How will PayPal use my TIN or SSN and how do I add it?

You may have been notified to confirm your taxpayer status if you’ve received payments for goods or services through PayPal. To confirm your taxpayer status, as required by the IRS and US state revenue authorities, U.S. tax residents must provide their U.S. Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) while non-U.S. tax residents must complete a Certificate of Foreign Status (CFS) or Form W-8.

To ensure that payment information is accurately reported, where required, please update your account information by providing a TIN to avoid any potential limitations (such as tax holds) and 24% backup withholding. A TIN can be a Social Security Number (SSN), Employer Identification Number (EIN), or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN.)

If you have multiple PayPal accounts, you’ll need to confirm your taxpayer status for each account. You will also receive a tax form for each applicable PayPal account.

Here's how to confirm your taxpayer status in 3 steps for each of your PayPal accounts.

1. Log in through the Confirm Taxpayer Status button in the email we’ve sent you.
2. Choose your taxpayer status from the dropdown menu.
3. Enter your US TIN, your name, and your business type.

Here’s how to add your TIN to your PayPal account:

1. Click the Settings icon next to "Log out."
2. Click Add your SSN.
3. Add your information and click Save.

Then, if necessary, we’ll send you the relevant tax form in January per IRS reporting requirements. If you’ve already entered your TIN, you may have received a notification if the information doesn’t match IRS records. Log in to confirm that it’s correct.

Sole proprietors and single-member LLCs:

When confirming your taxpayer status, enter your name as it appears in line 1 of your 1040, 1040A, or 1040EZ. If you are a single-member LLC that is disregarded as an entity separate from its owner, you must provide us with your owner’s TIN. For example, if the owner of the single-member LLC is an individual, that individual’s SSN should be provided. Similarly, sole proprietors should provide their SSN.