Software and technology companies operate in fast-moving, high-growth environments. New customers,  vendors, and  acquisitions can create a complex web of systems, and this data  must be kept accurate, consistent, and compliant. This can prove troublesome when validating customer identities or vendor information for tax reporting.

As tech companies scale, the challenges around IRS Name / Tax Identification Number (TIN) / Employer Identification Number (EIN) matching, OFAC  and sanctions checks, and identity-risk screening quickly multiply. This article breaks down why these problems occur and how tools like TINCheck.com help centralize and simplify compliance processes across a rapidly changing enterprise.

Why Name/TIN Accuracy Matters for Tech Companies

Software and tech businesses often manage thousands if not tens, hundreds of thousands or even millions of:

• Customers and subscribers

• Independent contractors

• Vendors and service providers

• Channel partners or resellers

• Creators (for platforms and marketplaces)

Incorrect or inconsistent Name/TIN/EIN information leads to:

• IRS B-Notices and backup withholding obligations

• Risk of penalties for incorrect 1099 filings

• Delayed vendor onboarding

• Slowed payments and financial disputes

• Poor audit visibility

Because customer identity validation often lives with legal/compliance, while vendor data sits with Accounting/AP, alignment is difficult from the start.


Why Tech Companies Face Unique Compliance Pain Points

Software and tech businesses aren’t just managing typical customer and vendor relationships — they’re navigating:

Rapid growth & customer expansion

New users, global customers, or new contractual partners are added daily.

Frequent M&A activity

Many tech organizations grow through acquisition.
That means inheriting:

• Multiple ERPs

• Different vendor databases

• Duplicated customer records

• Inconsistent legal entity naming

• Legacy AP and procurement systems

• These systems rarely align.

Distributed teams & decentralized processes

Legal, compliance, Finance, AP, procurement, and operations all touch identity data — but rarely in one unified platform.

Marketplace & platform models

Companies like SaaS platforms, gig-economy apps, creator platforms, or marketplaces have large populations of payees requiring accurate TIN/EIN validation.

High vendor churn

Tech companies frequently onboard short-term freelancers, outsourced teams, consultants, and contractors — each requiring verification.

This mix creates a perfect storm for Name/TIN mismatches and inconsistent compliance checks.


Identity Verification Happens in Silos – And it Causes Major Issues

One of the biggest challenges for tech companies is the fragmentation of data across business units. It’s common to find:

1. Customer data living in CRMs: Salesforce, HubSpot, or homegrown systems managed by Sales or Customer Success.

2. Vendor information stored in AP or procurement systems: SAP, NetSuite, Workday, Coupa, or a legacy ERP.

3. Contract data stored in legal or contract lifecycle management tools: Ironclad, DocuSign CLM, Conga.

4. Product or subscription information stored in the billing platform: Stripe, NetSuite, Recurly, Zuora.

Each team collects names, addresses, and tax IDs differently. Each system formats data differently. As a result:

• The same vendor may appear under multiple variations of their business name

• Customer legal names don’t match billing names

• TIN/EIN mismatches surface during IRS reporting

• OFAC/sanctions checks may be incomplete or inconsistent

• No one has a single, reliable view of “the truth”

This isn’t just inefficient — it’s a compliance risk.


OFAC, Sanctions, and Fraud Screenings is Becoming Critical

Software and technology companies increasingly operate globally.


This creates additional requirements:

• OFAC watchlist checks

• Global sanctions screening

• Politically Exposed Persons (PEP) checks

• Identity/fraud risk flags

• Death Master File (DMF) checks (for certain payment workflows)

These checks apply to:

• Customers with subscription contracts

• Vendors and outsourced partners

• Contractors and freelancers

• Third-party developers

• Marketplace sellers or creators

But because these checks are often handled manually or inconsistently, gaps are common.


The Result: Manual Risk, Compliance Work, and Slow Operations

When tech companies don’t centralize Name/TIN and compliance checks, they face:

• Rejected IRS filings and B-Notices

• Duplicate customer or vendor records

• Slow vendor onboarding

• Delays in payments

• Failed Know-Your-Business (KYB) checks

• Sanctions exposure

• Painfully difficult audits

• Higher fraud risk

• Increased operational cost across teams

For high-growth tech companies, these issues scale fast and quietly.



Conclusion

Software and tech companies are built for speed — but their compliance and identity-validation processes often lag behind. Fragmented systems, fast growth, and distributed teams make Name/TIN/EIN matching and OFAC screening difficult to manage at scale.

Centralizing these checks with a modern platform like TINCheck.com helps technology companies:

• Reduce IRS penalties

• Improve customer and vendor onboarding

• Strengthen fraud and sanctions compliance

• Unify processes across all business units

• Streamline audits

• Support long-term scalable growth

In an industry where accuracy, trust, and compliance directly impact revenue and reputation, getting TIN and identity validation right is essential.

Get started today here or reach out to our team.