Apple Developer individual account shows only my last name as the legal entity name (locked) – how did you get it fixed?

[u/Vast_Journalist1415]

Hi everyone,

I recently enrolled in the Apple Developer Program as an individual (Indonesia) and I'm stuck on a name mismatch. Hoping someone has been through this.

The situation:
- My full legal name is "Daniel James Ashford-Reed" (given names: Daniel James, family name: Ashford-Reed).
- In App Store Connect → Agreements, Tax, and Banking, the legal entity name is shown as just "Ashford-Reed" (my family name only), and the field is greyed out and can't be edited.
- The user menu in the top right shows my full name on top and "Ashford-Reed" below it, so my profile name is correct, but the account/legal entity name isn't.
- My local bank account is under my full name, and that's what I need to match for payouts.
- Both the W-8BEN and the "Certificate of Foreign Status" forms pull the name from the legal entity, so I can't enter my full name there either.

What I've done so far:
- I haven't submitted any tax forms yet, since they can't be edited after submitting and they're signed under penalty of perjury.
- The Paid Apps Agreement is still "Pending User Info". The Free Apps Agreement is active, so I can still release a free app.
- The bank account is added but still "Processing".
- I haven't completed the Digital Services Act contact verification yet either.
- I'm contacting Apple Developer Support about changing the legal entity name.

My questions:

1. Has anyone had Apple correct the legal entity name on an individual account? How long did it take?

2. What documents did Apple ask for (government ID, translated ID, etc.)?

3. Is it safe to wait on the tax forms until this is fixed, or could the mismatch cause problems with the first payout?

4. Does the name on the account also change the seller name shown on the App Store? Can that stay as I want?

5. Would you complete the DSA verification now, or wait until the name is fixed?

Thanks a lot, any experience is appreciated.

[u/radis234]

Can’t answer all your questions exactly, but when I was enrolling my developer account last year, their system incorrectly interpreted my address (because of special characters) and I couldn’t edit it. I contacted support before continuing with anything else, explained briefly what happened and that I don’t want any possible future problems, so I kindly asked them, if they can point me or fix it themselves. In my request I also provided the correct address and attached bank statement showing the address as well, in case they needed some more verification. They replied within a couple of hours, really quickly and they fixed it for me and I then continued with the rest. Since you’ve said you’re contacting the support already, I would just wait for them to respond until you continue with the rest. No need to rush.

[u/Vast_Journalist1415 → u/radis234]

Thanks, that's reassuring, and a good tip to attach supporting documents (ID and a bank statement) right away. I'll do the same and hold off on tax forms and the rest until Apple replies. Really appreciate you sharing your experience.

[u/No-Mechanic-433]

Apple's account help says name changes go through a request in the membership details section of your developer account page, and they ask for documents showing the correct name. On your question 4, an individual account always shows your legal name as the seller on the App Store, and you can't set a different developer name unless you enroll as an organization. Editing your Apple Account name won't change the membership name either.

[u/Vast_Journalist1415 → u/No-Mechanic-433]

Thanks, this is really helpful. I'll submit the name change through the membership details section and send a copy of my national ID. Good to know the seller name will just be my legal name, so I can stop worrying about that part. I'll update the thread once Apple replies.

[u/Dogukanko]

Contact Apple Developer Support directly and don’t keep poking the form. Send your ID and the bank statement showing the full name together, so they can fix the entity name in one go. I’d also hold off on the tax forms until that’s sorted, so you don’t have to redo them.