Hi Greg! So if you have a sole proprietorship, it sounds like you’d have the option to use either one when applying for a business credit card. I’m not 100% sure on what bearing this has on the approval, but if I were to guess, I’d say it doesn’t have an impact at all. Here’s my train of thought:

As a sole proprietor, you’re 100% responsible for all of the income and expenses. So I would think that (at least from an income qualification perspective), it shouldn’t matter because regardless of which number you decide to apply with (SSN vs. EIN), all of your total income from your sole prop can be considered.

Long time personal use with Chase(mid 90s)

Well I wouldn’t say you “need” a 5 year history with Chase. There are many people with a short banking history with Chase who have been approved for business cards. I think at the end of the day, if you can make a strong case, you stand a much better chance on a manual review or reconsideration call.

Hi Michael!

If you’re generating income (or even just writing off business losses for a brand new startup), You’d probably have to file whatever the IRS requires for self employed income, whether it’s a schedule C, or a separate partnership/corporate business income tax return.

It’s a great question for your tax preparer though!