EIN Guides
Everything about getting and using an Employer Identification Number, written by the team that prepares and files EIN applications every business day, including the failure modes the IRS’s own pages never explain.
Skip the paperwork. Our specialists prepare and file your EIN application and get your EIN to you, typically within 2 to 4 business days (7 to 10 if it has to go by fax).
Start Now →How to Get an EIN Number: 4 Ways, Step by Step
Online, fax, mail, and the international phone line. Real timelines, what you need, and what can go wrong.
EIN for an LLC (LLC Tax ID Number): How to Get One and When You Need It
Nearly every LLC needs its own EIN for the bank, and multi-member LLCs and S corporation elections make it mandatory. The LLC lines on the SS-4, the timing after state approval, and the mistakes that get applications rejected.
Form 2553 Instructions: How to File the S Corporation Election
Who can elect S status, the 2 months and 15 days deadline with the IRS's worked example, every line of the form, the two fax numbers and addresses by state, late relief under Rev. Proc. 2013-30, and what the IRS sends back.
Form 2553 Fax Number: Where to Fax the S Corp Election, by State
855-887-7734 for the Kansas City states, 855-214-7520 for the rest. The state lists, the mailing addresses, the cover sheet, proof of the filing date, and what to do when no acceptance letter comes.
Form 8832 Instructions: Entity Classification Election for an LLC
How an LLC elects to be taxed as a corporation, when Form 2553 alone is the right form instead, the 75 day and 12 month window, the 60 month rule, every line, the two mailing addresses, and Rev. Proc. 2009-41 late relief.
Does an LLC Need an EIN? When It Is Required and When It Is Not
Required for multi-member LLCs, LLCs with employees, and S or C elections. A single-member LLC with no employees can use the owner's SSN for federal tax, but the bank, payment processors and W-9s make the EIN the practical answer. EIN vs SSN, form by form.
IRS EIN Online Application: Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Every screen of the IRS EIN Assistant in order, the rules that end a session (hours, 15 minutes idle, one per day, SSN required), what to have ready, and what each reference number means when it returns one instead of an EIN.
How to Verify an EIN: Check That a Tax ID Is Real
The IRS has no public lookup, but payers can use TIN Matching, anyone can ask for the CP 575 or 147C letter and a W-9, and nonprofits and public companies are on the public record. Which route fits, and what verification sites actually do.
How to Find Your LLC's EIN Number
The six places an LLC's EIN is already written down, the state filing number that is not it, the case where the LLC never had one, and the 147C call that always works.
Nonprofit EIN Lookup: How to Find a Charity's Tax ID Number
Nonprofit EINs are public. The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, Form 990 databases and a W-9, plus why churches and new groups are missing and what a listing does and does not prove.
Federal Tax ID Number for a Business: What It Is and How to Get One
A federal tax ID number for a business is the EIN. Which businesses need their own, when the owner's SSN is enough, what the number looks like, and the state numbers that are not the same thing.
IRS CP 575 Letter (Your EIN Letter): What It Is and Where to Find Yours
The EIN letter the IRS issues when it assigns the number, created once and never reissued. What it contains, where your copy went depending on how you applied, and what banks accept instead.
IRS EIN Phone Number, Fax Number and Hours
Every IRS contact route for an EIN: the Business and Specialty Tax Line, the SS-4 fax numbers, the international line, and what each can and cannot do.
State Tax ID vs Federal EIN: What Is the Difference?
The EIN comes from the IRS and is one number per business. State tax IDs come from your state's revenue agency, there can be several, and you usually need the EIN first. Which is which on a W-2, a bank form and a sales tax permit.
What Is an EIN Used For? (And Who Needs One)
The 7 things an EIN unlocks, who the IRS actually requires to have one, and when an SSN is enough.
How to Get an EIN Without an SSN
Foreign founders can get an EIN with no SSN and no ITIN, just not through the IRS online tool. The route that works.
IRS Error 101 (EIN Reference Number 101): How to Fix It
Error 101 is a business name conflict the online application cannot resolve. What it means and the two ways past it.
How Long Does an EIN Take? Online, Fax and Mail Times
The honest timeline for every application method, and what actually causes delays.
Does a Trust or Estate Need an EIN? How to Get the Tax ID Number
When a trust needs its own EIN and when it does not, and how an executor gets the tax ID an estate cannot open a bank account without.
Lost Your EIN? Find It Fast or Get a 147C Letter
The CP 575 is issued once and never reissued. How to get the 147C verification letter banks accept instead, and the five places your EIN is already written down.
How to Get an EIN Number for an Estate (Estate Tax ID Number)
An executor cannot open the estate account or file Form 1041 without the estate's own EIN. Who applies, which SS-4 boxes matter, and the date the IRS actually wants.
Trust EIN After the Grantor Dies: What the Trustee Does
A revocable living trust stops using the grantor's SSN the day they die. What the successor trustee has to do, and why the estate may need a second number.
Revocable vs. Irrevocable Trust: Which One Needs an EIN?
The grantor trust rule decides it. When a living trust runs on the grantor's SSN, when it must have its own number, and the moment one becomes the other.
Why Does a Trust Need an EIN?
Banks, brokerages, Form 1041 and retitled assets all ask for it. What a trust EIN is for, and the one case where the bank is wrong to ask.
IRS EIN Error Code 109: What It Means and What to Do
Reference number 109 is a technical failure on the IRS's side, not a problem with your application. When retrying is safe, when it is not, and the route that skips the online tool entirely.
EIN Reference Number 105: Locked Out? Here Is the Fix
Reference number 105 is a lockout. Retrying makes it worse. What triggers it, how long it lasts, and how to get the EIN without waiting it out.
IRS EIN Online Application Not Working? Every Cause and Fix
Closed hours, session timeouts, the one per day rule, browser traps and the reference numbers, in the order to check them. Plus the method that does not depend on the website at all.
Do I Need an EIN? (Every Situation, Answered)
Banks require one in almost every case and the IRS requires one in six. Single-member LLC, sole proprietor, DBA, no employees, contractor, rental property, and the bank account question, each answered plainly.
Does a Single-Member LLC Need an EIN?
Almost every bank requires one to open the LLC's account, and hiring or electing S corporation status makes it mandatory. What actually happens, what the IRS rule says, and what goes on the SS-4.
EIN for a Sole Proprietor: Why Most Get One, and When It Becomes Mandatory
Most sole proprietors get an EIN to keep their SSN off W-9s, to open a business account, and to be ready to hire. It becomes mandatory with the first employee. What the SS-4 asks a sole proprietor.
Can You Get an EIN for a DBA?
A DBA is a name, not an entity, so the EIN belongs to whoever is behind it. What that means for a sole proprietor and for an LLC with several trade names, and the mistake that leaves a DBA with two numbers.
EIN Before or After the LLC? (And Whether You Need an LLC at All)
Form the LLC first, then apply for the EIN in the LLC's name. Why the order matters, what happens if you did it backwards, and how to get an EIN with no LLC at all.
EIN Lookup: How to Find Your EIN (or Another Company's)
Your own EIN is on five documents you already have. Another company's EIN is public only in specific cases. Where to look, in order, and the one route that always works.
Changing Your EIN's Business Name, Address, or Responsible Party
An EIN is permanent, but the record behind it can be updated. Which changes are a letter, which are Form 8822-B, and which changes actually require a brand new EIN.
Can You Get an EIN the Same Day?
Yes, on a weekday during IRS hours, if the online application completes. What stops it, what the realistic timeline is when it does, and who takes over from there.
Can You Get an EIN During a Government Shutdown?
In past shutdowns the IRS online EIN application kept running while phone, fax and mail processing stopped or slowed. What that means for each application method, and what to do if you cannot use the online tool.
EIN for a Nonprofit: Get the Number Before the 501(c)(3)
A nonprofit needs an EIN long before tax-exempt status, and the exemption application cannot be filed without it. The entity type and the responsible party rules that trip up volunteer boards.
Can You Get an EIN With an ITIN?
Yes. An ITIN works as the responsible party's number on Form SS-4. Which application methods accept it, which do not, and what to do when you have neither an SSN nor an ITIN.
Do You Need an EIN to Open a Business Bank Account?
For an LLC, corporation, partnership, estate or trust, the bank will ask for one. For a sole proprietor it depends on the bank. What each account type needs, and what else to bring.
How to Cancel or Close an EIN
An EIN is never reused or deleted, but the IRS will close the business account tied to it. When that is worth doing, what to write in the letter, and why a wrong EIN is a different fix.
EIN vs. TIN vs. SSN vs. ITIN: Which Number Is Which
A TIN is the family; EIN, SSN and ITIN are members of it. Which one a form is really asking for, and when a business uses the owner's SSN instead of its own EIN.
Form SS-4 Instructions, Line by Line
Every line on the EIN application and what actually goes in it, with the entity-specific traps: Line 9a, Line 10, the responsible party, and the date the IRS wants.
IRS EIN Reference Numbers 102 and 103: Responsible Party Mismatch
Codes 102 and 103 mean the name and SSN or ITIN you entered for the responsible party do not match IRS or SSA records. The usual causes, and the one retry that is worth making.
IRS EIN Reference Number 114: One EIN Per Day
Code 114 means an EIN was already issued to this responsible party today. It often means your earlier attempt succeeded. How to recover that number instead of waiting a day to apply again.
Do I Need a New EIN? The Full Scenario Table
A new EIN is needed when the taxpayer changes, not when its details do. Name changes, new partners, and S-corp elections keep it; incorporating, sole prop to partnership, and a trust turning irrevocable need a new one.
EIN for a Household Employer: Nanny, Caregiver, Housekeeper
Paying a nanny or in-home caregiver makes you a household employer. You need an EIN in your own name for Schedule H, the W-2, and state unemployment registration. What goes on the SS-4.
EIN for a Partnership or Multi-Member LLC
Mandatory, because a partnership files Form 1065 and issues K-1s. When to apply, which partner is the responsible party, and how the SS-4 differs from a single-owner application.
EIN for a Corporation or S-Corp
A corporation needs an EIN from the day it is chartered. There is no separate S-corp EIN: the election rides on the number you already have. What the SS-4 asks and who signs.
IRS EIN Reference Numbers 101 to 115, Explained
Every code the IRS online application can return, what it means in practice, and the fix. Which ones are your answers, which are the IRS, and which two you must not retry.
IRS EIN Reference Number 104: Designee Conflict
104 means the third-party designee's address or phone is the same as the applicant's. Leave the section blank or give the designee's own details.
IRS EIN Reference Numbers 110, 112 and 113
Technical failures on the IRS side, not your answers. When to retry, when retrying causes a lockout, and how to get the number by fax.
IRS EIN Reference Number 115: Deceased Person Flag
The responsible party's SSN matches a Social Security death record. For an estate it means the deceased person went on Line 7 instead of the executor.
EIN for an Estate Bank Account
The account is opened in the estate's name under the estate's EIN, never the deceased person's SSN. What the bank asks for and how the account is titled.
Form SS-4 for an Estate: Every Line, Filled In
There is no separate IRS form for an estate tax ID number. Every line of Form SS-4 answered for an estate, and the two mistakes that produce a wrong EIN.
EIN for an Irrevocable Trust
An irrevocable trust is its own taxpayer and needs an EIN as soon as it holds an account. Who applies, what the SS-4 asks a trustee, and the grantor-trust exception.
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