Can't Update Taxpayer Information

[RexR]

WHY IS IT SO RIDICULOUS TO GET HELP WITH THIS?

Does Square not have anything better to do than waste our time with this ridiculous form that doesn't work?

I have tried for WEEKS to get my taxpayer EIN information updated and the form simply doesn't work.

I am so disgusted at this point that I'm looking for anew way to use my online business because Square is literally USELESS because I can't complete this 1 utterly STUPID time wasting  tool.

[TheRealChipA]

Hey there @RexR.  So I’m not sure you were asking for help from your fellow sellers here in the Community, or if you just wanted to vent.  If you just wanted to vent, you can stop reading here and accept my apologies, because the rest of the post is me trying to be helpful.

I want to clarify what you have already done.  I’m assuming that per this help document, you went to Dashboard Main Menu > Account & Settings > Tax forms.  And, that there you edited your location, entered the correct(ed) business name and the new EIN, and then clicked the confirm button.  (Also, for the record, if you have Square Savings, you will then need to do the same thing for that account, as well.)

If I am correct, and that is what you did, then can you elaborate on what happened besides “the form simply doesn’t work?”  Did you get an error message.  Did you get a confirmation message or a “we will let you know via email when the change is made?”  Or did something else happen — like the confirm button was non-responsive, or you couldn’t type information in the fields?  Also, if you have any screen shots or videos, those would be helpful, too.

If it turns out I can’t help you here, then I can tag a few helpful Square moderators here in the community who should be able to escalate this to the appropriate team for resolution.

[RexR · Accepted solution]

Hi Chip,
A bit of both actually since I found the answer and it's not one that any of your staff have mentioned in any of the posts I found online about this problem.

The problem is that when Square members try to update our EINs on the Tax Information form the Square system doesn't connect well with the IRS, for a variety of reasons, and people have posted several ways to fix various problems.

However, it takes up to 2 WEEKS for EINs to be searchable on the ITN database;

https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/online-ein-frequently-asked-questions

Q. When can I use my Internet EIN to make tax payments or file returns?

A. This EIN is your permanent number and can be used immediately for most of your business needs, including:

• Opening a bank account
• Applying for business licenses
• Filing a tax return by mail

However, it will take up to two weeks before your EIN becomes part of the IRS's permanent records. You must wait until this occurs before you can:

• File an electronic return
• Make an electronic payment
• Pass an IRS Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) matching program

How many Square members have wasted huge amounts of time looking for a hard-to-find solution to a problem that Square could very easily warn us about with a 1 sentence on the Tax Information form?

Other than that I'm very happy with Square, but there's no excuse for Square staff not warning members about the 2-week delay.

EINs aren't an everyday occurrence and most people only need 1, ever, so there's no reason at all for Square to not have 1 sentence warning members about the delay.

[TheRealChipA]

@RexR Ah.  Thanks for following up with that.  I marked your post as Best Answer so that it will be helpful to other sellers in a similar situation in the future.  Otherwise, I’m going to tag a few Square moderators here.  @_Violet @Summer2024 @Katie_SQ @Sammie_C maybe someone could reach out to the product team and have them add this as an “in your face” message on the EIN update setting screen, as it is stated in that corresponding documentation?

[Summer2024]

Thanks for flagging us @TheRealChipA ! I will definitely pass this information along to our team.

I am so sorry for your frustrating experience @RexR ! 

[RexR]

Hi Chip and @_Violet @Summer2024 @Katie_SQ @Sammie_C 

I don't have the words for how deeply disgusted I am over this whole situation.

I'm recovering from brain damage and I make $800 a month on disability and it's DISGUSTING that Square staff, who GET PAID to manage this business, don't care enough about what they are doing to fix these problems without waiting for YEARS for their customers to find the solution.

That's UTTERLY PATHETIC.

HOW MANY SQUARE customers have wasted massive amounts of time over something that Square staff had a responsibility to fix ahead of time?

I WILL NOT FUNCTION AS A FREE CONSULTANT FOR A MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR COMPANY THAT DOESN'T CARE HOW MUCH OF THEIR CUSTOMER'S TIME THEY WASTE.

How RUDE can they be to someone who is trying to give them money?

This is NOT a cooperative venture. I'm paying a multi-million dollar company for payment processing, PERIOD.

I absolutely will NOT get BS'ed around in circles over a form that WILL NOT WORK within that 2 week window regardless of how much time you waste looking for answers.

Square staff and owners have a responsibility to find these problems and fix them WITHOUT  screwing over their customers.

I grew up on dairy farms and cattle ranches and I WILL NOT be one of the cattle trying to manage the ranch while the ranch owners hide in their ivory towers and make a profit off people who are stupid enough to do their jobs for them. There's other ways to get paid.

I'm going to wait a week and then log into Square one (1) more time and try to connect it to the IRS and if Square doesn't care enough about what they are doing to have that form work then I will never waste another minute on this SCAM.

It's disgusting that Square staff have had this problem for years and wait for their customers to solve their problems.

I've got other stuff to do and I will not be a free consultant for **bleep**.