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Why have I received an IRS B-Notice?

The IRS informed PayPal of a mismatch between your legal name and the Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). As a result of this mismatch, you've received a B-Notice.   

The information that you've provided to us on your PayPal account doesn’t match what the IRS has on record for you. PayPal, therefore, requires that you follow the Tax ID notification upon logging into your account.     

There are 2 types of B-Notice (1st or 2nd Notice). Which one you receive will determine what information you must provide. 

  • If you've received a first B-Notice, log in to your PayPal account and click Alert Notification to provide the necessary information. We may require you to download and fill in a tax Form W-9.
  • If you've received a second B-Notice, please provide one of the following documents:- a copy of your Social Security Card (individuals or sole proprietors). ITIN Letter (IRS Letter 685C) (individuals or sole proprietors). Or an Employer Identification Number Verification Letter (IRS Letter 147C) (entities). Log in to your PayPal account, and follow the Alert Notification to upload the document.

Note: The IRS doesn’t have an online solution for requesting an IRS Letter 147C. The IRS will either post or fax the letter to you. To contact the IRS for a Letter 147C, you should call the IRS's Business and Specialty Tax Line. Call 1-800-829-4933 between 7:00am and 7:00pm, local time, Monday to Friday. Requesting a faxed copy may be the quickest way to get a copy of the IRS Letter 147C. You can visit the PayPal IRS 6050W website for more information.

Please note that we need to process the documentation requested before the deadline mentioned on the B-Notice. This is to prevent your account from becoming limited further.

Note:

  • If you have multiple PayPal accounts, you may need to confirm that your Taxpayer Identification Number is accurate for each account.
  • Please make sure that you include and sign (if applicable) all pages of the document before you upload it to your PayPal account.
  • If you're unable to upload the document through the Resolution Centre or alert dashboard, you can upload the document through your Secure Message Centre instead. 
  • For more information on tax reporting and FAQs, please visit the PayPal IRS 6050W website.

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