How do you recover a lost EIN number?
You recover a lost EIN number through 5 routes: the CP-575 notice, a filed federal tax return, the business bank file, a W-2, 1099, or signed W-9, and the IRS reissue on Letter 147C. Each costs $0.
The routes run in this order for one reason. Four of them read paper already inside the business, and 1 of them waits on the IRS. Working the free and immediate routes first removes the wait in most cases.
Route 1: Read the CP-575 assignment notice
The IRS prints one CP-575 per EIN, at assignment, and never reprints it. The notice carries the 9-digit number in the top block beside the legal name the IRS recorded.
The formation file, the accountant's folder, or the email the notice was scanned into.
This route ends the search when the notice survives. A lost CP-575 moves you to route 5.
Route 2: Read a filed federal tax return
Every business return prints the EIN on page 1. Form 1120 carries it, Form 1065 carries it, Form 941 carries it, and Schedule C attached to Form 1040 carries it.
The tax preparer's copy, the IRS account transcript, or the accounting software archive.
A return proves the number the business reported. An entity that filed 0 returns has no copy here.
Route 3: Read the business bank file
A bank records the EIN on the account application and checks it against the CP-575 before the account opens. The number stays in the customer file for the life of the account.
The account opening packet, online banking tax documents, or the relationship manager.
The bank confirms the number it verified at opening. It confirms nothing about a later name change.
Route 4: Read a W-2, a 1099, or a signed W-9
Box b of every W-2 you issued carries the employer EIN. The payer block of a 1099 carries it. Line 6 of a signed Form W-9 carries it.
Payroll software, the year-end filing archive, or any client who paid the business.
These forms copy the number from your own records. A copying error in the original repeats here.
Route 5: Request Letter 147C from the IRS
The IRS reissues a lost EIN as Letter 147C. The request runs by phone, the IRS charges $0, and it releases the number to an authorized person only.
The IRS international line is 267-941-1099, Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
This is the only route that works when 0 documents survive. It waits on IRS processing.
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
Route 1 and route 5 both end on a letter, and the two letters differ. Read the anatomy of the assignment notice on the cp 575 page, and the request procedure for the replacement on the 147c letter page.
Which lost EIN recovery route is fastest?
The CP-575 is fastest at 1 minute. A filed tax return takes 2 minutes. A bank file, a W-2, a 1099, or a W-9 takes 5 minutes. Letter 147C takes days to weeks, because it waits on the IRS.
| Route | Time | Waits on the IRS | Proves the name pairing | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. CP-575 notice | 1 minute | No | Yes | $0 |
| 2. Filed tax return | 2 minutes | No | No | $0 |
| 3. Business bank file | 5 minutes | No | No | $0 |
| 4. W-2, 1099, or W-9 | 5 minutes | No | No | $0 |
| 5. IRS Letter 147C | Days to weeks | Yes | Yes | $0 |
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
Two of the 5 routes prove the pairing between the EIN and the legal name: the CP-575 and Letter 147C. The other 3 prove the digits alone. That distinction decides which document a bank accepts, because a bank verifies the pairing rather than the number.
A deadline changes nothing about the order. A document sitting in your own file answers in 1 minute, and no request to the IRS beats it. Compare every route to recover any EIN on the ein number lookup page.
What do you do when no document survives?
Request Letter 147C from the IRS. The IRS holds every assigned EIN permanently and reissues it on that letter for $0. International callers reach the IRS at 267-941-1099, Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern.
Letter 147C exists because the CP-575 prints 1 time. The IRS never reprints an assignment notice, so the 147C becomes the proof document for the rest of the entity’s life. Banks, payment processors, and payroll providers accept it in the same role.
Four facts decide the length of the call: the legal name exactly as the IRS holds it, the address of record, your role in the entity, and the entity type. The IRS agent asks for those 4 items every time. Preparing them before dialing shortens the call.
The IRS delivers Letter 147C by fax or by mail to the address of record. It sends nothing by email, and it publishes no download portal. Read the full 6-step call script on the 147c letter page.
Who can request a lost EIN from the IRS?
The IRS releases an EIN to an authorized person only. That covers 6 roles: a sole proprietor, a partner, a corporate officer, a trustee, an executor, and a person holding a filed power of attorney on Form 2848.
| Role | Entity type it applies to | Extra form required |
|---|---|---|
| Sole proprietor | Sole proprietorship | None |
| Partner | Partnership | None |
| Corporate officer | Corporation, LLC taxed as a corporation | None |
| LLC member or manager | Limited liability company | None |
| Trustee | Trust | None |
| Executor or administrator | Estate | None |
| Authorized representative | Any entity type | Form 2848, power of attorney |
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
An employee, a bookkeeper, or a friend of the owner holds no authority here, and the IRS declines those requests. Form 2848 converts an outside accountant into an authorized representative, and the IRS requires it on file before the call.
The responsible party recorded on Form SS-4 line 7 is the individual the IRS ties the EIN to. A change in that person is recorded on Form 8822-B within 60 days, and an outdated record slows the release of a lost number. Update it on the form 8822-b page.
Should you apply for a second EIN instead?
No. A second application assigns a second EIN, and the IRS keeps both permanently. Two live EINs split one filing history across 2 records, and the business then reconciles returns filed under 2 numbers.
An EIN never expires, never renews, and costs $0 in year 2 and every year after. That permanence is exactly why a duplicate causes damage. The IRS does not merge 2 EINs into 1, and closing the unwanted account runs as a separate written request.
Payroll splits across 2 numbers. W-2 forms issued under 1 EIN and Form 941 filed under another produce a mismatch the IRS flags at reconciliation.
The bank holds the original number. A bank verified the first EIN against the CP-575 at account opening. A second number matches nothing in the customer file.
IRS notices arrive on the dormant account. The IRS expects returns on every open EIN account. An unused second EIN generates notices until the business closes it in writing.
Recovery costs $0 and duplication costs time. All 5 recovery routes cost $0, and 4 of them finish inside 5 minutes. A duplicate creates work that lasts years.
One case reverses this rule. A change in entity structure requires a genuinely new EIN rather than a recovered one, and the old number stays with the old entity. The matrix of which changes require a new number sits on the do i need a new ein page.
Why does the recovered number not match your records?
Three causes explain most mismatches: a transcription error in the 9 digits, a legal name that changed after assignment, and a number belonging to a related but separate entity. Each has a different fix.
A transcription error in the 9 digits
The digit 0 and the letter O look alike in a scan, and so do 1 and 7. A valid EIN prints as 2 digits, a hyphen, then 7 digits. Read the number from the CP-575 or Letter 147C rather than from a photocopy, because those 2 documents come straight from the IRS.
The legal name changed after assignment
The EIN stays with the entity through a name change, so the 9 digits remain correct while the name on the old document no longer matches. The IRS matches an EIN against a name control built from the first 4 characters of the legal name, which is why a comma or an abbreviation changes the result. Form 8822-B records the change.
The number belongs to a separate entity
A parent company and a subsidiary hold 2 separate EINs. A DBA holds 0 EINs of its own, because the number belongs to the legal entity behind the trade name. A single-member LLC that added a second member became a partnership, and that new entity received its own number.
Confirm the pairing before you rely on it. Verification means matching the 9 digits to the exact legal name the IRS holds, character for character. Work through that check on the verify ein number page.
What do you tell a bank while the EIN is missing?
Give the bank the CP-575 when it survives, and Letter 147C when it does not. Banks verify the pairing of the 9-digit EIN and the legal name, and those 2 IRS documents are the only proof of it.
A screenshot, a spreadsheet, and a typed number satisfy no compliance team, because none of them originate with the IRS. A tax return proves the number the business reported and not the pairing the IRS recorded, which is the reason a bank asks for a letter instead.
The bank that opened the account already verified the EIN once. Requesting the number from that relationship takes 5 minutes and produces the digits, which then lets you order Letter 147C with the correct legal name in hand. That sequence removes the most common cause of a failed 147C request.
Marketplace verification, payment processor onboarding, and payroll registration follow the same rule. Read what each of them checks on the ein confirmation letter page.
How do you keep an EIN from getting lost again?
Store the number in 3 places that survive independently: a scan of the CP-575 in cloud storage, the entity record your accountant holds, and the formation binder. An EIN never changes, so 1 accurate copy lasts forever.
| Storage location | Survives | Recovery time later |
|---|---|---|
| Cloud scan of the CP-575 | A move, a fire, a closed office | 1 minute |
| Accountant's entity record | A lost laptop, a changed email | 1 business day |
| Physical formation binder | A cloud account lockout | 1 minute |
| Bank customer file | Everything on your side | 5 minutes |
| IRS records | Every loss on your side | Days to weeks |
ein-number.com guidance, July 2026. Not an IRS publication.
Record the legal name beside the 9 digits in every copy. The number alone fails a bank check when the name control no longer matches, and the pairing is the part that ages. An address change or a responsible-party change goes to the IRS on Form 8822-B within 60 days, which keeps the IRS record current for the next request.
What if your situation requires a new EIN?
File Form SS-4. Recovery returns a number that already exists, and an entity that never received one applies instead. The IRS charges $0, and line 7b accepts the entry Foreign when the responsible party holds no SSN.
A new legal entity needs its own EIN. A sole proprietorship that incorporates needs one. A single-member LLC that admits a second member becomes a partnership and needs one. Recovering the old number helps in none of those cases, because the old number belongs to the old entity.
Applying without a Social Security Number
Form SS-4 line 7b accepts the word Foreign, so the IRS issues EINs to responsible parties who hold no SSN and no ITIN. The application moves from the online tool to fax. The IRS fax line is 855-641-6935 for entities based in a US state and 855-215-1627 for international applicants. No identity document is filed with Form SS-4, and no passport upload is requested at any stage.
Have an SSN? irs.gov is free, and the online tool issues the EIN in 15 minutes.
| 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 |
Competitor prices verified July 2026. Northwest reflects the no-SSN rate. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays.
The IRS charges $0 for an EIN through every method. The $99 covers preparation, filing within 1 business day of your completed details, 4 tracked stages, and IRS monitoring. We put the EIN number delivery, in writing, or you file it yourself for nothing.