An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a 9-digit number (for example, 12-3456789) assigned to sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, estates, trusts, and other entities for tax filing and reporting purposes. Most businesses are required to have an EIN. You may apply for an EIN for free through the IRS and will be issued your EIN immediately.
You may apply for an EIN online if your principal business is located in the United States or U.S. Territories. The person applying online must have a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN, ITIN, EIN). You are limited to one EIN per responsible party per day. The “responsible party” is the person who ultimately owns or controls the entity or who exercises ultimate effective control over the entity. Unless the applicant is a government entity, the responsible party must be an individual (i.e., a natural person), not an entity.
Make sure your organization is formed legally before you apply for an EIN. Nearly all organizations are subject to automatic revocation of their tax-exempt status if they fail to file a required return or notice for three consecutive years. This period begins as soon as you apply for your EIN.
When applying for an EIN, you must complete the application in one session, as you will not be able to save and return at a later time. Your session will expire after 15 minutes of inactivity, and you will need to start over.
When submitting your application, after all validations are done you will get your EIN immediately upon completion. You can then download, save, and print your EIN confirmation notice.
This EIN is your permanent number and can be used immediately for most of your business needs, including:
However, it will take up to two weeks before your EIN becomes part of the IRS’s permanent records. You must wait until this occurs before you can:
If you previously applied for and received an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your business, but have since misplaced it, try any or all of the following actions to locate the number:
Visit the IRS EIN Frequently Asked Questions page for more details.