Lost Your EIN? Here's How to Find It

The five places your EIN is already written down

1. The CP 575 letter, the confirmation issued when the EIN was created. Online applicants downloaded it as a PDF: search email and downloads for “CP 575,” “EIN confirmation,” or the entity name plus “IRS.” (If we filed for you, it is available on your order’s tracking page.)
2. Business bank paperwork. The bank captured the EIN at account opening. It is often visible in online banking under account details or documents, and if not, a teller can read it to an authorized signer in one call.
3. Any past federal business return: Form 1120, 1120-S, 1065, or a Schedule C filed with an EIN. It prints at the top of page one. Your accountant or tax software has these even if you do not.
4. Payroll and contractor filings. W-2s and W-3s you issued, quarterly 941s, and 1099s all carry it, as does your payroll provider’s dashboard. Gusto, ADP, and QuickBooks Payroll all display it in settings.
5. License and registration paperwork: state and local business licenses, sales tax registrations, credit applications, and business insurance policies typically required it.

How to get a 147C letter: the exact call

1. Call the Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. your local time. Early morning has the shortest holds.
2. Say: “I have misplaced my EIN and need a 147C verification letter.” Only an authorized person (sole owner, partner, corporate officer, trustee) can receive it. A bookkeeper or assistant without authority on file will be refused.
3. Have ready for identity verification: the entity’s exact legal name, the address the IRS has on file (from the original application or the last return), your name and title, and your SSN or ITIN details. Mismatched addresses are the most common reason these calls fail. If you moved and never told the IRS, expect friction.
4. Choose fax delivery if you possibly can. With a fax number ready (an online fax service counts), the agent sends the 147C during the call. Mail delivery takes about 2 weeks. The IRS will never email it; any emailed EIN letter is a scam, full stop.

CP 575 vs 147C: which document do banks want?

The CP 575 is issued exactly once, at assignment, and the IRS never reissues it. The 147C is the official verification letter that replaces it. Same legal weight, and banks, lenders, payroll providers, and payment platforms accept either. If a bank clerk insists on the original CP 575 for an EIN issued years ago, the 147C is the document their own compliance manual actually lists; ask them to check.

Can you look an EIN up online?

Not your own. The IRS provides no self service lookup, and third party EIN finder sites are scraping public filings or guessing. The only genuine public directories: SEC EDGAR for public companies (EINs appear in annual filings) and the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search for nonprofits. Private company EINs are not published anywhere legitimate, which is exactly why the phone call and the 147C process exist.

Do not apply for a second EIN. Seriously.

A misplaced EIN is a five minute phone call. A duplicate EIN is a mess: the original stays permanently attached to your entity, banks and the IRS end up with split records, and unwinding the confusion takes letters and months. A new EIN is only correct for a genuinely new or restructured entity. See the “when you need a NEW EIN” rules in the uses guide below.

Quick answers

How fast can I actually have my EIN back in hand?

Usually within the hour. The bank paperwork and old tax return routes are instant, and the 147C by fax route finishes during one phone call if the queue cooperates.

Can my accountant call for the 147C?

Yes, with a Form 2848 (power of attorney) or Form 8821 (tax information authorization) on file. Without one, the IRS will only talk to an owner or officer.

My EIN letter shows the wrong address. Is that a problem?

Update it with Form 8822-B (change of address or responsible party). That is also the form you are required to file within 60 days when the responsible party changes. Keeping this current is what makes future 147C calls painless.

Is the EIN still valid if the company sat inactive for years?

Yes. EINs never expire and are never reassigned. An entity revived after dormancy uses its original number.