Tennessee EIN Lookup
Last updated November 5, 2026 · Written by the EIN Registration filing team
Look up a Tennessee company
Tennessee only allows its search on its own site, so this opens in a new tab. It finds the company, not usually its EIN.
No EIN yet for your Tennessee business?
We file the SS-4 for you. EIN typically emailed in 2 to 4 business days (about 11 by fax).
Where to look in Tennessee
- Tennessee Business Entity Search. Search by business name or Secretary of State control number. Use it to confirm the company's exact name and status.
- Sales and Use Tax Certificate Lookup. Verifies a sales and use tax certificate through the Tennessee Taxpayer Access Point.
- Tennessee's Secretary of State gives each corporation, LLC and limited partnership a nine-digit control number padded with leading zeros. Nine digits is also the length of an EIN, so the two get confused. The control number is the state's index and has nothing to do with the IRS.
Tennessee numbers that get mistaken for an EIN
None of these is the nine-digit federal number unless the table says so. A bank, payroll company or client asking for your EIN wants the one the IRS issued.
| Used for | Issued by | The number |
|---|---|---|
| Company formation | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations | SOS control number, for example 000123456 |
| State income tax withholding | None | Tennessee does not tax wages |
| Unemployment insurance | Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development | Employer account number, 8 digits |
| Sales tax | Tennessee Department of Revenue | Sales and use tax Certificate of Registration |
Finding your own Tennessee company’s EIN
Start with the CP 575 letter the IRS sent when the number was issued, then a past federal return, your bank’s account paperwork and your payroll provider. If none of those has it, the responsible party can call the IRS and ask for a 147C letter. Do not apply again to replace a lost number: a second application creates a second EIN for the same company.
Finding another Tennessee company’s EIN
If you pay them, ask for a Form W-9: it is the normal way to get the number, and you need it for a 1099 anyway. Nonprofits are in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, and public companies print theirs on SEC filings. For a private Tennessee company with no reason to give it to you, there is no free public source that is complete. To check a number you were given, see how to verify an EIN.
Tennessee EIN lookup questions
Does Tennessee have an EIN lookup?
The EIN is federal, so the IRS issues it and Tennessee does not. Tennessee Business Entity Search finds a company by business name or Secretary of State control number. Do not count on it for the federal number. The reliable sources are the company itself, on a Form W-9, or your own IRS paperwork if the company is yours.
Is my Tennessee SOS control number my EIN?
No. The SOS control number comes from the Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations and identifies your company in state records. The EIN comes from the IRS, and a bank or payroll company asking for one will not accept the state number.
I formed my Tennessee company but never got an EIN. What now?
Forming the company does not create an EIN. You apply separately with the IRS on Form SS-4, or a service like ours prepares and files it for you. If you might already have one, check first: applying again gives the same company a second number.
Get Your EIN the Easy Way
Answer a few questions in about 5 minutes. Our specialists prepare your IRS Form SS-4, file it, personally handle any rejection or name conflict along the way, and get your EIN to you, typically within 2 to 4 business days, or about 11 when the IRS requires the application by fax. One flat $197 service fee. No upsells, no subscriptions.
- ✓ Prepared and filed by specialists
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Sources
You can also apply for an EIN directly with the IRS at irs.gov at no cost.