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What do EIN reference numbers 109, 110, 111, 112 and 113 mean?

EINIRS

Reference numbers 109, 110, 111, 112 and 113 are the IRS's own systems failing, not anything you entered. The online tool is old, it goes down, and at busy times it turns applications away rather than queuing them. Every account of them treats all five as technical faults rather than anything in the application.

Wait and try again. 112 and 113 are usually load, so trying again a few minutes later often works. 109, 110 and 111 tend to need longer: give it a day. Check that you are inside the tool's hours, which are Monday to Friday 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern, Saturday 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Sunday 6:00 p.m. to midnight, and remember that a session idle for fifteen minutes is discarded. A different browser occasionally helps, which tells you something about the tool.

When to give up

If it has failed on two different days, stop retrying. Repeated attempts under the same Social Security number can trigger reference number 105 and lock you out for a further day. Fax a completed Form SS-4 to 855-641-6935 instead. The IRS says to expect the number back by fax in about four business days, and a faxed application does not care whether the website is up. Use one route only: once the fax has gone, do not keep trying online, because the IRS allows one EIN per responsible party per day and a second success means a second number and a letter to close it.

Written by the lawyers who built Arabella. This is legal information, not legal advice for your situation, and reading it does not make us your lawyers. For a real dispute or a high-stakes decision, talk to a licensed attorney. More questions.