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The IRS online application is the fastest way to get an EIN. Use the IRS online EIN application. If it is approved, the IRS issues the number immediately and you can print the confirmation letter.
What do you need before you apply?
Have these ready:
- The legal name of the business exactly as the state approved it.
- The entity type: LLC, corporation, partnership, trust or another type.
- The state where it was formed and the date.
- The name and taxpayer number of the responsible party. The IRS requires an SSN or ITIN for the online route.
- Your reason for applying, such as starting a business or hiring staff.
The online form is for a domestic organization formed or created in the US or its territories, with a principal place of business in the US. The applicant must be the responsible party or an authorized representative.
When can you apply online?
The IRS lists these hours in Eastern Time:
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. the next day |
| Saturday | 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
| Sunday | 6:00 p.m. to midnight |
The IRS allows one EIN per responsible party per day. The session is easy to lose if you leave it idle, so fill in everything in one go.
What are the steps?
- Open the IRS application and choose your entity type.
- Enter the responsible party's details and the business name and address.
- Answer the questions about employees and the business activity.
- Review the summary, submit, and print or save the confirmation letter.
Keep that letter. Banks ask for it, and it is the cleanest proof of the number.
What if you cannot apply online?
Use Form SS-4. The SS-4 instructions say a fax request generally returns the EIN within about 4 business days. A mailed form takes about 4 weeks, so file it at least 4 to 5 weeks before you need the number.
Owners with no legal residence, principal place of business or office in the US can call the IRS international line given in those instructions. If the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN, line 7b takes "foreign" or N/A. Our EIN without SSN guide walks through that case.
What happens after you have the EIN?
Open the business bank account, add the number to your operating agreement records, and set up any payroll or state tax accounts. An LLC that wants to be taxed as an S corporation files Form 2553.
Not sure what the number is for? Read what an EIN is. To form the LLC first, see our California LLC guide or use the start form.
This is general information, not tax advice.