How do you find your own EIN number?
Check 6 places in order: CP-575 letter (30 sec), prior tax return (1 min), payroll platform (1 min), bank record (2 min), state filing (3 min), and prior W-9 (5 min). Calling the IRS at 800-829-4933 is the last resort, not the first step, for Letter 147C.
The EIN never expires and never renews, so a number issued 20 years ago still identifies the entity today. What "lost" means in practice is that the CP-575 mailer went missing after 2018 or the accountant retired. In almost every case the EIN is already in your records, just not where you first looked.
Where does the EIN live in your records?
Six recurring places. Every business return since 1996 carries the EIN on page 1. Every payroll platform records it in Company Settings. Every US bank checks it against the CP-575 at account opening. Every signed W-9 prints it in the Part I TIN box. Every state annual report requires it.
| # | Where | Which field | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CP-575 assignment letter (paper or PDF) | Top-right block beside the legal name | 30 seconds |
| 2 | Prior year Form 1120, 1120-S, 1065, or Schedule C | Page 1, upper block (line B on 1120) | 1 minute |
| 3 | Payroll platform (Gusto, Rippling, ADP, Paychex) | Company settings → Federal EIN or FEIN | 1 minute |
| 4 | Business bank account record | Account opening docs or online tax documents | 2 minutes |
| 5 | State DOR employer registration | Federal EIN field on state annual report | 3 minutes |
| 6 | Prior W-9 you signed for a client | Part I (Employer identification number box) | 5 minutes |
How do you read the EIN off a tax return?
Form 1120 line B, Form 1120-S line B, Form 1065 line B, Schedule C line D. Every business return prints the EIN on page 1 within the first inch. Form 941 (quarterly payroll) prints it top-right. Read it directly; no calculation required. Match against the CP-575 to verify.
Retrieval sources: your accountant's file, the IRS.gov "Get Transcript" tool at $0 (for the account holder only), or the tax software archive (TurboTax Business, Drake, ProSeries, UltraTax). IRS transcripts return the EIN plus the last 5 return dates. Delivery is 5-10 business days by mail.
Where is the EIN in Gusto or ADP?
Gusto: Company Details → Federal EIN. Rippling: Payroll → Tax Setup → Federal EIN. ADP: Company Setup → Federal Tax ID. Paychex: Company Info → Federal EIN. All 4 platforms store the EIN as the primary tax identifier during payroll onboarding. Lookup takes under 60 seconds.
QuickBooks Online: gear icon → Company Settings → Company → Company ID. QuickBooks Desktop: Company → My Company → Company Information → Federal ID. Xero: Settings → General Settings → Organisation Details → Tax ID. Wave, FreshBooks, and Zoho Books all keep the EIN in similar Settings paths.
Can your bank confirm the EIN for you?
Yes. Every US business bank recorded the EIN at account opening and cross-checked it against the CP-575. Log into online banking → Tax Documents, or call your relationship manager. Most banks answer the same day. The year-end 1099-INT prints the EIN on the payer block.
A business deposit account is opened against the EIN, so the bank holds it on file across credit unions. Whichever institution opened the account holds the EIN on the signature card and the account-opening file, so a relationship manager can read it back to you. Online-only banks keep the same record in the account dashboard. Banks are required to collect and retain it under 31 CFR 1020.220, which is why the record exists at all.
Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Citi all display the EIN in the tax documents portal. Mercury, Bluevine, Relay, and other online banks show it under Company Settings. Payment processors, Stripe, PayPal and Square, store it under Business Details. Cross-check against the CP-575 to confirm no digit was transcribed wrong.
Read the bank verification workflow at what banks and platforms verify.
When do you call the IRS for Letter 147C?
Only after all 6 owner-side routes fail. Call 800-829-4933, Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Foreign callers use 267-941-1099, Monday-Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time. The IRS releases the EIN only to an authorized person: sole proprietor, corporate officer, partner, trustee, or POA on Form 2848. The letter is faxed during the call on request, otherwise mailed.
Read the full 147C playbook at 147C letter and the true no-record recovery case at lost EIN number.
If 0 EIN was ever assigned (new business), then finding is impossible: you file Form SS-4 to create one. Our $$69 Standard or $$99 Fast tier prepares and files the SS-4 with a pre-submission accuracy check.