IRS Entity Alignment Guide

"Information Mismatch" is the #1 reason US TikTok Shop applications fail. ByteDance's OCR bots require a 100% character-match between your **IRS CP575 or 147C letter** and your Seller Center profile.

"In Q1 2026, TikTok's identity verification API increased its sensitivity to 99.8%. Data indicates that over 60% of rejections are caused by syntax discrepancies (e.g., 'Street' vs 'St.') rather than document illegitimacy."

Source: Merchant Onboarding Security Index, 2026.

1. CP575 vs. 147C: Which is required?

TikTok Shop technically accepts both, but the **147C (EIN Verification Letter)** is the "Golden Document" for remediation. Unlike the CP575, which is issued only once at the formation of your LLC, a 147C can be requested from the IRS weekly, ensuring that the address and entity status reflect current federal records. TikTok's AI weights recent documents higher in its trust-score model.

2. The Character-Match Protocol

When entering your data into the Seller Center, you must mirror the IRS document **character-for-character**. If your IRS letter has a middle initial, your Seller Center entry must have it. If the address on the IRS form uses "Suite" and your bank account says "Ste," the OCR will fail. You must execute a manual alignment across all three entities.

3. OCR Sanitization for Scans

Most rejections are due to "Image Aliasing" (blur or noise on the edges of a photo). To pass, your IRS letter must be scanned as a flat PDF (300 DPI minimum) with high contrast. We recommend removing all digital image metadata (Exif data) before upload to ensure the AI doesn't flag the file as "Digitally Manipulated."