social Security number.
When you apply for credit, enter your TIN where your Social Security number is requested. Indicate on the credit application that the number is a TIN number by putting "TIN" after the number. In this manner you are not lying on your credit application.
Under the Privacy Act, Title 5 of the United States Code Annotated 552(a), "It shall be unlawful... to deny any individual any right, benefit or privilege provided by law because of such individual s refusal to disclose his/her social security number."
If you write your TIN number as "001-23-4567" or as "001234567," please review with your attorney before using it so you will not be in violation of any federal or state laws.
IMPORTANT NOTICE: If you have ever applied before for a TIN number for banking purposes, the IRS will send back your original number to use. If you currently have a second TIN number for banking purposes, you may not be issued another number. Check your credit report to see if the TIN that was issued to you in the past is on your credit report. Check all credit bureaus to verify. If it's not on your credit report, you already have a taxpayer identification number you may be able to use.