IRS EIN Online Application: Step-by-Step Walkthrough

Before you start: what ends a session

• Hours. The tool is offline outside Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern, and on federal holidays. Starting at 9:50 p.m. Eastern is a common way to lose the session.
• 15 minutes idle. Any pause longer than that, such as going to find the formation certificate, ends the session with nothing saved.
• One sitting. There is no save, no resume, and the browser back button often resets the form.
• One per day. A responsible party can be issued one EIN per day through the tool. A second application the same day returns reference number 114.
• SSN or ITIN required. The responsible party must enter their own SSN or ITIN. Since 2019 the tool does not accept an EIN in that field, so an entity cannot be the responsible party.
• US address required. A business with no address in the United States or its territories applies by fax or by the international phone line instead.

Have these ready

• The legal name exactly as the state approved it, including the LLC or Inc suffix as the state wrote it.
• The formation or incorporation date from the state certificate, or the date a sole proprietorship started.
• The responsible party’s full legal name and SSN or ITIN, matching Social Security records.
• The physical business address, not a PO box, and the county.
• Number of members for an LLC, and whether it will elect corporate taxation.
• What the business does, in a sentence, and whether it expects employees in the next year.
• A fax number is not needed online, but a printer or a place to save a PDF is.

The screens, in order

1. Legal structure

Sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, LLC, estate, trust, or one of the less common types. An LLC then answers how many members it has and, for a single member, whether it will be taxed as a corporation. This screen sets the tax classification the IRS records, and it is the one to read twice: an LLC that picks “corporation” here without filing Form 8832 or 2553 gets an IRS letter months later.

2. Reason for applying

Started a new business, hired employees, banking purposes, changed type of organization, or purchased a going business. For a new entity the first option is correct even if the bank is the immediate reason. The answer sets which returns the IRS expects.

3. Responsible party

The person’s name and SSN or ITIN, and whether they are an owner, officer, partner, trustee or executor. The tool checks the name against Social Security records; a nickname, a maiden name or a missing hyphen produces reference number 102 or 103.

4. Addresses

The physical location and, if different, a mailing address. A registered agent’s office entered as the physical address is the usual cause of reference number 104 when the agent’s details also appear in the third-party section.

5. Business details

Legal name, trade name if any, the start date, the closing month of the accounting year, whether the business expects employees and how many, and the principal activity chosen from a list with a short description. The name check happens here: a name that conflicts with an existing record returns reference number 101 at the end.

6. How to receive the confirmation

Online as a PDF, or by mail. Choose online. The PDF is the CP 575 notice, it is offered once, and the IRS does not mail a copy to online applicants who chose the PDF. Save it before closing anything.

7. Review and submit

Every answer on one page. Check the legal name character by character against the state certificate. Submitting issues the EIN immediately when the application passes, with the number on screen and the CP 575 link beside it.

When you get a reference number instead of an EIN

The tool does not explain its reference numbers. In short: 101 is a name conflict, 102 and 103 are a responsible party name or SSN mismatch, 104 is a third-party designee conflict, 105 is a lockout from too many attempts, 109 through 113 are IRS-side errors worth one retry, 114 is the one-per-day limit, and 115 is a Social Security record problem. The reference number guide has each one with its fix. Do not resubmit blindly: 101 will return every time, and repeated attempts earn a 105.

After the number is issued

• Save the CP 575 PDF in two places. Banks ask for it and the IRS does not reissue it.
• The EIN is usable immediately for a bank account and most purposes. Some IRS systems, including electronic filing and payments, take up to two weeks to recognize a new number.
• If you elected corporate taxation on screen 1, file Form 2553 or 8832 within the deadline; the EIN application does not make the election for you.

Quick answers

Can a third party apply online for me?

Yes. A third-party designee can complete the online application on behalf of the business with the responsible party’s authorization, which is how filing services, accountants and attorneys do it. The responsible party’s own SSN or ITIN is still what goes on the form.

How long does the online application take?

About ten minutes when everything is ready, and the EIN appears on the final screen the moment the application passes. The time is spent before you start, gathering the exact legal name, dates and the responsible party’s details; the screens themselves are quick.

What if I do not have an SSN or ITIN?

The online tool will not accept the application. Fax or the international phone line are the routes; the no-SSN guide covers both.

I closed the window before saving the CP 575. Now what?

The EIN was still issued and is valid. The notice is gone, and the replacement is a 147C letter by phone. The 147C guide has the call.