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An EIN lookup usually ends with one finding: the IRS does not run a public EIN search. An Employer Identification Number is a federal tax ID, and the IRS treats it as tax information. You can still find an EIN in a few legitimate places, and you can always recover your own.
What an EIN is
The IRS describes the EIN as "a federal tax ID number for businesses, tax-exempt organizations and other entities" on its employer ID numbers page. It is issued by the IRS, not the state. The state gives the company a separate entity or file number when it is formed, and that number is the one on the state register.
Where an EIN legitimately appears
1. The company itself. The normal way to get a business's EIN is to ask for it. If you are paying a contractor or vendor, ask for a completed Form W-9. The IRS says the form is used to "provide your correct Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) to the person who is required to file an information return with the IRS". See About Form W-9.
2. SEC EDGAR, for public companies. Companies that file with the SEC show their IRS employer identification number on the cover page of reports such as the annual Form 10-K. EDGAR search is free. Search the company name, open a recent 10-K and read the top of the first page.
3. Form 990, for nonprofits. Tax-exempt organizations file an annual Form 990, and the IRS says an exempt organization "must make available for public inspection and copying its annual return", including Forms 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF. See the IRS page on public disclosure of exempt organization returns. The EIN is printed at the top of the form. The IRS also links a charity search from its charities and nonprofits pages.
4. Some state records. A few state searches accept a federal tax ID. Florida's Sunbiz, for example, lets you search by FEI/EIN number, and one number can list several entities. Most states do not show the EIN at all.
Finding your own lost EIN
If the EIN belongs to your business, the IRS employer ID numbers page lists where to look:
- the confirmation notice the IRS sent when the EIN was issued;
- the bank that holds your business account;
- agencies where you applied for state or local licenses;
- past business tax returns.
If that fails, the IRS says you can call its business and specialty tax line, and "we'll verify your identity and provide the number over the phone if you're authorized to receive it". The same page lists ways to get written confirmation, such as an entity transcript or Letter 147C. The phone number and hours are on that IRS page.
Be careful with EIN lookup sites
Private sites that promise any company's EIN are guessing, copying old data or reselling records of unknown quality. A wrong EIN on a tax form causes real problems. For tax reporting, rely on the W-9 the payee signs. For a public company or nonprofit, read the number from the SEC or Form 990 filing.
Telling companies apart by EIN
One EIN covers one legal entity, wherever it is registered. If a company is on the register in Delaware and also registered in Texas, it has one EIN but two state entity numbers. Two companies with nearly the same name will have different EINs, so a matching EIN on a W-9 and an invoice is a good sign you are dealing with the same entity. To look up the state record itself, see our LLC lookup guide. If you need a new EIN for your own LLC, see EIN for an LLC.
Looking for your own number instead? Read what an EIN is. For state accounts see state tax ID lookup.