What do EIN reference numbers 102, 103, 105 and 108 mean?
EINIRS
All four mean the IRS could not match something in the responsible party section against its own records. 102 is the responsible party's name and Social Security number or ITIN not matching each other in IRS data. 108 is reported in the same situation, but no source states what it means; treat it as the same check and apply the same fix. 103 is an entity entered as the responsible party whose EIN does not match the name the IRS holds for it. 105 means too many attempts in a short period, whatever caused the earlier failures. None of this is published by the IRS. It is the reading every account of these four numbers shares.
102 and 108
The IRS checks the name against the number as the Social Security Administration holds it. The usual causes are a maiden name, a middle name the SSA treats as part of the surname, a hyphenated name entered without the hyphen, or a transposed digit. Enter the name exactly as it appears on the Social Security card and try once more. If it still fails, fax a Form SS-4 to 855-641-6935, where a person can resolve what the automated check cannot.
103
This one usually means a company was named as the responsible party. The IRS says the responsible party must be a person, not an entity, so the fix is rarely to correct the EIN. It is to name the individual who owns or controls the company, with their own Social Security number or ITIN. A parent company cannot be the responsible party for its subsidiary.
105
Stop. The tool has locked the number you were using for a day. Wait twenty-four hours, correct whatever produced the earlier errors, and try once. If that fails, go to fax rather than back to the website.
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