SSN-name matching

[imjulier]

Does the IRS match SSN and name when e-filed? I have a client who is panicked becasue she has always filed with a hyphenated last name and I completed the return with her last name only....not the hyphenated name. It was accepted although I told her it would probably be rejected and then I could change it. It was accepted. What gives as I thought this was a matching which occurred upon e-filing?

Thanks,

Julie

[Gail in Virginia]

Does her social security card show the hyphenated name? If she has been paper filing, there may have been a mismatch all along. In my experience this match does occur when e-filing, because often my mis-matches are women who go by their husband's last name but have never actually changed their social security record from their maiden name (or previous husband).

[LindaB]

IRS matches the SSN with the first four letters of the last name.

[imjulier]

Wierd-

It was accepted even though last year it was e-filed with the hyphenated last name....the first part totally different from the name I used this year. Indicates to me that the matching isn't working. But, this client can be a little confused, so maybe previous tax preparer adjusted the name just for e-filing purposes after providing hard-copy to the client or maybe I misunderstood and it has been paper filed all along.

Thanks for your responses.

Julie

[Pacun]

I agree that the matching is on Social Security Number and first 4 letters of LAST name.

[Don in Upstate NY]

I agree that the matching is on Social Security Number and first 4 letters of LAST name.

Agree. Bauersmith, Bauerschmidt and Bauer are all the same as far as matching goes.

One trick that most of us have learned -- if the last name on the return is entered as "Smith-Jones" that will match either SMITH or JONES in the SSA database. That's the classical way to e-file when the spouse hasn't gotten around to caanging her name with SSA, or uses her maiden name with some of her employers.