@taqu wrote:
use the owner's social security number (SSN) or employer identification number (EIN) for all information returns and reporting related to income tax."
Yeah that's the confusing part. Your LLC EIN is registered in your name with your social security number. The IRS said that as long as you're reporting your LLC on your Schedule C, everything will be reported correctly. I'm not giving out my SSN to clients and I don't have a separate sole proprietor EIN, so the IRS confirmed that using the LLC EIN is the right choice. Your LLC EIN will also be consistent on all tax documents.
From what I've seen, I can't go back and get a sole proprietor EIN for the same business now that I have the LLC EIN. Also, it seems to me that if you have an old sole proprietor EIN that you had from before your LLC, you basically have EINs for two businesses. If you continue to use the sole proprietor EIN, you're still doing business as yourself only. You're not using your LLC. If there were ever any legal issues, your client can show that they were never doing business with an LLC, they were working with you directly. You don't have even the small amount of liability protection that an SMLLC allows.
Getting professional advice is the best option for everyone though. Don't just go by the internet.
