Does the IRS Accept Symbols as Part of a Business Name?

As you begin the process of starting your own business, the process can come with several concerns and questions. IRS-EIN Tax ID is here to help with all of your business related and tax-related questions. Our customer service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days per week for your business needs such as how to apply for EIN or obtaining an estate EIN.

When choosing a business name you will want to ensure that first and foremost your business name makes sense to your customers and the product or service you sell. You will also need to abide by the law of the IRS of what they accept for a business name because you will need to obtain a tax ID number. To do so, you need to have a valid business name.

As it is, the IRS allows you to use:

  • The 26 letters of the English alphabet
  • Numbers 0 through 9
  • Hyphen (-)
  • Ampersand(&)

These are the only characters you are allowed to use when you are applying for an EIN. On the form, it won’t allow other symbols. If your business name does have one of the prohibited symbols, the IRS suggests you spell it out if possible. For example, you could replace the symbol % with the word percent. For situations such as an apostrophe, it is recommended you just leave it out.

IRS-EIN Tax ID can help you through this process to ensure your documents are submitted accurately, that way you won’t have to re-submit any forms. When it comes to finding the perfect name for your business, you may want to think about what will be best for your business and also easiest for your IRS related tasks. If you need to apply for an EIN you can do so through our website. It is a fast and easy process.