You may apply for an EIN online if your principal business is located in the United States or U.S. Territories. The person applying online must have a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN, ITIN, EIN). You are limited to one EIN per responsible party per day. The “responsible party” is the person who ultimately owns or controls the entity or who exercises ultimate effective control over the entity. Unless the applicant is a government entity, the responsible party must be an individual (i.e., a natural person), not an entity.

Make sure your organization is formed legally before you apply for an EIN. Nearly all organizations are subject to automatic revocation of their tax-exempt status if they fail to file a required return or notice for three consecutive years. This period begins as soon as you apply for your EIN.

What should I do?

When applying for an EIN, you must complete the application in one session, as you will not be able to save and return at a later time. Your session will expire after 15 minutes of inactivity, and you will need to start over.
When submitting your application, after all validations are done you will get your EIN immediately upon completion. You can then download, save, and print your EIN confirmation notice.

This EIN is your permanent number and can be used immediately for most of your business needs, including:

• Opening a bank account
• Applying for business licenses
• Filing a tax return by mail

However, it will take up to two weeks before your EIN becomes part of the IRS’s permanent records. You must wait until this occurs before you can:

• File an electronic return
• Make an electronic payment
• Pass an IRS Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) matching program

If you previously applied for and received an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your business, but have since misplaced it, try any or all of the following actions to locate the number:

• Find the computer-generated notice that was issued by the IRS when you applied for your EIN. This notice is issued as a confirmation of your application for, and receipt of an EIN.
• If you used your EIN to open a bank account, or apply for any type of state or local license, you should contact the bank or agency to secure your EIN.
• Find a previously filed tax return for your existing entity (if you have filed a return) for which you have your lost or misplaced EIN.  Your previously filed return should be notated with your EIN.
• Ask the IRS to search for your EIN by calling the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933. The hours of operation are 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday.

Visit the IRS EIN Frequently Asked Questions page for more details.