{
  "id": "BRD-019",
  "slug": "brd-019",
  "title": "EIN must be nine digits",
  "statement": "The EIN must be exactly nine digits (formatting characters aside).",
  "rationale": "The EIN is the key the whole brand verification hangs on: it is what links your registration to a real, IRS-recognised entity. A malformed one cannot be looked up at all, so the registration fails before any judgement about your business is made.",
  "layer": "BRAND",
  "layerSlug": "brand",
  "object": "brand.ein",
  "severity": "BLOCKING",
  "detectability": [
    "DETERMINISTIC"
  ],
  "failureClass": "RETRY_FIELD",
  "authorities": [
    "TCR",
    "Twilio",
    "Telnyx"
  ],
  "applicability": {
    "excludeEntityTypes": [
      "SOLE_PROPRIETOR"
    ]
  },
  "applicabilityText": "Applies when the brand is NOT a sole proprietor.",
  "universal": false,
  "remediation": "Enter the nine-digit EIN from your IRS documentation, e.g. 12-3456789.",
  "example": "EIN: 12-3456789",
  "catalogIds": [
    "BRD-018"
  ],
  "phase": "approval",
  "automated": true,
  "url": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/brand/brd-019/",
  "markdown": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/brand/brd-019.md",
  "registry": "https://ekas.io/rules/10dlc/",
  "updated": "2026-07-25",
  "licence": "CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"
}