IRS Name Control question for sole proprietor using EIN

[ponies2100112]

If you enter your sole proprietor EIN on line D on schedule C what do you put as the Business Name? Your actual name, your business name or leave it blank? The reason I ask is that the Name Control for sole Proprietors is the first 4 of the last name and entering a business name would not match that in many cases.

[tagteam]

See https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/how-your-name-control-is-assigned

The EIN you were assigned can be linked to the SSN you used when you applied for the EIN.

[ponies2100112]

What box is the IRS using when comparing the Name Control to the tax return?

Are they looking at both the individual name and the business name or one or the other?

For example if my name is John Doe my name control is DOE and my business name is "Generic Company" Are they going to match this with the business name or just the last name on the return? If the business name then "Generic Company" would not match the Name control.

[tagteam]

If your business name is "Generic Company", then the name control for the EIN would be "GENE".

That EIN would also lead back to your SSN.

[ponies2100112]

Thanks but I know what the name control is. What I'm asking is the IRS matching the Name Control to your actual name or the business name?

[tagteam · Accepted solution]

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@ponies2100112 wrote:

What I'm asking is the IRS matching the Name Control to your actual name or the business name?

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....and what I am stating is that it makes no difference as they can match either one.

[ponies2100112]

Ok thank you.