How to Find Your Employer’s EIN: W-2 Box b and Other Places
Last updated November 3, 2026 · Written by the EIN Registration filing team
Reading the W-2: which box is which
Three boxes on the W-2 hold numbers that are easy to confuse. Only box b is the EIN your tax software is asking for.
| Box | What it holds | Is it the EIN? |
|---|---|---|
| a | Your Social Security number | No |
| b | Employer identification number | Yes |
| d | Control number, used by some payroll systems and often blank | No |
| 15 | Employer’s state ID number | No |
Enter the number exactly as your W-2 prints it. If your employer uses a professional employer organization or a similar payroll arrangement, the W-2 may show that company’s name and EIN instead of the name you know, and the W-2 is still what your return should match. Not sure you are looking at a valid EIN? The EIN checker tests the format and prefix.
No W-2 yet? Other places your employer’s EIN appears
- Last year’s W-2 or tax return. With the same employer, the EIN is normally unchanged. Form 4852’s own instructions point you to the prior year’s W-2 for it. A merger or sale can change it, so check the new W-2 when it arrives.
- Your payroll or HR portal. Many employers post W-2 copies in the same place you see your pay stubs. Former employees may keep access for a while.
- Form 1095-C. Large employers provide this health coverage form, and the employer’s EIN is on line 8.
- A pay stub. Some show it. Many do not, because nothing requires it.
- HR or payroll. It is a routine request, and your employer already gives this number to every employee on their W-2.
Public records that show some employers’ EINs
There is no IRS database you can search by company name. Three public sources cover particular kinds of employer:
- Employers with a retirement plan. The Department of Labor’s Form 5500 search holds the annual plan filings, and each filing shows the plan sponsor’s EIN. This helps when you had a 401(k) with the company. The sponsor can be a parent company, so compare the name to your W-2 or pay stub.
- Nonprofits, schools and hospitals organized as nonprofits. The nonprofit EIN lookup guide covers the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search.
- Public companies. An annual report on SEC EDGAR shows the company’s IRS employer identification number on the cover page. A large group may pay you from a subsidiary with a different EIN, so use this one only to help you ask the right question, not as the number for your return.
Paid lookup sites sell business data too, but their numbers can be out of date or belong to a related company. Treat anything you find there as a lead to confirm against a W-2 or with the employer.
Asking the IRS
The IRS keeps a record of the W-2 your employer filed, available as a Wage and Income transcript, but a standard transcript shows only the last four digits of an EIN. That is often enough to confirm a number you already have. The IRS says it provides unmasked Wage and Income transcripts, showing the employer’s full EIN, when they are needed for preparing and filing a return, so say that is why you are asking.
A W-2 that is missing altogether follows a set path. Contact the employer first. If you still have nothing at the end of February, call the IRS at 800-829-1040 with your details and the employer’s name and address, and with the EIN if you have it. The IRS will contact the employer for you. If the W-2 still does not come in time, Form 4852 stands in for it, and line 6 asks for the employer’s taxpayer identification number if known.
Looking for your own business’s EIN instead?
If you own the business, the route is different: the EIN lookup guide lists where your number is written down, and the IRS can issue a 147C letter confirming it. And if you are about to hire your first employee, you will be the one printing a number in box b.
Hiring or starting a business and need an EIN of your own? We prepare and file the IRS application and email you the number, typically within 2 to 4 business days.
Start Now →Quick answers
Where is the employer's EIN on a W-2?
Box b, labeled Employer identification number (EIN), near the top left of the form. It is nine digits, written 12-3456789.
Is box d on my W-2 the EIN?
No. Box d is a control number some payroll systems use, and it is often blank. Box 15 holds the employer's state ID number, which is not the EIN either.
Can I look up my employer's EIN online?
The IRS has no public EIN lookup. Public records cover only some employers: nonprofits in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, public companies in SEC filings, and employers with a retirement plan in the Department of Labor's Form 5500 search.
Does my pay stub show my employer's EIN?
Some do, but nothing requires it, so many do not. Your payroll portal is more likely to have it, on the W-2 copies stored there.
What if my former employer closed or will not answer?
Look for last year's W-2 or tax return first, because the EIN normally stays the same. If your W-2 is still missing at the end of February, call the IRS at 800-829-1040, which will contact the employer for you. You can file with Form 4852 if the W-2 still does not arrive.
Can I file without my employer's EIN?
With a W-2 you will have it, and an e-filed return needs it. Without one, Form 4852 replaces the W-2 and asks for the employer's taxpayer identification number if known. Do not guess a number, because an incorrect EIN can get a return rejected.
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Related guides
- 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.
- 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.
- EIN Number Format: What an EIN Looks Like Nine digits written XX-XXXXXXX, with a prefix that shows the IRS campus or the online application and no check digit. Every valid prefix from the IRS's list, EIN vs SSN vs ITIN at a glance, and the formatting mistakes that get forms rejected.
- Daycare EIN Lookup: Finding Your Child Care Provider's Tax ID A daycare's EIN is not public unless the provider is a nonprofit. Where the number already is, how to ask with Form W-10, what to enter on Form 2441 for a sitter, a center and a church daycare, and what to do when a provider refuses.
- State Employer ID Numbers: All 50 States in One Table The withholding account each state issues after the federal EIN, what the agency calls it, where to register, and who runs unemployment insurance. Plus the states with no wage income tax, and the ones that file withholding under the EIN itself.
Sources
You can also apply for an EIN directly with the IRS at irs.gov at no cost.