Changing EFIN from personal name to business name

[AZ-Tax]

Obtained my EFIN in early 2006 under my personal name. Formed an LLC and now need to change my EFIN to be under my Business name. I was told that can be done at the following website: http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/article/0,,id=109646,00.html

I dont recall ever registering for online e-services access but I did for my PTIN. Is this a whole different registration with its own user name and password?

Will my EFIN change?

By any chance will my PTIN change once I change my EFIN's "Name of Business?

[ChEAr$]

Obtained my EFIN in early 2006 under my personal name. Formed an LLC and now need to change my EFIN to be under my Business name. I was told that can be done at the following website: http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/article/0,,id=109646,00.html

I dont recall ever registering for online e-services access but I did for my PTIN. Is this a whole different registration with its own user name and password?

Will my EFIN change?

By any chance will my PTIN change once I change my EFIN's "Name of Business?

When I incoporated in 1993 transferring the Efin was painless. But I forget which phone number I callled back then. That website looks like it's merely an article versus a workable website for actual changing.

And no, my EFIN didn't change. only change was in IRS records as to whom it belongs.

[Jiggers]

What about un-incorporating?

Would my EFIN go with me?

I thought I had asked this question on the NAEA webboard and was told that it would stay with my business and that I would have to apply for a new EFIN.

[ChEAr$]

What about un-incorporating?

Would my EFIN go with me?

I thought I had asked this question on the NAEA webboard and was told that it would stay with my business and that I would have to apply for a new EFIN.

When a corporation dies, (translation: gives up it's charter) that has nothing to do with the business per see, which may continue under any other form of organization.

If you did away with your corporation but continue to operate the same business individually as proprietor, then legally speaking, you ARE the business, and IRS would most probably transfer the number, the reverse of what I described I did in 1993.

So in your case, why give up the advantages of a corporation when you can simply elect subchapter S?

Free consultation on this issue available during happy hour November 16th.

[Jiggers]

When a corporation dies, (translation: gives up it's charter) that has nothing to do with the business per see, which may continue under any other form of organization.

If you did away with your corporation but continue to operate the same business individually as proprietor, then legally speaking, you ARE the business, and IRS would most probably transfer the number, the reverse of what I described I did in 1993.

So in your case, why give up the advantages of a corporation when you can simply elect subchapter S?

Free consultation on this issue available during happy hour November 16th.

Sunday, November 13th.

2nd bi-annual meeting of whatever group you formed and posted on NAEA!

[Koss]

Answers

Registration for online e-services is totally separate from registration for online maintenance of your PTIN.

Once you register for online access to e-services, you can update the information that pertains to your EFIN. For example, you can change the physical address of your office, add a second office, or provide a mailing address that is different from your physical office address.

I don't know whether you can actually change the name of your business. Or whether you can change the fact that your EFIN is currently associated with you as an individual, and not associated with a business entity. You might have to apply for a new EFIN.

Registration for online access to e-services may also allow you to obtain transcripts of tax returns for your clients, and file Form 2848 electronically through the e-services platform. This function is generally available only to Cir. 230 practitioners.

Your PTIN will never change. A PTIN is assigned to an individual, and it is never associated with a business entity. It is tied to the individual's SSN, and it is not associated with an EIN. A PTIN stays with you for life, regardless of what entity you may be associated with. The only way I can imagine someone getting a new PTIN would be if their PTIN was cancelled, or not renewed, either because they chose not to renew it, or because they failed to do the required CPE, or whatever. But even then, if you cure the problem and reinstate it within one year, I think you're going to get the same PTIN. I think it would have to be inactive for over a year before you could get a different PTIN. And even then, they might just give you the same one.

I sure hope they would not recycle the PTIN, and assign it to someone else.



Perhaps the IRS should simplify things by implementing an SSO platform (single sign-on), where we could have access to all of this stuff with a single login.

We could then say that the IRS SSO covers our PTIN, SSN, EFIN, EIN, and EA ID.

But if they did that, they might run out of acronyms.

BMK

[AZ-Tax]

Thanks to all for your replies

Registration for online e-services is totally separate from registration for online maintenance of your PTIN.

Your PTIN will never change. A PTIN is assigned to an individual, and it is never associated with a business entity. It is tied to the individual's SSN, and it is not associated with an EIN. A PTIN stays with you for life, regardless of what entity you may be associated with. The only way I can imagine someone getting a new PTIN would be if their PTIN was cancelled, or not renewed, either because they chose not to renew it, or because they failed to do the required CPE, or whatever. But even then, if you cure the problem and reinstate it within one year, I think you're going to get the same PTIN. I think it would have to be inactive for over a year before you could get a different PTIN. And even then, they might just give you the same one. BMK

I was not sure if I renewed my PTIN then changed my EFIN from me to my business would triggered a new PTIN and the IRS would force me to pay for PTIN again in the same year. Also, the separated registration was a concerned.

[Koss]

PTIN and EFIN

Keep in mind that there are a lot of folks who have a PTIN (or who need to get one), but do not have, and do not need, an EFIN.

And there will also be a lot of of entities, and even a few individuals, who have an EFIN, but do not need a PTIN.

In fact, an entity cannot have a PTIN, because a tax return must be signed an individual.

The DIY platforms, such as Turbotax, are EROs, but they are not paid preparers. So they need an EFIN, but they don't have a PTIN.

Paid preparers who are employees of a firm need a PTIN, but generally won't need an EFIN, because the firm is the ERO.

BMK

[veritas]

Thinking out loud

So what is to keep the bad guys from appropraiting out PTIN?

I have mentioned this before but I'm pretty sure someone took our compamy EIN from a tax return to apply for a cell phone account.

[Koss]

Use of PTIN

We've talked about this before...

It is certainly possible for an unenrolled preparer to use a PTIN that has not been assigned to him. But I think someone who did so would get caught pretty fast.

The IRS appears to be very serious about enforcing the e-file requirement for anyone that files more than 11 returns. So let's think about this a bit more...

If someone signs a return and uses your PTIN, and the return is filed by mail, they won't be able to do very many of these before the person who really has that PTIN gets an inquiry from the IRS about why they are filing paper returns. At that point, the person who has that PTIN would inform the IRS that they did not sign or prepare that return. I think the IRS would take such a claim very seriously, and would conduct a serious investigation.

If someone uses another person's PTIN and files the return electronically, that will be harder for the IRS to identify. But this kind of activity is serious fraud, and it can be traced through the EFIN. If the person who is using someone else's PTIN is actually the responsible party who "owns" the EFIN, they won't own it much longer. When they get caught, they will immediately be booted out of the e-file program.

What if the person responsible for the EFIN is not the person who is using someone else's PTIN?

The ERO still has some degree of responsbility, and the fraudulent activity can be traced back through the EFIN.

If you are running a tax office, and you have an EFIN, and you have preparers working for you, signing returns, and submitting them for electronic filing, I think you now have a responsibility to confirm that they have renewed their PTIN for 2012. In the past, if you hired a preparer, and they said they had a PTIN, maybe you could just take their word for it, or rely on a PTIN letter that was several years old. Not anymore. They need to produce a current renewal letter from the IRS.

Somehow, I'm just not worried about someone else using my PTIN...

BMK

[MLINDER42]

Ptin

I have 15 preparers and I renew the PTINS with them and I pay for all the PTINS. I now have to think about what type of classes I am going to have after tax season to help them all pass the certification test.

[nwtaxlady]

Llc

Obtained my EFIN in early 2006 under my personal name. Formed an LLC and now need to change my EFIN to be under my Business name. I was told that can be done at the following website: http://www.irs.gov/taxpros/article/0,,id=109646,00.html

I dont recall ever registering for online e-services access but I did for my PTIN. Is this a whole different registration with its own user name and password?

Will my EFIN change?

By any chance will my PTIN change once I change my EFIN's "Name of Business?

Hi,

I just tried sending you a private message but it was denied and said your message box is full and some has to be cleared first to make room for new messages.

Anyone else is also welcome to reply to my questions.

Have you started the process yet?
Did you have to get a new EIN # for the LLC?
And then did you have to re-apply for the EFIN with the NEW EIN#? And if so, did you have to submitt fingerprints again?

[Gretel]

Part of the answer. A few years back I converted from multi-member LLC to single-member LLC. I needed new EIN and with that, new EFIN. They strongly advised me to cancel my old EFIN once I got my new one.

[AZ-Tax]

Gretel what was the time frame?

Part of the answer. A few years back I converted from multi-member LLC to single-member LLC. I needed new EIN and with that, new EFIN. They strongly advised me to cancel my old EFIN once I got my new one.

Gretel, how long from the time you notified the IRS about your LLC member change from the time you received your new EFIN?

Did make this change on line at a IRS web page or did you have to mail in a form and if so, which form? Do you remember which IRS dept you called for I talked to 3 different depts and finally one suggested I call the: IRS E filing Help Desk

Now this really does not make any sense. I assume you never changed your business name nor your EIN but may have changed your tax filing entity from from a P'Ship or S-Corp filing to a Sch C filing?

[Gretel]

Gretel, how long from the time you notified the IRS about your LLC member change from the time you received your new EFIN?

Did make this change on line at a IRS web page or did you have to mail in a form and if so, which form? Do you remember which IRS dept you called for I talked to 3 different depts and finally one suggested I call the: IRS E filing Help Desk

Now this really does not make any sense. I assume you never changed your business name nor your EIN but may have changed your tax filing entity from from a P'Ship or S-Corp filing to a Sch C filing?

I do not remember all the details for will answer as good as I can. When I changed to single-member LLC it took me a while to catch up what all I need to do. I got me new EIN in February but then did not dare to change the whole process in the middle of filing season. I know this was wrong but I applied for my EFIN only after tax season. I did this through my e-services account, which now shows both EIN's and both EFIN's since I haven't cancelled the old one yet.

I also had to apply for e-filing again with the new EFIN but it was a simplified process. I printed the application summary and there must be check boxes to indicate that there was already an approved e-file application. All I can find on this form is "Credentials are on file" and "FingerPrint: None submitted".

I hope this helps. I had to get new EIN since tax form changed from 1065 to Schedule C.