FEIN Numbers

[Snaggletooth]

I don't know that this is something to be concerned about, but for all my career I have become accustomed to the IRS assigning two-digit prefix numbers based on the state. Tennessee has been 62-, Georgia has been 58-, Alabama has been 63- etc.

The last two SS-4 assignments (both Tennessee) have been with a 41- prefix. The first one was an estate, so I thought that might be unusual. But yesterday, they assigned 41- to a proprietorship. I checked the address of the notice, and confirmed it to be a Tennessee address.

Does anyone out there know what's going on? or does it matter? One thing is for sure, I will use these numbers as issued, and not try to rock the boat. The last thing I need is for the IRS to change these numbers -- I've had that happen a couple times and it's a nightmare.

[S T]

??? 2 digit prefix

Snags, I don't have an answer, except for Calif, at least So Calif, our #;s changed a few years ago, we were being assigned 95 and 33 #'s, now I have been receiving 20 #'s. Wondered at the time.

Might have something to do with going on line or applying through the phone line. I applied for maybe 3 or 4 last year in 2005 and all came back as 20 #'s.

So maybe they just ran out of the old series and are starting a new group.

Going through IRS site and google I couldn't find any reason for it.

Sandy

[JG EA]

Also 20's

I also have been getting twenties. These used to be unrecognized as EIN's in 2000. QB would only print them as SSN's because there was no such EIN in that year. Don't know exactly when they started.

[Black Bart]

Snag / different fein prefixes

So maybe they just ran out of the old series and are starting a new group.
Sandy

Sandy's got the right answer. It's nothing serious, but we're just gonna have to get used to it. They are like toll-free 800 phone numbers--they've pretty much run out of "space" (wherever that is). New apps for toll-free numbers now get an 888 prefix, and your federal ID's are gonna get whatever IRS has decided your new state prefix needs to be.

Arkansas had the number 71 since...what?....forever (back in the sixties-as far as I can remember). I applied for a new one last year for somebody and it came back with the prefix of 90.

I think it's been around for a while, but I don't know exactly how long. And, I don't like it either since, as an old head, I (naturally) hate change. Too, it was nice to be able to be tell they were from out-of-state (impressing the clients with my "vast" tax knowledge--"Oh, Tennessee folks, eh?") when you spotted a "foreign" number.

Although you Californians and other metro states are probably quite used to it, our entire state had the same phone prefix number for years and years. No problem about that at all if you had somebody's number. Then a few years ago they assigned a unique (501) prefix to Little Rock and some parts of northwest Arkansas, but who knows what parts?
Now, it's a big pain if you want to call somebody that lives "off" somewhere in that general direction, 'cause you don't know which prefix to put in front of 555-1212 when dialing "info."

Oh well; "such is life," as the old man used to say.

[Unregistered]

The old EIN's were assigned on the "Old" IRS district office concept. We've got several different numbers around FL now.

[Mark Goldberg]

20s

The numbers starting in 20 are from requests that were made over the internet.