How to Get an EIN: Complete Application Guide

You're opening a business bank account, hiring your first employee, or forming an LLC — and suddenly everything asks for the same nine digits: your EIN. Then you Google "get an EIN" and the top results want $250 for a form the IRS processes for free in about ten minutes. Let's fix that. Here's exactly how the Employer Identification Number process works as of July 2026, which application route fits your situation, and the handful of traps worth knowing before you click.

What is an EIN, and do you actually need one?

An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is a nine-digit federal tax ID for a business entity — a Social Security number's corporate cousin. The IRS generally requires one if you:

• Have (or are about to have) employees;
• Operate as a corporation or partnership (including a multi-member LLC);
• File employment, excise, or certain other federal tax returns;
• Withhold taxes on income paid to a non-resident alien; or
• Administer certain trusts, estates, or retirement plans.

Even when it's not strictly required — say, a single-member LLC with no employees, which can generally use the owner's SSN for federal income tax — you'll usually want one anyway. Banks require an EIN to open a business account, many clients ask for it on Form W-9, and using an EIN keeps your SSN off documents that float around the world. Sole proprietors and freelancers can get one for exactly that privacy reason.

One misconception to retire: an EIN is not a business license, not a state tax ID, and not proof your LLC exists. It's a federal tax identifier, nothing more — and nothing less.

How do you apply online (the way almost everyone should)?

The IRS online EIN application at irs.gov/ein issues your number immediately at the end of the session. It's free — the IRS never charges for an EIN, full stop.

What to know before you start, per the IRS as of July 2026:

• Hours: the tool isn't 24/7. It's generally available Monday–Friday from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern, with shorter weekend windows.
• The responsible party needs an SSN or ITIN. The responsible party is the human who ultimately owns or controls the entity — and it must generally be a person, not another company.
• One EIN per responsible party per day. Setting up multiple entities? That's one per day, or use fax/mail.
• Finish in one sitting. The session expires after 15 minutes of inactivity and you can't save progress.
• Save the confirmation letter (CP 575) as a PDF the moment it appears. Banks will ask for it, and replacing it means requesting a different letter (147C) by phone later.

What if you can't use the online tool?

The fax and mail routes both run through Form SS-4 — one page, but the questions mirror the online interview: legal name, trade name, responsible party and their tax ID, entity type, reason for applying, expected employees, and start date. Foreign founders without an SSN or ITIN can't use the online tool at all; the phone route (or an authorized third-party designee filing by fax) is the standard path.

A hedged example (tax year 2026): you form a Florida LLC in August 2026, apply online Tuesday morning, and have an EIN before lunch — bank account Wednesday. If you then hire your first employee in September, that EIN anchors your payroll accounts, and your first Form 941 is generally due at the end of the month after the quarter closes (November 2, 2026, for Q3, since October 31 falls on a Saturday). The EIN itself takes minutes; it's the downstream registrations that deserve calendar space.

What should you watch out for? (The $250 form-filling industry)

Search results for "EIN application" are crowded with lookalike sites charging $75–$300 to submit the free form on your behalf. They're mostly legal — and mostly pointless. Signs you've wandered off the reservation: any price tag, a domain that isn't irs.gov, "expedited processing" upsells (there's nothing faster than the IRS's own instant online issuance), and "EIN renewal" notices (EINs never expire and are never reused).

A few more traps that actually cost people time:

• Applying before the entity exists. Form the LLC or corporation with your state first, then get the EIN — the application asks for the legal name as formed.
• Guessing on entity classification. The application's entity-type answer should match how you'll actually be taxed. If you're still deciding between a default LLC and an S-corp election, run the numbers first with our LLC vs S-Corp tool — the EIN comes after that decision, not before.
• Forgetting Form 8822-B. If your business address or responsible party changes, the IRS expects Form 8822-B within 60 days. Widely missed, easy to file.

When do you need a new EIN — and when do you keep the old one?

Generally, you need a new EIN when the underlying entity changes: a sole proprietorship incorporates, a partnership incorporates or becomes a sole proprietorship, you form a brand-new corporation after a merger, or you inherit-and-restructure a business. You generally keep your existing EIN when you change the business name, move locations, add locations, or when an LLC merely changes how it's taxed (for example, electing S-corp status — the election rides on the same EIN).

And one 2026 note that saves founders a rabbit hole: getting an EIN does not trigger any federal beneficial-ownership filing. US-formed companies are currently exempt from BOI reporting under FinCEN's March 2025 rule — details in our BOI reporting update. If a mailer tells you otherwise and asks for a fee, recycle it.

Stuck mid-process — reference number errors on the online tool, a lost CP 575, an EIN someone got years ago that nobody can find, a foreign owner with no ITIN? Problems come here to get solved. This is twenty-minute work for someone who does it weekly, and it unblocks everything behind it: banking, payroll, state registrations.

FAQ

How much does an EIN cost?

Nothing, from the IRS, by any method. Anyone charging you is a middleman filling out the same free form.

How fast can I actually get one?

Online: immediately, during operating hours. Fax: generally about four business days. Mail: roughly four to five weeks. If a lender or platform "needs it today," the online tool is the only same-day route.

I lost my EIN. Do I reapply?

No — never reapply for the same entity. Check the CP 575 letter, old tax returns, bank paperwork, or payroll filings; failing those, call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line and request a 147C verification letter after they confirm your identity.

Does a single-member LLC with no employees need an EIN?

Not always for federal income tax — the owner's SSN can generally suffice. Practically, you'll want one for banking, W-9s, and privacy, and you'll be required to get one the moment you hire, add a member, or elect corporate taxation.

Can I use one EIN for two businesses?

One EIN belongs to one legal entity. Two LLCs need two EINs; but one LLC running two brand names (DBAs) generally uses a single EIN for both.

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Reviewed by the WAYG tax team · Updated July 2026