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#193512 - 05/24/04 07:42 PM Determining if a TIN is an SSN or an EIN
Anonymous
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If a data source contains a column of data containing a TIN which can either be an SSN or EIN (or possibly an FEIN), is there any algorithmic way of determining if a given entry is an SSN?

And, just to verify, SSN, EIN, and FEIN do not overlap (i.e. a field containing all three never contain duplicates)?

Pointers to good reference documents on this topic appreciated.

Thanks!

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#193513 - 05/25/04 04:00 AM Re: Determining if a TIN is an SSN or an EIN
John Burnett Offline
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John Burnett
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I suspect EIN and FEIN are the same thing.

There is no algorithm that will discern whether a given string of 9 digits is an SSN or an EIN.

There most definitely is overlap (duplication) between the numbers issued by the Social Security Administration (SSNs) and the IRS (EINs).
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#193514 - 05/25/04 11:49 AM Re: Determining if a TIN is an SSN or an EIN
Elwood P. Dowd Offline
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John is correct on all points. SSN's are issued by SSA and EIN's are issued by the IRS. Duplicate numbers are not issued intentionally, but stuff happens when you have two federal agencies engaged in the same process.

Here's a link to the SSA web site describing how SSNs are assigned. Neither SSNs nor EINs reflect a mathematical formula.

Any attempt at verfication would not be based on the number alone, you would be attempting to determine if this number went with this name. You can do that through IRS e-services.

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#193515 - 06/01/04 07:17 PM Re: Determining if a TIN is an SSN or an EIN
Anonymous
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Thanks to John and Ken for their helpful replies.

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#193516 - 06/01/04 07:58 PM Re: Determining if a TIN is an SSN or an EIN
Jokerman Offline
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Quote:

Here's a link to the SSA web site describing how SSNs are assigned.




Aren't the first two digits of an EIN assigned based on the entity's state (similar to the manner for SSNs)? Most every EIN I see begins with the same two numbers, and I read once (or was told, or maybe just assumed) that it was because those entities were all from the same state.

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#193517 - 06/01/04 08:50 PM Re: Determining if a TIN is an SSN or an EIN
John Burnett Offline
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John Burnett
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That's generally true, at least it used to be. But if a corporation is located currently in Massachusetts and was formed in Delaware (change of charter and location), the EIN doesn't change. So while the lead digits in an EIN provide some information, they don't guarantee anything.

And they definitely don't predict whether a given number is an EIN or an SSN.
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#193518 - 06/01/04 08:52 PM Re: Determining if a TIN is an SSN or an EIN
GreatBlue Offline
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GreatBlue
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Colorado
In Colorado, for profit EINs used to routinely start with 84, now they most often (but not always) start with 20.
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