The EIN and IRS forms · A term for founders abroad
What is an EIN?
Employer Identification Number. The nine-digit tax number the IRS assigns to a business, and the first thing every US bank, payment processor and marketplace asks for.
Checked against the IRS's instructions and the states' own rules. Reviewed by Saais Patel, compliance reviewer.
Term 30 of 105 in the glossary, filed under E.IRS: get an employer identification number
EIN, for a founder abroad.
An Employer Identification Number identifies the company to the IRS. It's nine digits, written 12-3456789, and is also called a federal tax ID or FEIN. Despite the name, it has nothing to do with having employees. Every US company owned from abroad needs one to open a bank account, sign up with a payment processor or file Form 5472.
The online application needs the responsible party's SSN or ITIN. A founder with neither applies with Form SS-4, by fax, by post or through the IRS's international phone line. The IRS says that under its Fax-TIN program an EIN by fax generally comes within 4 business days. For a company owned from abroad, our estimate is six to eight weeks.
- It's free. The IRS never charges for an EIN; a provider's fee is for preparing and chasing the application.
- It's the company's for good. The number isn't reused, and it stays the same through a change of name, address or agent.
- The proof is a letter: the CP 575 the IRS sends when it assigns the number, or a 147C letter if that's lost.
Sources: IRS: get an employer identification number; IRS: instructions for Form SS-4.
Read next · guide · 6 minHow to get an EIN without a Social Security NumberWhat founders ask next.
- Can I get an EIN without an SSN or ITIN?
- Yes. Write "foreign" or N/A where Form SS-4 asks for the number, and send it by fax or post, or apply through the IRS's international phone line. The EIN guide walks through it.
- How much does an EIN cost?
- Nothing from the IRS, which says you never have to pay a fee for an EIN. Services that charge are charging for their own work.
- Is an EIN the same as a tax ID number?
- Yes, for a business. "Tax ID", "federal tax ID", "FEIN" and "TIN" on a bank or platform form all mean the company's EIN. Your own tax number is something else.
03 · See also
- The EIN and IRS formsForm SS-4The IRS application for an Employer Identification Number, sent by fax or post, or made by phone, when the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN.Read the term
- The EIN and IRS formsCP 575 letterThe IRS notice confirming a newly assigned EIN, posted once to the address on the application; the document banks usually ask to see.Read the term
- The EIN and IRS forms147C letterThe IRS's confirmation of an existing EIN, issued on request by fax or post, and the usual replacement when the original CP 575 is lost.Read the term
- The EIN and IRS formsITINA personal US tax number for people who must file a US return but can't get an SSN; not needed to form a company or to get its EIN.Read the term
Ready when you are
Answer the questions. We do the filing.
It takes about four minutes. You see the whole order, Wyoming fee included, before anything is charged.
You're startingLLC · WY
Start a companyLaunch · $351.40 · Wyoming fee included