@baldietax It certainly would be required if Federal taxes are withheld...but that rarely happens for 1099-DIV, -INT forms unless the receiver has set it up to occur because the $$ amounts can be large for certain situations.
Most of the time, I "think" the request from the software, for the EIN on -DIV and -INT forms, (no Fed or state withholding) only happens when the user chooses to upload a picture, or a PDF file of their form, and not just type it in themselves. The Pictures and PDF uploads end up entering a bunch of unnecessary stuff, many time including zeroes in boxes that really should be left blank....then the software "thinks" it needs EIN because a zero was entered in the Federal withholding box...or some such other nonsense.
(Opinion: Never upload a picture or PDF of a tax form and expect it to be flawless)
But, those are just my guesses for now.
____________*Answers are correct to the best of my knowledge when posted, but should not be considered to be legal or official tax advice.*
