On most Fidelity 1099-R forms, the federal ID number you need is 04-2456485, the EIN for National Financial Services LLC (NFS), the clearing firm Fidelity uses for the majority of brokerage and IRA accounts. Some Fidelity accounts, particularly employer retirement plans, list a different payer with a different EIN, so always type the nine-digit number exactly as it appears on the form in front of you rather than relying on a number from memory or a prior year.
Where the EIN Sits on the Form
The payer’s federal ID number appears in the upper-left area of Form 1099-R, inside the box labeled “PAYER’S TIN” or “Payer’s Federal identification number.” It sits directly below or beside the payer’s name and address. The format is nine digits with a hyphen after the second digit: XX-XXXXXXX.
Do not confuse it with your own taxpayer ID, which sits in a separate box and is usually partially masked. On a Fidelity 1099-R, the payer line typically reads something like “National Financial Services LLC, agent for Fidelity Brokerage Services.” The number beside that name is the EIN you want.
Which Fidelity Entity Issued Your Form
Fidelity operates through several legal entities, and the one printed on your 1099-R depends on the account that paid out the distribution. That is why the name on the form may not simply say “Fidelity Investments.”
- National Financial Services LLC (NFS) is the clearing and custody arm and the most common payer for individual brokerage accounts, traditional IRAs, and Roth IRAs held directly with Fidelity. Its EIN is 04-2456485.
- Fidelity Management Trust Company (FMTC) is often the named payer for employer-sponsored retirement plans such as 401(k)s and 403(b)s administered through Fidelity. If the distribution came from a workplace plan, FMTC may appear with its own EIN rather than the NFS number.
If you hold more than one type of Fidelity account and took distributions from several, you may receive multiple 1099-Rs with different payer names and different EINs. Enter each form separately, and use the EIN that is printed on that specific form.
Entering the EIN When You File
When you add a 1099-R manually, tax software prompts you for the payer’s name, address, and EIN before asking for the dollar amounts. Type the nine digits exactly as printed, including the hyphen.
Fidelity also supports direct import into major tax platforms such as TurboTax, which pulls in the payer information, EIN, and all box amounts automatically.1Fidelity. Tax Information: Tax Day Forms and Updates Importing is the simplest way to avoid a typo in the EIN. Even so, compare the imported fields against the actual 1099-R before submitting the return.
Paper filers copy the payer’s name, address, and EIN straight from the 1099-R onto the return. Distribution amounts from Box 1 and Box 2a go on the “IRA distributions” or “Pensions and annuities” line of Form 1040, depending on the source of the funds.2Internal Revenue Service. Form 1099-R
Why the Exact EIN Matters
Fidelity files a copy of every 1099-R with the IRS, which then runs an automated program comparing what Fidelity reported against what you reported. A mistyped EIN can prevent the IRS from linking your reported distribution to the payer’s filing, and a mismatch can trigger a CP2000 notice proposing an adjustment to your income. A CP2000 is a proposal, not a bill, and you have 30 days to respond (60 days if you live outside the U.S.) before the IRS moves ahead with the adjustment.3Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 652, Notice of Underreported Income – CP2000
Other common matching problems come from leaving a 1099-R off the return entirely, misreporting the taxable amount in Box 2a, or treating a direct rollover as taxable income. If a notice is correct, paying promptly limits interest. If it is wrong, respond with documentation showing what you actually received and how you reported it.
If the EIN or Form Looks Wrong
If the EIN on your Fidelity 1099-R doesn’t match what you expected, or any other figure on the form looks off, contact Fidelity. They can investigate and issue a corrected 1099-R, which arrives marked “CORRECTED” and replaces the original for filing purposes.
If you already filed using the original numbers and the correction changes them, file Form 1040-X to update the return.4Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 154, Form W-2 and Form 1099-R (What to Do if Incorrect or Not Received) Amending before the IRS matching program flags the discrepancy is simpler than responding to a CP2000 later.
If the Form Never Arrives
Fidelity posts 1099-R forms online in mid-January and mails paper copies shortly after.1Fidelity. Tax Information: Tax Day Forms and Updates If mid-February passes and nothing has arrived, log in to your Fidelity account and download the digital copy, which carries the same payer name and EIN as the mailed version. If it isn’t posted, call Fidelity for a duplicate.
When the filing deadline is close and you still have no form, you can file using Form 4852 as a substitute, estimating the distribution and any withholding from your own records.5Internal Revenue Service. Using Form 4852 When Missing the Form W-2 or 1099-R If the real 1099-R shows up later with different figures, file Form 1040-X to correct the return.4Internal Revenue Service. Topic No. 154, Form W-2 and Form 1099-R (What to Do if Incorrect or Not Received)