TIN verification: company vs individual
Last reviewed: 2026-06-26
Scope: TIN formats, entity matching, and how to use the TIN lookup helper.
TIN errors are the single most common cause of rejected invoices. The root cause is almost always the same: the TIN format doesn't match the entity type. This article gives you the reference table you need and the fix steps when it goes wrong.
What a TIN is
A Tax Identification Number (TIN) is LHDN's unique identifier for a taxpayer — your company, a sole proprietor, an individual, a government body, or a foreign party. Every e-invoice submitted to MyInvois must reference both the issuer's TIN and the recipient's TIN.
JomeInvoice validates TINs against LHDN's database in real time. If LHDN doesn't recognize the TIN, the invoice will be rejected at submission.
TIN format by entity type
| Entity | TIN format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Company (Sdn Bhd / Bhd) | C + 11 digits | C12345678901 |
| Sole Proprietor | EI + 11 digits | EI12345678901 |
| Individual (employee, freelancer) | IG + 11 digits | IG12345678901 |
| Government / statutory body | G + 11 digits | G12345678901 |
| Foreign party (no Malaysian TIN) | EI00000000010 (placeholder) | EI00000000010 |
The prefix is the most important part. A real C number (company) entered with the wrong prefix won't be found in LHDN's records.
What to do on a TIN mismatch
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Check the entity type
Does the entity type in the Customer record match the TIN prefix?
- If the customer is a Sdn Bhd, entity type must be Company; TIN must start with C
- If the customer is a sole proprietorship, entity type is Sole Proprietor; TIN starts with EI
- For foreign companies, entity type must be Foreign Company, not Malaysian Individual
-
Use Forgot/don't have your TIN
If you know the BRN but not the TIN — or you suspect the TIN you have is wrong — click Forgot/don't have your TIN in the TIN field.
This helper appears in every TIN field in JomeInvoice, including customer, supplier, company, request, and invoice-related forms. It is not limited to Customer records.
JomeInvoice queries LHDN by BRN and returns the matching TIN.
This is the fastest fix for older customer records where someone typed the wrong TIN years ago.
-
Confirm with the customer
If neither check works, ask the customer to verify their TIN directly. They can find it on their LHDN tax documents or by logging into MyTax.
The fastest way to get accurate TINs is to invite the customer or supplier to self-onboard — they fill in their TIN themselves and it is validated against LHDN before reaching your queue. See Invite customers / suppliers to self-onboard.
Foreign parties
Foreign companies and individuals don't have Malaysian TINs. JomeInvoice handles them with a placeholder TIN (EI00000000010) and relaxed validation rules:
- The TIN doesn't need to validate against LHDN's database
- The BRN format restriction is also relaxed for foreign parties
- The country field must not be Malaysia
For self-billed invoices to foreign suppliers, this is the standard flow — see the Self-billed module.
Sole Proprietor handling
JomeInvoice handles Sole Proprietor submission formatting automatically. Enter the TIN and BRN in the normal fields; you do not need to combine or reformat them yourself.