Can Someone Else File My EIN After an IRS Error?
Last updated November 10, 2026 · Written by the EIN Registration filing team
We are an EIN filing service. We prepare Form SS-4, file it as your designee, and email you the EIN.
Start Now →Who can file for you
- An EIN filing service. It prepares and files the form and follows it up. See what an EIN service does and costs.
- Your accountant or tax preparer. Often the simplest choice if you already work with one.
- An attorney, usually for an estate or a trust.
What they need from you
- The legal name exactly as the state approved it, and the formation date.
- The responsible party's name and SSN or ITIN, if there is one.
- The business address and what the business does.
- Your signature authorizing them as designee.
- After a reference number 101: your formation document, so the IRS can see the name the state accepted.
What a designee cannot do
- Make the online application accept what it refused. The route changes to fax; the IRS's checks do not.
- Speed up the IRS. A faxed form is answered on the IRS's schedule.
- Share your contact details. A designee who gives your phone or address as their own gets reference number 104.
How fast it is when the online application works
EIN Registration delivered 23 EINs in the two weeks from November 2, 2026, and the median time from order to EIN was 2.1 hours in the first week and 4 hours in the second. Applications that had to be faxed took longer, because the IRS answers those on its own schedule.
What the IRS manual says
The IRS's own procedures for EIN applications are in Internal Revenue Manual section 21.7.13. These passages are quoted word for word.
“Apologize for any inconvenience and advise them to mail or fax a completed Form SS-4.”
IRM 21.7.13.3.4.1, Modernized Internet EIN (10-01-2026)
“Reference numbers 101 or 115 are directed to a CSR for assistance. All other reference numbers are routed to an automated message which provides instructions to correct invalid information and resubmit the application or submit Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number, by mail or fax.”
IRM 21.7.13.3.4.1, Modernized Internet EIN (10-01-2026)
The manual does not publish what each reference number means: the tables that list them are withheld from the public copy. The meanings on this page are what each number has meant on the applications we file. Source: IRM 21.7.13, Assigning Employer Identification Numbers, read November 10, 2026.
Quick answers
Is there a service that can file my EIN when the IRS website keeps giving me an error?
Yes. An EIN filing service, an accountant or an attorney can prepare Form SS-4 and file it with the IRS as your third party designee, and send it by fax when the online application will not take it. We are an EIN filing service and do this.
What is a third party designee on Form SS-4?
A person or firm you authorize, by signing the form, to file the application, receive the EIN and answer the IRS's questions about it. The authority covers that one application and ends when the EIN is assigned.
Can a designee get past reference number 101 for me?
A designee cannot make the online application accept a name it refused. A designee can prepare Form SS-4 in your registered name and fax it, which is how a 101 is resolved for anyone.
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. We file within 30 minutes of your order during IRS hours, and your EIN typically arrives the same day.
- ✓ Prepared and filed by specialists
- ✓ Error 101 and rejection handling included
- ✓ Data encrypted (AES-256)
- ✓ Order tracking and email updates
Related guides
- EIN Service: What It Does and What It Costs What an EIN filing service does, what it cannot do, and what ours includes for $197.
- What Does EIN Reference Number 104 Mean? A Designee Conflict 104 means the third-party designee's address or phone is the same as the applicant's. Leave the section blank or give the designee's own details.
- What Do I Do After EIN Reference Number 101? Stop retrying, keep the name, and fax Form SS-4. The steps in order after a name conflict.
- How to Apply for an EIN by Fax: SS-4 Fax Numbers and What Comes Back 855-641-6935 for the 50 states and DC, two other numbers for everyone else. What to send, how long the IRS takes, the cover sheet it faxes back, the designee signature rule, and what to do when nothing comes back.
- IRS EIN Online Application Not Working? Every Cause and Fix Closed hours, session timeouts, the one per day rule, browser traps and the reference numbers, in the order to check them. Plus the method that does not depend on the website at all.
- IRS EIN Reference Numbers 101 to 115, Explained Every code the IRS online application can return, what it means in practice, and the fix. Which ones are your answers, which are the IRS, and which two you must not retry.
You can also apply for an EIN directly with the IRS at irs.gov at no cost.