LLC Number vs EIN: Your Secretary of State Number Is Not a Tax ID
Last updated November 3, 2026 · Written by the EIN Registration filing team
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| LLC number | EIN | |
|---|---|---|
| Who issues it | The state business registry | The IRS |
| When you get it | When the state approves the LLC | When an application to the IRS is accepted |
| What it looks like | Varies by state, and may include letters | Always nine digits: 12-3456789 |
| What it is used for | Annual reports, amendments and other filings with that state | Federal returns, bank accounts, payroll, W-2s and W-9s |
| How many you can have | One per state where the LLC is registered | One for the LLC, wherever it operates |
| Is it public? | Yes, in the state’s business search | Generally not published |
Where each number gets asked for
The confusion usually starts at a form. A bank application, a W-9 or a payroll setup asking for a “tax ID” or “federal ID” wants the EIN, and the LLC number will be rejected. An annual report, an amendment or a certificate of good standing request wants the LLC number. A business bank will often want both, because it opens the account under the EIN and checks the state formation record. If a state tax agency asks for an account number, that is a third kind of number, covered in the state tax ID vs federal EIN guide.
Forming an LLC does not get you an EIN
State approval and the IRS number are separate steps, and the state approval has to come first, because the IRS wants the legal name and start date as the state recorded them. The EIN before or after the LLC guide explains the order. If a formation service set up your LLC, check whether the EIN was part of the package and look in that service’s account before applying, because applying twice creates a second number that then has to be dealt with. The guide to finding your LLC’s EIN lists where it would be written down, and also how to find the state number if that is the one you lost.
An LLC registered in two states
An LLC registered in a second state gets a second state number there, and sometimes a tax account or two as well. It keeps the same EIN. A new state registration is not a reason to apply to the IRS again.
What each state calls its number
These are the names used in each state’s own records. Each state links to our page on what that state requires around the EIN.
| State | Name for the number | Who issues it |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | entity ID number | Alabama Secretary of State |
| Alaska | entity number | Alaska Division of Corporations, Business and Professional Licensing |
| Arizona | ACC file number | Arizona Corporation Commission |
| Arkansas | filing number | Arkansas Secretary of State |
| California | entity number | California Secretary of State (bizfile Online) |
| Colorado | Colorado entity ID | Colorado Secretary of State |
| Connecticut | business ID | Connecticut Secretary of the State |
| Delaware | file number | Delaware Division of Corporations |
| Florida | document number | Florida Division of Corporations (Sunbiz) |
| Georgia | control number | Georgia Secretary of State, Corporations Division |
| Hawaii | file number | Hawaii Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Business Registration Division |
| Idaho | file number | Idaho Secretary of State |
| Illinois | file number | Illinois Secretary of State, Department of Business Services |
| Indiana | business ID | Indiana Secretary of State |
| Iowa | business number | Iowa Secretary of State |
| Kansas | business entity ID | Kansas Secretary of State |
| Kentucky | organization number | Kentucky Secretary of State |
| Louisiana | charter number | Louisiana Secretary of State |
| Maine | charter number | Maine Secretary of State, Division of Corporations, UCC and Commissions |
| Maryland | department ID | Maryland State Department of Assessments and Taxation |
| Massachusetts | identification number | Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Corporations Division |
| Michigan | customer ID number | Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Corporations Division |
| Minnesota | file number | Minnesota Secretary of State |
| Mississippi | business ID | Mississippi Secretary of State |
| Missouri | charter number | Missouri Secretary of State |
| Montana | filing number | Montana Secretary of State |
| Nebraska | account number | Nebraska Secretary of State |
| Nevada | entity number | Nevada Secretary of State |
| New Hampshire | business ID | New Hampshire Secretary of State |
| New Jersey | Entity ID | New Jersey Division of Revenue and Enterprise Services |
| New Mexico | business ID | New Mexico Secretary of State |
| New York | DOS ID number | New York Department of State, Division of Corporations |
| North Carolina | SOSID | North Carolina Secretary of State, Business Registration Division |
| North Dakota | SOS control ID | North Dakota Secretary of State |
| Ohio | charter or registration number | Ohio Secretary of State |
| Oklahoma | filing number | Oklahoma Secretary of State |
| Oregon | registry number | Oregon Secretary of State Corporation Division |
| Pennsylvania | entity number | Pennsylvania Department of State, Bureau of Corporations and Charitable Organizations |
| Rhode Island | identification number | Rhode Island Department of State |
| South Carolina | entity ID | South Carolina Secretary of State |
| South Dakota | business ID | South Dakota Secretary of State |
| Tennessee | SOS control number | Tennessee Secretary of State, Division of Business and Charitable Organizations |
| Texas | filing number | Texas Secretary of State |
| Utah | entity number | Utah Division of Corporations and Commercial Code |
| Vermont | record number | Vermont Secretary of State |
| Virginia | SCC entity ID | Virginia State Corporation Commission (Clerk's Information System) |
| Washington | UBI number | Washington Secretary of State, Corporations and Charities Division |
| West Virginia | control number | West Virginia Secretary of State |
| Wisconsin | entity ID | Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions |
| Wyoming | filing ID | Wyoming Secretary of State, Business Division |
Quick answers
Is an SOSID the same as an EIN?
No. An SOSID is the number the North Carolina Secretary of State assigns to a company in its records. An EIN is the nine-digit federal number the IRS assigns. Other states use other names for their number, but none of them is the EIN.
Does the Secretary of State give you an EIN?
No. The Secretary of State or other state registry approves the LLC and gives it a state number. The EIN is a separate application to the IRS, made after the state approves the LLC.
Do you automatically get an EIN when you form an LLC?
No. Forming the LLC creates it under state law and does not notify the IRS in a way that assigns a number. Unless you or a formation service applied for one, the LLC has no EIN yet.
Is my LLC number a tax ID?
No. It does not identify the company for any tax. A bank, payroll provider or federal form that asks for a tax ID wants the EIN, and a state tax agency wants the account number it issued you.
Can I find an EIN in a Secretary of State search?
Generally not. State business searches show the state number, status and agents. Florida's Sunbiz record does have an FEI/EIN Number field, but it shows only what the company reported and often reads NONE, so a blank or NONE does not mean the company has no EIN.
Does the IRS ask for my LLC number on Form SS-4?
No. Form SS-4 has no line for it. The IRS asks for the legal name and the date the business started, which should match what the state recorded.
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Related guides
- 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.
- How to Apply for an EIN for an LLC (LLC Tax ID Number) 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Sources
You can also apply for an EIN directly with the IRS at irs.gov at no cost.