TINCheck Review
TINCheck is Sovos' TIN matching service: real-time, bulk and API checks of a payee's name and tax ID against IRS records, the Death Master File, OFAC and 20+ other watchlists, sold in monthly or prepaid check bundles to AP teams, payers and platforms onboarding US vendors.
Independently scored, one dimension at a time. Every dimension is sourced, and we say whether a claim is published, reported, or estimated.
Sign-up is online, the first real-time check is free and no IRS e-Services application is needed, because Sovos acts as the authorized agent through the license agreement (FAQ, checked 10 October 2026). The first user invites the rest. The REST API needs a developer portal account, an app, a key and secret and an OAuth token that lasts ten minutes (docs, updated 30 September 2026). Bulk Match needs an admin to enable it and a semicolon-delimited text file.
Monthly, prepaid and cache prices are on the public pricing page and bulk starts at a published $185 per file (checked 10 October 2026). The gaps are real. Overage rates and the monthly 1,000, 2,500 and 5,000 plans are on the Real-Time page and absent from the pricing page, the prepaid 50 bundle is $49.95 on one page and $44.95 on another, the FAQ still says plans start at $24.95, and bulk pricing above 1,000 records is shown only inside the account.
Self-serve plans run from 25 to 5,000 checks a month and Sovos quotes custom plans above that (Real-Time page and FAQ, checked 10 October 2026). The bulk format guide advises splitting files above 500,000 lines, and all plans include unlimited users. No API rate limit or uptime commitment is published, and the data sheet says the service depends on government systems that go down. The Cache option answers from stored results during IRS outages.
Roles are documented for Account Admin, Basic User and API User, with two-factor sign-in and IP allowlisting (docs.sovos.com, updated 30 September 2026). Cached results are flagged in web and API history. The History screen lists three months of checks and an export reaches back at most three months from the current date, which leaves long-term evidence to the customer. Security pages cite ISO 27001 and SOC certified data centers and disagree on SOC 1 versus SOC 2; no report on the application is named (checked 10 October 2026).
Help content is public on docs.sovos.com, and live chat runs through the Sovos Support Portal after sign-in (support page, checked 10 October 2026). Phone support is described as a tax season service, weekdays 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central plus the last two weekends of January. No response-time commitment is published, and a free API test account takes a support request.
Coverage is deep for one task: IRS name and TIN matching, EIN name lookup, IRS exempt organizations, GIIN, the Death Master File, USPS addresses, the OFAC lists and other US, Canadian, EU and UN lists (verification lists page, checked 10 October 2026). It stops there. The service pages list no W-9 or W-8 collection, foreign TIN validation, 1099 preparation, e-filing or B-Notice workflow, and EIN lookup and address validation are excluded from bulk files.
Data moves by REST or SOAP API, by typed entry, or by a semicolon-delimited text file for bulk (docs, updated 30 September 2026). No native connector to an ERP, AP platform or vendor portal is published, and the documented REST methods include no bulk or webhook call. History leaves as a CSV export and bulk results as a text file.
No MCP server exists for TINCheck or Sovos in the public MCP registry or on GitHub, and the TINCheck documentation has no MCP page (checked 10 October 2026). The agent surface is a documented REST API with OAuth2 and four methods, plus a SOAP API. The site and docs describe no in-product AI. Sovos said on 24 March 2026 that an MCP Gateway is in development and gave no date.
A fast, cheap TIN and watchlist check that does one job; mind the three-month history and the price pages.
Written by the Audit Friendly research team. No vendor edits, no sponsored placement.
TINCheck sells access to IRS name and TIN matching without the e-Services application. A user types a name and tax ID, or an API sends them, and the vendor says the answer comes back in seconds, along with Death Master File, USPS address and OFAC results and more than 20 other watchlists. Sovos acts as the payer's authorized agent under the license agreement, so a team can sign up and run its first check the same day (Audit Friendly estimate). Plans start at $19.95 a month for 25 checks (published, checked 10 October 2026), and every plan includes unlimited users.
It covers one step of the 1099 process. TINCheck has no W-9 collection, no 1099 filing and no B-Notice workflow; Sovos sells those in 1099 Pro and its enterprise reporting products. The History screen lists only the last three months and an export reaches back at most three months from the current date, so the evidence file for a penalty abatement has to be exported at least every quarter. The security pages refer to certified data centers and disagree on whether the report is SOC 1 or SOC 2. Three pages on tincheck.com show different prices, and overage rates appear only on the Real-Time product page. There is no MCP server and no in-product AI.
Before buying, confirm the price of the exact bundle at checkout, the overage rate and the bulk price above 1,000 records. Ask Sovos for the SOC report that covers the TINCheck application and for the retention period of stored checks. Confirm that the payees to be checked fall inside the IRS program's scope, because the TINCheck data sheet has the customer warrant that checks relate to accounts with reportable payments subject to backup withholding. For an enterprise order, read the renewal clause: the Sovos agreement renews automatically unless notice is given 45 days before the term ends.
- An AP team that wants to validate each new vendor's name and TIN before the first payment without applying for IRS e-Services access.
- A payer cleaning a vendor master of a few hundred to a few thousand records ahead of 1099 season.
- A marketplace or fintech that needs TIN, Death Master File and OFAC results inside its own onboarding flow through an API.
- Teams that want W-9 collection, TIN matching and 1099 e-filing in one product; Tax1099 and 1099 Pro cover that.
- Payers of foreign vendors who need W-8 validation and withholding rates; Comply Exchange targets that work.
- Buyers who need a SOC report on the application itself, documented SSO or multi-year check history on screen before they sign.
The jobs a tax team actually hires TINCheck for
Jobs, mapped to how finance teams actually buy.
Validate a new vendor's name and TIN before the first payment
A user enters the TIN, name and address from the W-9 and runs one check. The result shows whether the pair matches IRS records and whether the payee appears on the Death Master File, OFAC or other lists. The check is logged with the user who ran it.
Scrub the vendor master before 1099 season
An admin enables Bulk Match, uploads a semicolon-delimited text file of TIN type, TIN, name and an optional account number, and downloads coded results. Bulk starts at $185 per file of up to 1,000 records (published). EIN name lookup and USPS address validation are excluded from bulk files.
Screen payees against OFAC and other sanctions lists in the same step
The same check that tests the TIN also searches the OFAC lists, the Entity and Unverified lists, EU and UN sanctions, Canadian regulations and state casino exclusion lists. Admins choose which lists run and set a match threshold percentage. A hit is a possible match that still needs human review.
Embed TIN validation in an onboarding flow by API
A platform calls ValidateTinName or ValidateTinNameAddressListMatch while the payee fills in a form, and flags a mismatch before the record is saved. Authentication is OAuth2 with a key and secret from the Sovos developer portal. Each call counts against the plan's checks.
Keep verifying when the IRS system is down
With a cache plan, TINCheck answers from stored results when the IRS reports problems and marks the result as cached in web and API history. A pair that is absent from the store returns no result. Cache plans cost more than standard plans, from $21.50 a month against $19.95 (published).
Keep evidence for a B-Notice or penalty response
History lists checks by TIN, name, source and user, and exports to CSV. The screen shows the last three months and an export reaches back at most three months from the current date, so a team that wants a multi-year record has to export at least every quarter and store the files itself.
Watch the same task in each tool
Forget the 40-row feature grid. Pick a finance workflow and see how this tool and its closest peers actually do it, with our verdict on who wins for whom.
Compare on what matters
What it actually costs
Here's what it really costs: published rates where a vendor lists them, aggregated quote data where they don't, plus a path to your own number.
25 real-time checks a month with all verification lists and unlimited users. Cache version is $21.50 a month; the Real-Time page lists overage at $0.94 a check.
50 checks a month. Cache version is $42.50 a month; overage is listed at $0.92 a check on the Real-Time page.
100 checks a month. Cache version is $80.00 a month; overage is listed at $0.87 a check on the Real-Time page.
250 checks a month. Cache version is $172.50 a month; overage is listed at $0.74 a check on the Real-Time page.
500 checks a month. Cache version is $245.00 a month; overage is listed at $0.51 a check on the Real-Time page.
1,000 checks a month with overage at $0.46 a check. Listed on the Real-Time product page; the pricing page stops at 500.
2,500 checks a month with overage at $0.40 a check. Listed on the Real-Time product page only.
5,000 checks a month with overage at $0.30 a check. Listed on the Real-Time product page and repeated in the vendor blog on 14 August 2026.
Custom plan through sales for higher volumes. The FAQ points buyers above 5,000 checks to a custom plan.
50 checks billed up front, valid for one year. Cache version is $51.95. The Real-Time page shows this bundle at $44.95.
100 checks billed up front, valid for one year. Cache version is $101.95. The Real-Time page shows $95.95.
250 checks billed up front, valid for one year. Cache version is $249.95. The Real-Time page shows $229.95.
What it actually takes to go live
On 10 October 2026 the pricing page showed five monthly plans up to 500 checks and a prepaid 50 bundle at $49.95. The Real-Time product page showed eight monthly plans up to 5,000 checks with overage rates and the prepaid 50 bundle at $44.95. The FAQ said monthly plans start at $24.95, while the home page and pricing page said $19.95. The pricing page states that overage applies and does not show the rate. Treat the checkout screen as the price and save a copy.
The Sovos documentation for TINCheck, updated 30 September 2026, says the History screen lists checks from the last three months and that an export covers up to three months from the current date. It suggests using the export to keep a record of older checks. No retention period for stored checks is published. A payer that relies on TIN matching as reasonable-cause evidence should schedule a quarterly export.
The TINCheck data sheet dated October 2023 has the customer warrant that it has filed Forms 1099-B, DIV, INT, MISC, OID or PATR and that each name and TIN checked relates to an account where a reportable payment subject to backup withholding is made or likely. It also limits submissions to combinations that have not been sent before. The IRS page on TIN Matching, reviewed 10 August 2026, says the program is only for payers and their authorized agents. A release note of 29 September 2026 added a setting that turns IRS matching off so an account can run the other validations alone.
The home and security pages say data is processed in SSAE SOC 2 and ISO 27001 certified data centers. The FAQ says the data centers are SOC 1 certified under SSAE 16 and ISAE 3402, ISO 27001 certified and validated under PCI DSS, and the Sovos documentation and a 30 May 2024 press release also say SOC 1 (all read 10 October 2026). None of these pages says the TINCheck application has its own SOC report. Ask Sovos for the current report, its type and its scope before sign-off.
Bulk Match is an add-on from $185 per file of up to 1,000 records, and an admin must accept the fee table in the account before the feature turns on (pricing page and docs, checked 10 October 2026). The file must be a semicolon-delimited text file with no blank lines and no repeated TIN or name. Results return in 24 to 48 hours per the bulk page. EIN name lookup and USPS address validation are excluded, and the documented REST methods include no bulk call.
The pricing page says all plans can be canceled at any time, and the docs show pause and cancel buttons for monthly plans. A signed order falls under the Sovos Software and Services Agreement on the terms page, last updated 1 August 2023. It renews automatically unless either party gives notice 45 days before the term ends, allows no refund for reduced usage, bills overage at then-current rates unless the order sets one, and caps Sovos' liability at twelve months of recurring fees. The data sheet adds that Sovos does not warrant uninterrupted service when government systems are down.
Scored on what an outside agent can actually reach: the documented API, how it authenticates, and whether the vendor ships an MCP server.
Exists: No. TINCheck has no first-party MCP server. On 10 October 2026 the public MCP registry returned no server for TINCheck or Sovos, GitHub showed no TINCheck or Sovos MCP repository, and the TINCheck documentation had no MCP page. Sovos said on 24 March 2026 that it is developing a Sovos MCP Gateway for governed agent access to its Tax Compliance Cloud; it gave no release date and did not name TINCheck.
Scope: What an agent can reach today is the TINCheck REST API. It documents four methods: ValidateTinName for IRS name and TIN matching, ValidateListMatch for OFAC and other list checks, ValidateTinNameAddressListMatch for every validation in one call, and ServiceStatus for system status and checks remaining. Each API check draws down the plan's balance. Bulk file checks, history export, user management and billing are documented only for the web interface.
Turnkey: No. Someone has to register on the Sovos developer portal, create an app, copy a key and secret and request an OAuth token that lasts ten minutes, then wrap the calls in code or a custom tool. Access needs an active monthly or prepaid plan, and a free API test account is granted on request through support. A SOAP API is also available.
In the product, no AI feature is described on the site or in the documentation as of 10 October 2026. Ask Sovi, the documentation assistant Sovos added to 1099 Professional on 17 August 2026, is not listed for TINCheck. Watchlist name matching uses a threshold percentage that an account admin sets, which is a rules setting.
TINCheck, kept current
A release note says Sovos can switch off IRS name and TIN matching for an account, so the other validations run without data going to the IRS. Free sign-up also gained a human verification step.
A fix stopped new trial accounts from reaching the Bulk check menu. Real-time results and history now hide the IRS result when IRS matching is off for the account.
Names with apostrophes, periods and other special characters now return the same IRS and list results from both entry points, per the release note.
The release note says the discount applies automatically at checkout and that subscription cards now show which plans use TINCheck cache.
The parent company announced an expansion of Sovi AI and said it is building an MCP Gateway for agent access to its Tax Compliance Cloud. The release does not name TINCheck or give a date.
TINCheck switched to the Sovos login with new password controls. Users had to set up two-factor authentication again, and SOAP API users had to move callers to the API User role beforehand.
TINCheck FAQ
A team that onboards up to 100 vendors a month would pick the monthly 100 plan at $69.95 a month, about $839 a year (published price, Audit Friendly arithmetic, checked 10 October 2026). Smaller teams start at $19.95 a month for 25 checks, and the pricing page tops out at $219.95 for 500. All plans include unlimited users and every verification list.
Add the pre-season cleanup. Bulk Match starts at $185 per file of up to 1,000 records; a file of 3,000 vendors falls in a higher tier whose price is shown inside the account. A cache-enabled plan adds $1.55 to $25.05 a month. A release note dated 2 June 2026 says a first plan gets 20 percent off at checkout.
Prices differ between pages on the vendor's site, so use the checkout figure. Above 5,000 checks a month the price is a custom quote from Sovos sales.
Self-serve plans are month to month or prepaid. The pricing page says they can be canceled at any time, the docs describe pausing a monthly plan, and prepaid checks expire one year after purchase. Plans cannot be combined, and moving between monthly and prepaid requires support. Signed enterprise orders follow the Sovos Software and Services Agreement, which renews automatically unless notice is given 45 days before the term ends.
Data leaves two ways. Check history exports to CSV, reaching back at most three months from the current date, and bulk results download as a text file that opens in Excel. Export history at least every quarter, because the History screen and the export both stop at three months (docs updated 30 September 2026).
For web use, the same day (Audit Friendly estimate). An admin creates the account with a company email, picks a plan and invites users. No IRS e-Services application is needed, because the license agreement appoints Sovos as the payer's authorized agent for IRS TIN matching.
The API takes developer time: register on the Sovos developer portal, create an app, copy the key and secret, and call four REST methods with a ten-minute OAuth token. Audit Friendly estimates one to two weeks including testing. A free API test account is available on request through support. No partner is needed.
Only through custom code. TINCheck has no MCP server, and none is listed for Sovos in the public MCP registry as of 10 October 2026. Sovos said on 24 March 2026 that an MCP Gateway is in development and gave no date.
A developer can wrap the REST API as a tool so an agent validates a name and TIN, runs list checks and reads the remaining balance. The agent cannot upload bulk files, export history or manage users. Each call spends a paid check, and admins can cap the number of checks a user may run, which is a sensible guard for an API user.
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