KYB
Checker Category: Identity — KYB
Supported Countries: US
Overview
The KYB Checker compares inputted business attributes to IRS and Social Security data. It returns a pass/fail indication of whether the inputted information matches IRS records, along with watchlist information and a pass/fail general risk assessment. When a TIN/EIN is provided, the checker queries the IRS directly to confirm the EIN matches their records for the submitted business name.
End User Requirements
- Business name — required (max 500 characters)
- Business address — required; state at minimum (max 500 characters)
- TIN/EIN — optional; 9-digit format XXXXXXXXX. Enables live IRS EIN verification.
- Business website URL — optional. Enables additional website consistency signals.
Role in Layered Verification
Primary KYB signal — confirms business entity existence, registration status, and fraud risk. EIN matching via the IRS provides strong assurance against business identity fraud (e.g., stolen EINs paired with fraudulent business names). Pair with the Employer Affiliation checker to also test a user's connection to the verified business.
Acquired Attributes
| Attribute Name | Attribute Code | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Watchlist Hits for Business | AcquiredWatchlistHitsForBusiness | Watchlist matches for the business entity. Each hit contains a code, name, count, and details (address, date of birth, name). |
Assertions
| Assertion | Key | Description |
|---|---|---|
| KYB Match Rating Check | test.KYBMatch | Evaluates the overall KYB match rating for the business entity. Passes if the rating is A; fails if the rating is F; unverified if the rating is B or C. |
| Business Risk Rating Check | test.BusinessRisk | Evaluates the overall risk rating for the business entity. Passes if the rating is A; fails if the rating is F; unverified if the rating is B or C. |
| KYB Match Verified Check | test.BusinessVerified | Confirms that the business entity match level is sufficient to be considered verified. Passes if verified; fails if not verified; unverified if the result is null. |
| TIN Linked to Business Entity in IRS Records | link.TIN_BusinessName | Confirms that the provided TIN/EIN corresponds to the provided business name per IRS records. Passes if confirmed; fails if it cannot be confirmed; unverified if null. |
| Business Name Matches Offical Record | ` | Confirms that the provided business name matches offical records. Passes if the match is SIMILAR or EXACT; fails if NO_MATCH; unverified if null. |
| Business Address Matches Offical Record | test.BusinessAddressMatch | Confirms that the provided business address matches offical records. Passes if the match is SIMILAR or EXACT; fails if NO_MATCH; unverified if null. |
| Business Watchlist Check | test.BusinessFoundOnWatchlists | Assesses the provided business against watchlist databases. Passes if the businesf is not found on watchlists; fails if it is found on watchlists. |
Rating Scale
test.KYBMatch and test.BusinessRisk are both derived from an A–F rating system.
KYB Rating (business entity verification quality):
| Rating | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | Highly reliable — all key identifiers match official records |
| B | 80–89 | Generally reliable — minor discrepancies in name or address |
| C | 60–79 | Notable discrepancies — TIN or address could not be adequately matched |
| F | 0–59 | Significant concerns — inactive registration status or critical mismatches |
Factors: business name match accuracy, address match, TIN/EIN verification against IRS records, Secretary of State registration existence and active status.
Risk Rating (business fraud risk profile):
| Rating | Score | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| A | 90–100 | Low-risk — established history, no significant risk indicators |
| B | 80–89 | Generally low-risk — minor concerns in one or more categories |
| C | 60–79 | Moderate risk — multiple minor concerns or a significant concern in one category |
| F | 0–59 | High-risk — multiple significant risk indicators |
Factors: time in business, industry category (high-risk MCCs), website analysis, inquiry frequency.
Notes and Limitations
Optional inputs unlock additional assertions. Submitting a TIN/EIN enables live IRS verification and the link.TIN_BusinessName assertion. Submitting a website URL enables additional website consistency signals.
IRS outage behavior. When the IRS validation service is temporarily unavailable, link.TIN_BusinessName returns null (unverified). All other fields are still returned. IRS maintenance typically occurs Sundays 12:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. ET.
Match logic is fuzzy by design. Business name matching handles common variations (e.g., "Walmart" vs. "WalMart, INC."). SIMILAR matches are generally acceptable — requiring EXACT matches everywhere increases avoidable rejections.
This checker must be used with IDW's gateway implementation option.
Related Resources
Updated 10 days ago