What does EIN reference number 114 mean?
EINFormationIRS
Reference number 114 means the responsible party on the application has already been issued an EIN today. The IRS allows one EIN per responsible party per day, whichever route you use, and the online tool enforces it with this number. Before anything else, check whether a number was already issued today, by you, a co-founder or a service filing on your behalf. If one exists, use it and stop. If none exists, wait until tomorrow.
It comes up in two situations. The first is a founder setting up more than one company at once: the second application is refused until the next day. The second is a founder who applied twice for the same company without realizing the first went through, because the browser closed, the confirmation screen was missed, or a formation service applied at the same time. In that case the company already has a number, and applying again tomorrow would produce a second one.
Before you retry
Check whether an EIN was issued. Look for the CP 575 PDF in your downloads, an email from whoever was filing for you, or the IRS letter in the post. If Arabella is filing for you, we do it once the state has approved the company, so the day's allowance may have gone on that. If a number exists, use it and stop. If none does, apply once tomorrow, by one route. Applying online tomorrow and faxing a Form SS-4 today is how a company ends up with two EINs, and closing the spare one is a letter to the IRS that nobody enjoys writing.
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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.