How do you apply for an EIN?
You apply for an EIN by filing IRS Form SS-4 through 1 of 4 methods: the online assistant, fax, mail, or the international phone line. Online returns the number in 15 minutes, fax in 4 business days.
One form sits under all 4 routes. Form SS-4 carries 18 numbered lines, and the IRS reads the same 18 answers whether they arrive through a browser session, a fax machine, an envelope, or an assistor on a call. The routes differ in 2 things only: who each one is open to, and how long the IRS takes to reply.
Method 1: Apply online through the IRS EIN Assistant
The online assistant runs one interview and issues the EIN at the end of the session. The applicant reads the number on screen before closing the browser.
A responsible party who holds an SSN or an ITIN, for an entity with a principal office in a US state or territory.
Method 2: Fax a completed Form SS-4
The applicant signs Form SS-4 and faxes all 18 lines to the IRS EIN Operation. The IRS returns the assigned EIN by fax to the number printed on the form.
Any applicant, including a responsible party with no SSN and no ITIN. Line 7b accepts the entry Foreign.
Method 3: Mail a completed Form SS-4
The same signed form travels by post to the IRS EIN Operation in Cincinnati. The IRS mails the CP-575 confirmation letter to the address on line 4.
Any applicant. The route needs no fax machine and no online session.
Method 4: Call the IRS international EIN line
An IRS assistor takes the Form SS-4 answers by phone and issues the EIN during the call at 267-941-1099. The line is not toll free.
An applicant whose entity has no legal residence, principal office, or principal agency in a US state or territory.
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
Compare the wait on each route against a written deadline on the how long does it take to get an ein page.
What do you need before you apply for an EIN?
You need 5 things: the exact legal name, a formation state and date, a mailing address, one responsible party with an address, and an entity type. No identity document is filed with Form SS-4.
Assemble those 5 before opening the form, because the online session ends after 15 minutes of inactivity and discards the answers. A faxed form with a missing line returns as a request for more information, which adds another 4 business days to the wait.
| What you need | Where it comes from | Form SS-4 line |
|---|---|---|
| Exact legal name | Articles of organization or incorporation | Line 1 |
| Trade name, if one exists | State DBA registration | Line 2 |
| Mailing address | Any address, US or non-US | Lines 4a and 4b |
| Formation state | The state that issued the formation document | Line 6 |
| Responsible party name | One natural person who controls the entity | Line 7a |
| Responsible party ID | SSN, ITIN, EIN, or the entry Foreign | Line 7b |
| Entity type | The classification chosen at formation | Line 9a |
| Start date | The date the business started or was acquired | Line 11 |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and its instructions, verified July 2026.
Two items are not on that list, and their absence is the point. No passport is filed. No visa is filed. Form SS-4 asks for an identifier on line 7b, and the entry Foreign satisfies it.
How do you apply for an EIN online?
Open the IRS EIN Assistant at irs.gov, answer the interview, and read the EIN on the final screen. The session takes 15 minutes, costs $0, and closes after 15 minutes of inactivity.
The online route carries 3 conditions. The responsible party holds an SSN or an ITIN. The entity has a legal residence, principal office, or principal agency in a US state or a US territory. The applicant finishes in 1 sitting, because the assistant saves nothing between sessions.
The assistant issues 1 EIN per responsible party per day. A founder registering 3 entities under the same responsible party files across 3 separate days, and that limit holds across all 4 methods rather than across the online tool alone.
Download the confirmation letter before closing the browser. The assistant offers the CP-575 as a PDF at the end of the session, and the IRS prints that letter 1 time. A reader who closes the window early replaces it with a 147C letter instead, which arrives on IRS timing rather than instantly.
Have an SSN? irs.gov is free, and it is the correct route. This page tells you that before it tells you anything about $99.
How do you apply for an EIN by fax?
Complete and sign Form SS-4, then fax all 18 lines to 855-641-6935 for a US-based entity, or 855-215-1627 for an international one. The IRS replies in 4 business days when a return fax number is printed.
The fax route is the working route for a responsible party with no SSN, because it accepts the entry Foreign on line 7b that the online assistant rejects. Nothing else about the form changes. The same 18 lines carry the same answers.
| Applicant | IRS fax number | Reply time | Return fax number printed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal residence or principal office in a US state | 855-641-6935 | 4 business days | Required for a fax reply |
| No US state residence, office, or agency | 855-215-1627 | 4 business days | Required for a fax reply |
Source: IRS, verified July 2026. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays.
Three details decide whether 4 business days holds. The return fax number sits in the header block, or the IRS answers by mail on a 4-week clock instead. The signature is present, because an unsigned Form SS-4 is returned unprocessed. Every page transmits, because a 2-page form received as 1 page is incomplete.
How do you apply for an EIN by mail?
Mail a signed Form SS-4 to the IRS EIN Operation in Cincinnati, Ohio. The IRS processes it in 4 weeks and mails the CP-575 confirmation letter to the address entered on line 4a.
Mail is the slowest of the 4 methods by a wide margin. Against 15 minutes online and 4 business days by fax, 4 weeks reads as a fallback rather than a choice. It applies when no fax service is available and the deadline sits far enough away to absorb the wait.
The mailed route carries 1 advantage worth naming: the IRS returns the CP-575 itself rather than a bare number on a fax cover sheet. A bank asks for that letter. Read what the document contains on the EIN confirmation letter page.
How do you apply for an EIN by phone?
Call the IRS international EIN line at 267-941-1099. An assistor takes the Form SS-4 answers and issues the EIN during the call. The line serves entities with no office or residence in a US state.
The number is not toll free, and the caller pays the international rate. Complete Form SS-4 on paper before dialing, because the assistor reads the lines in order and a pause on line 9a or line 10 costs call time at that rate.
The person on the call answers for the entity. The IRS releases the EIN to the responsible party named on line 7a, or to a person the entity authorized in writing on the form. A third party with no line 7a relationship and no written authorization receives nothing.
What does Form SS-4 ask for?
Form SS-4 carries 18 numbered lines. Line 1 takes the legal name, lines 7a and 7b take the responsible party, line 9a takes the entity type, and line 10 takes the reason for applying. A signature closes it.
Twelve of the 18 numbered lines decide whether the application clears. The table below covers those 12, with the rule that governs each one, splitting lines 4, 7 and 8 into their lettered parts. The remaining 6 are lines 3, 5, 13, 14, 15 and 17: an executor or trustee name, a street address, employee counts, an employment tax deposit election, a first wage date, and a merchandise description.
| Line | What it asks | The rule that governs it |
|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | Legal name of the entity | Must match the formation document character for character. The IRS builds the name control from the first 4 characters. |
| Line 2 | Trade name, or DBA | Left blank when no DBA exists. A DBA never receives its own EIN. |
| Line 4a and 4b | Mailing address | The address the CP-575 is mailed to. A non-US address is accepted. |
| Line 6 | County and state where the business is located | The state that issued the formation document. A non-US applicant enters the US state of formation. |
| Line 7a | Name of the responsible party | One natural person who controls the entity. An entity name here is a rejection cause. |
| Line 7b | SSN, ITIN, or EIN of the responsible party | The entry Foreign is accepted when the responsible party holds none of the three. |
| Line 8a | Is this application for an LLC | Answering yes opens lines 8b and 8c, which set member count and US formation. |
| Line 9a | Type of entity | Exactly 1 box is checked. Sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, estate, and trust are 5 of the printed choices. |
| Line 10 | Reason for applying | Started new business, hired employees, banking purpose, changed type of organization. |
| Line 11 | Date business started or acquired | Month, day, and year. A future date past the current tax year is a rejection cause. |
| Line 12 | Closing month of the accounting year | December for most entities. |
| Line 16 | Principal activity | Exactly 1 category is checked. Construction, real estate, finance, wholesale, and retail are 5 of the printed choices. |
| Line 18 | Has the applicant ever received an EIN | Answering yes with no prior number attached is a rejection cause. |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and Instructions for Form SS-4, verified July 2026.
Line 1 does more work than any other line. The IRS derives a 4-character name control from the legal name and matches every later filing against it. A name entered as Acme Holdings LLC on Form SS-4 and Acme Holdings, L.L.C. on a bank application produces 2 different strings, and the bank rejects the pairing. Copy line 1 from the formation document rather than from memory.
Line 10 sets the reason for applying, and it changes nothing about the number issued. Started a new business, hired employees, and banking purpose all produce the same 9 digits. Choosing the wrong one adds no cost, and choosing yes on line 18 without attaching the prior EIN stops the application.
How do you apply for an EIN without an SSN?
Enter Foreign on Form SS-4 line 7b and file by fax or mail. The IRS fax lines are 855-641-6935 for US-based entities and 855-215-1627 for international ones. No SSN and no ITIN is required.
The online assistant validates line 7b against IRS records, so it accepts an SSN, an ITIN, or an existing EIN and nothing else. That validation, not a rule about who deserves an EIN, is the reason a non-resident founder is routed to fax. The IRS issues EINs to responsible parties in every country.
No identity document travels with the form. Form SS-4 has no attachment field for a passport, a visa, or a national ID, and the IRS asks for none. An applicant who is asked to upload a passport is being asked for something the IRS never requested.
The 4-business-day fax reply and the 4-week mail reply are the IRS side of the clock. Read the complete no-SSN procedure on the ein without ssn page.
Why do EIN applications get rejected?
Five causes stop an EIN application: reference number 101 name conflicts, a legal name that misses the formation document, an entity on line 7a, a line 18 yes with no prior EIN, and an unsigned form.
Reference number 101, a name conflict. The online assistant stops the session when the legal name resembles an existing record in IRS files. The fax route clears a 101, because a person reviews the form rather than an automated name check.
The legal name misses the formation document. The IRS builds a name control from the first 4 characters of line 1. A comma, an abbreviation, or a dropped The changes those 4 characters and breaks every later match.
An entity name entered on line 7a. Line 7a takes 1 natural person. A holding company, a law firm, or a formation agent entered there is a rejection cause, because the IRS requires a human responsible party.
Line 18 answered yes with no prior EIN. Answering yes tells the IRS a number already exists. The application stops until the prior EIN is supplied, and a reader who never held one answers no.
An unsigned or partly transmitted form. An unsigned Form SS-4 is returned unprocessed. A 2-page fax that arrives as 1 page is incomplete, and both restart the 4-business-day clock rather than pausing it.
Work through the codes the assistant returns on the ein reference number 101 page, and record a later name or address change on the Form 8822-B page.
What arrives after the IRS approves the application?
Two things arrive: a 9-digit EIN printed as 2 digits, a hyphen, then 7 digits, and one CP-575 confirmation letter. The IRS prints the CP-575 a single time and never reprints it.
The number is permanent. An EIN never expires, never renews, and costs $0 in year 2 and every year after. It stays with the entity through a name change, an address change, and a change of responsible party, each of which is recorded on Form 8822-B rather than by applying again.
| What you receive | Arrives by | Reissued | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| The 9-digit EIN | Screen, fax, mail, or the call | Not applicable | $0 |
| CP-575 confirmation letter | PDF online, or mail on the other routes | Never | $0 |
| 147C verification letter | Fax or mail, on request | Every time | $0 |
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
Store the CP-575 the day it arrives. Banks verify the EIN against that letter before opening an account, and the 1-print rule is why a lost copy becomes a 147C request. Read the anatomy of the document on the CP-575 page, or recover a number you already hold on the EIN number lookup page.
How much does it cost to apply for an EIN?
The IRS charges $0 through all 4 methods, and $0 in year 2 and every year after, because an EIN never renews. A filing service charges for preparation and a deadline, never for the number itself.
| Filed by | Price | Written deadline | Year 2+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yourself, direct to the IRS | $0 | None | $0 |
| ein-number.com | $99 | 7 business days or 100% automatic refund | $0 |
| Northwest | $200 | None | $0 |
| ZenBusiness | $99 | None | $0 |
| Rocket Lawyer | $59.99 | None | $0 |
Competitor prices verified July 2026. Northwest reflects the no-SSN rate. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays.
The $99 covers preparation of Form SS-4 checked against your formation document, filing within 1 business day of your completed details, 4 tracked stages, and a delivery date in writing. It does not buy the EIN, because the EIN is free from the IRS on every route. Read the full breakdown on the how much does an ein cost page, or get started when a written deadline is what your situation needs.