# Set your tax and payout identity

> Getting started · Owner or Admin · Settings → Payout Identity · EIN locks once saved · Canonical page: https://kindlinghq.com/docs/payout-identity/

Your company is the payer of record for every advocate you pay. Kindling needs your tax identity to disburse money and to file 1099-NEC forms for your advocates against your EIN. Until it is saved, earnings accumulate but nothing leaves.

## Before you start

- **Role.** Owner or Admin. Settings → Payout Identity. The page is named Tax & payout identity.
- **You may have done this already.** Onboarding offers the same fields as an optional last step. If you filled them in there, this page shows them saved.
- **Have your EIN to hand.** It cannot be edited after saving.
- **Do this before your first approval.** Anything approved beforehand is held until you complete it.

## What to enter

Every field except address line 2 is required.

| Field | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| EIN | Nine digits, entered as XX-XXXXXXX. Permanent once saved. Shown masked afterwards as XX-XXX**** |
| Legal business name | The registered entity name, not a trading name. Up to 200 characters |
| Address line 1 | Registered business address. Up to 200 characters |
| Address line 2 | Optional. Up to 200 characters |
| City | Up to 100 characters |
| State | Two-letter US state code |
| ZIP | Five digits, or ZIP+4 |
| Reason for change | Required on every save, including the first. Logged for audit with the previous values, the new values, and who saved them |

## The EIN locks

Once saved, the EIN is fixed. The field is disabled and the API refuses changes. This is deliberate: it keys your tax records, and a changed EIN mid-year would split an advocate's earnings across two payers and produce incorrect filings.

If the saved EIN is wrong, contact support@kindlinghq.com before your next payout run. Do not work around it by creating a second workspace.

## Changing your legal name or address later

Both stay editable. Every save requires a written reason, and Kindling records the previous values, the new values, the reason, and who made the change. Entity renames and address moves are normal; the audit trail exists because tax filings depend on these fields.

## What this unblocks

Any earnings approved before your tax identity was complete were recorded as held, with the reason "Disbursement held: brand tax / payout identity not on file". Nothing was lost and nothing needs re-approving.

Saving your details releases every held item automatically. They are eligible for the next payout run, on the 1st or the 15th at 09:00 UTC, whichever comes first.

The run still checks three other things before a payout goes out. Each is independent of this page:

- **A payment method on your workspace.** Subscribing puts one on file.
- **The advocate's W-9 is verified.** Advocates complete it inside Kindling.
- **The advocate's Stripe account is active.** Advocates connect it inside Kindling.

See [Payouts](/docs/payouts/) for how the run reports what it skipped.

## Troubleshooting

| Situation | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| Every advocate shows unpaid, not just one | Check this page is complete, then check that your workspace has a payment method on file. Both affect every payout at once |
| One advocate shows unpaid while others are paid | That advocate's W-9 or Stripe account, not this page |
| A payout says "Disbursement held: brand tax / payout identity not on file" | Complete this page. The hold clears when you save |
| The EIN field will not let me type | It is already saved and locked. Contact support@kindlinghq.com |
| Save fails without an obvious reason | The reason-for-change field is required on every save, including the first |
| The EIN shows as XX-XXX**** | That is the saved value, masked. It is not incomplete |
| I do not have an EIN | The EIN is required. You need one before paying advocates in the US |

## FAQ

### Who files the 1099s?

Kindling files 1099-NEC forms for your advocates against your EIN.

### Do advocates give their tax details to me?

No. Advocates complete their own W-9 inside Kindling. You never handle it.

### Does this apply outside the US?

The payer identity block is built for US tax filing and takes US states and ZIP codes. Contact support@kindlinghq.com about other jurisdictions.

Anything else: support@kindlinghq.com.