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Troubleshooting Lacerte diagnostics ref. 404/405 - Form 2555 W-2 EIN is missing or invalid

SOLVED•by Intuit•34•Updated November 20, 2023

One of the following critical diagnostics is generating in the Individual module of Lacerte:

  • e-file: Form 2555 - W-2 Employer identification number (EIN) is missing or invalid (ref. #404)
  • e-file: Form 2555 - W-2 #X: Employer identification number (EIN) is invalid. A valid EIN is a nine-digit number, is all numeric, cannot equal NONE or the taxpayer's or spouse's SSN, and must not be all 0s or 9s. (ref. #405)

Select the applicable diagnostic below for instructions on resolving the diagnostic.

  1. Go to Screen 31, Foreign Income Exclusion (2555).
  2. Select Foreign Wages from the left navigation panel.
  3. Scroll down to the Electronic Filing (W-2) section.
  4. Locate the Foreign Employer Compensation subsection.
  5. Check the box labeled Compensation not reported on W-2.
  6. Select the applicable country from the Country code if work not performed while residing in US dropdown list.
 

Make sure the (b) Employer identification number (EIN) field is empty under the Employer Information (MANDATORY for e-file) section. If anything has been entered there, the diagnostic won't be cleared.

  1. Go to Screen 31, Foreign Income Exclusion (2555).
  2. Select Foreign Wages from the left navigation panel.
  3. Scroll down to the Employer Information (MANDATORY for e-file) section.
  4. Use one of the following solutions:
    • If the EIN entered is incomplete:
      1. Enter the EIN in the (b) Employer identification number (EIN) field.
    • If the EIN is invalid:
      1. Enter the correct EIN in the (b) Employer identification number (EIN) field.
    • If the EIN was received:
      1. Delete the entry in the (b) Employer identification number (EIN) field.
      2. Scroll down to the Electronic Filing (W-2) section.
      3. Locate the Foreign Employer Compensation subsection.
      4. Check the box labeled Compensation not reported on W-2.
      5. Select the applicable country from the Country code if work not performed while residing in US dropdown list.

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