How To Get My Federal Employer Identification Number | Start

Apply through the IRS EIN Assistant, then download or print the confirmation notice for your records.

If you’re setting up a business bank account, hiring staff, filing certain tax forms, or forming an LLC or corporation, you’ll run into a nine-digit tax ID called an EIN. People also call it a Federal Employer Identification Number or a federal tax ID. The good news: you can get one for free directly from the IRS, often in a single sitting.

What A Federal Employer Identification Number Is Used For

An EIN is the IRS’s way to identify a business or other entity for federal tax filing and reporting. It’s not the same as a state tax ID, and it’s not a business license. Think of it as the number that ties your entity to payroll tax forms, certain excise filings, and many common paperwork steps like opening a business checking account.

Do You Need An EIN Or Can You Use Your SSN

Plenty of sole proprietors can file using an SSN, yet many still choose to get an EIN. Other setups usually need one. Here are everyday triggers that push people to apply:

• You pay wages to employees, even part-time.
• You form a partnership or corporation.
• You create a multi-member LLC (most cases).
• You run payroll or file employment tax returns.
• You open a business bank account that asks for an EIN.
• You set up certain retirement plans or handle estate or trust filings.

If you’re unsure whether your situation calls for a new EIN, the IRS has a plain-English overview on its EIN topic page. You can read it before applying so you don’t request a second number by mistake.

What To Gather Before You Apply

The online application moves fast, and the IRS session can time out if you step away. So grab the basics first. In most cases you’ll need:

• Your legal name and taxpayer ID (SSN, ITIN, or an existing EIN for certain entity roles).
• Your entity type (sole proprietor, LLC, corporation, partnership, nonprofit, trust, estate, or other).
• Your legal business name, plus any “doing business as” name.
• Your mailing detail and a phone number.
• The reason you’re applying (new business, hired employees, banking, compliance filing, and so on).
• Your main activity (services, retail, construction, and similar).
• Expected number of employees in the next 12 months, broken into categories the form asks for.

If you want a preview of every question the IRS will ask, review Form SS-4. It mirrors the data the online tool collects, so you can fill it out on paper first, then copy answers into the online steps.

How To Get My Federal Employer Identification Number

The steps below fit most new business owners in the U.S. If your case is outside the tool’s limits, use Form SS-4 instead.

Getting A Federal Employer Identification Number Online With The IRS

The IRS online tool is the cleanest route for most U.S. applicants. It’s free, and if the system approves your application, you receive the number at the end of the session.

Step 1: Use The IRS EIN Assistant On A Secure Site

Start on the IRS “Get an employer identification number” page, then click through to the application tool. The IRS warns people not to pay third-party sites that charge for something the agency issues at no cost. Use the IRS pages below, not look-alike ads.

IRS: Get an employer identification number

IRS EIN Assistant application tool

Step 2: Pick The Right Entity Type

This choice shapes the rest of the questions. For an LLC, the number of members matters. A single-member LLC may be treated one way for federal tax purposes, while a multi-member LLC often files differently. If you’re forming a corporation, pick corporation, not LLC, even if your state filings use mixed language.

Step 3: Enter The “Responsible Party” Details

The IRS asks for a responsible party. That’s usually the owner, principal officer, or managing member. Enter the name and taxpayer ID exactly as it appears on IRS records. Typos here are a common reason for hiccups.

Step 4: Enter Names And Mailing Details Exactly

Use your legal business name, then add any trade name in the spot that asks for it. For mailing details, stick to what you use on tax returns and bank forms. If your business is home-based, your home mailing detail is fine.

Step 5: Choose A Reason And Add The Start Date

The tool asks why you want an EIN and when the business started. Pick the closest match and enter the date.

Step 6: Answer The Activity And Employee Questions

Answer the activity and employee questions as accurately as you can for the next 12 months.

Step 7: Get The EIN And Save The Confirmation Notice

At the end, the IRS shows your new EIN and provides a confirmation notice you can download or print. Do that right away. The IRS tool notes that you must finish in one session and you can’t save mid-way.

Once you have the confirmation notice, store it in two places: a secure digital folder and a paper binder with your formation documents. Banks often ask for the notice, not just the number.

Application Options Compared Side By Side

Online is the common pick for U.S. applicants. Mail, fax, and phone options still exist for other cases.

Application method	Who it fits	What you receive
Online EIN Assistant	Most applicants with a U.S. mailing detail and a valid taxpayer ID	EIN issued at the end of the session, plus a downloadable notice
Form SS-4 by fax	People who prefer paper or can’t use the online tool	EIN assigned after IRS processing, then sent back by fax or mail
Form SS-4 by mail	Anyone who wants a paper trail and can wait for processing	EIN assigned after IRS processing, then mailed
Phone (limited cases)	Some applicants outside the U.S. who can’t apply online	EIN provided by the IRS after verification, with follow-up paperwork
New entity events	Owners changing structure or ownership	May need a fresh EIN, based on IRS rules
Nonprofit and trust filings	Entities that file as exempt organizations, trusts, or estates	EIN used on filings and account setup
State tax IDs	Businesses that need state payroll or sales tax accounts	Separate IDs issued by the state, not the IRS EIN
Paid “EIN services”	Sites that charge a fee to submit the same data you can submit	No extra benefit; IRS issues EIN for free

What Happens After You Get The EIN

Your EIN becomes part of your business paperwork set. The next steps depend on what you’re doing with the entity.

Banking And Payments

Most banks ask for an EIN, your formation papers, and an ID for the signer. If you take card payments, a payment processor may also request the EIN for account setup.

Payroll Setup

If you will pay employees, you’ll also set up federal payroll deposits and a state payroll account. The EIN is the number you use on federal employment tax forms.

How To Find Your EIN If You Lost It

Misplacing the number is common, especially after the first rush of setup tasks. Before you call anyone, try these quick checks:

• Search your email for the word “EIN” and look for a saved PDF notice.
• Check your bank’s account opening packet.
• Check prior tax filings: payroll returns, business income returns, or 1099 filings.
• Check business license filings or state tax accounts that stored the EIN.

If you still can’t locate it, the IRS explains “lost or forgot EIN” steps on its EIN topic page, including how to contact the agency for help. IRS: Employer identification number

Common Application Snags And Easy Fixes

Most EIN applications go through without drama. When they don’t, the cause is usually simple. This table lists the snags people hit and the quickest fixes that tend to work.

Problem you see	Likely cause	Fix that usually works
Session ends before you finish	Inactivity timeout	Gather answers first, then complete the tool in one sitting
Responsible party info won’t verify	Name or taxpayer ID mismatch	Match IRS records exactly; try again with the correct spelling
You pick the wrong entity type	Confusing state paperwork terms	Use your formation docs to match your legal structure
Duplicate EIN request	You already applied before	Search records first; if needed, follow IRS “lost EIN” steps
Online tool not available	IRS system downtime	Try again later, or file Form SS-4 by fax or mail
International applicant can’t use online tool	Online tool limits	Use phone, fax, or mail routes listed on Form SS-4
Bank won’t accept a typed number	Bank wants proof of issuance	Provide the IRS confirmation notice, not just the digits

Safety Checks Before You Share Your EIN

Share your EIN only when a form or institution truly needs it, and avoid sites that charge fees for an EIN.

If you receive an email or call asking for your EIN plus extra personal data, pause. Verify the request using a phone number you trust, not the number in the message. And if a page claims to be the IRS yet the web address is not on an IRS domain, close it.

A Simple Checklist You Can Use While Applying

• Open only irs.gov or sa.www4.irs.gov pages for the application.
• Have your legal name, taxpayer ID, and entity type ready.
• Use the same business name and mailing detail you’ll use on tax filings.
• Finish the session in one sitting.
• Download or print the confirmation notice right away.
• Store the notice with your formation docs and bank records.

Once you complete that list, you’ll have the EIN in hand and can move on to the next setup steps with fewer loose ends.