How to Apply for Form SS-4 Online and Get an EIN: Requirements and Steps

To apply for an EIN online, go to the IRS EIN Assistant on IRS.gov, complete the guided version of Form SS-4 in a single session, and the system will issue your nine-digit Employer Identification Number on screen at the end. The tool is free, takes about 10 to 15 minutes, and is the fastest of the four IRS application methods. Before you open it, though, confirm you’re eligible to use it and gather your information, because the session cannot be saved and it times out after 15 minutes of inactivity.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number

Who Can Use the Online Tool

Three conditions have to be met. The responsible party (the individual who ultimately controls the entity’s funds and assets) must have a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number The entity’s principal place of business must be in the United States or a U.S. territory.2Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number And you have to apply during the assistant’s operating hours:

  • Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (next day), Eastern time
  • Saturday, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Eastern time
  • Sunday, 6:00 p.m. to midnight, Eastern time

One more limit worth knowing before you start: the IRS issues only one EIN per responsible party per business day, across every application method.3Internal Revenue Service. 21.7.13 Assigning Employer Identification Numbers (EINs) If you’re forming several entities, space the applications across different days.

The Application Is Free

The IRS charges nothing to issue an EIN. Some third-party sites are designed to look like official government portals and charge up to $300 to submit the same free form for you. The Federal Trade Commission has sent warning letters to operators of these sites for failing to disclose that the IRS provides EINs at no cost.4Federal Trade Commission. FTC Warns Operators of Websites that Charge for Employer Identification Number The legitimate starting point is always IRS.gov.

What to Have Ready Before You Open the Assistant

Because the session cannot be saved and times out after 15 minutes of inactivity, pull everything together first.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number You’ll be asked for:

Make sure the responsible party’s name and SSN or ITIN are entered exactly as they appear on the Social Security card or ITIN letter. Mismatches cause the system to reject the application outright.

Walking Through the Online Session

The EIN Assistant works as a guided interview. You answer one screen at a time, and the questions branch based on your entity type.

  • Identify your entity type. The system routes sole proprietors, LLCs, corporations, partnerships, trusts, and estates through different question paths.
  • Enter the entity details: legal name, trade name if applicable, and the date business activity began.
  • Identify the responsible party by name and SSN or ITIN. The IRS defines this as the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity’s funds and assets.3Internal Revenue Service. 21.7.13 Assigning Employer Identification Numbers (EINs)
  • Enter the mailing address, county, state, expected employees, and first payroll date if you’ll have one.
  • Review the summary screen. Check every field. Errors caught here are easier to correct than errors that reach your tax account.
  • Submit. The system generates your EIN immediately and displays a CP 575 confirmation notice.

Download and print the CP 575 the moment it appears. A paper copy will eventually arrive by mail, but that takes several weeks, and the on-screen confirmation is the only way to get your number the same day. Banks and licensing agencies routinely ask for it, so keep a copy somewhere retrievable.

If Something Goes Wrong

The most common error is Reference Number 101. It means the IRS database already has an entity with a name identical or very similar to yours. The online system cannot resolve name conflicts on its own. You’ll need to apply by fax or mail instead, sending Form SS-4 along with a copy of your filed formation documents. Calling the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 first can save a round trip, because an agent can confirm what documentation your situation needs.

Two other frequent stumbles: session timeouts (the 15-minute inactivity limit is strict) and identification mismatches. If the responsible party’s name or SSN doesn’t match IRS records exactly, the application will be rejected. Restart with the information corrected, but remember the one-EIN-per-day cap on the responsible party.

When the Online Tool Won’t Work

Some applicants can’t use the assistant at all. If the entity’s principal place of business is outside the U.S. or a U.S. territory, or the responsible party lacks an SSN or ITIN, or the system keeps producing an error like Reference 101, the IRS offers three other routes:2Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number

  • Fax. Complete Form SS-4 and fax it to 855-641-6935 for domestic applicants or 304-707-9471 for international. Include a return fax number and the IRS will fax back your EIN in about four business days.
  • Mail. Send Form SS-4 to Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999. The turnaround is roughly four weeks.
  • Phone, for international applicants only. Call 267-941-1099, Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time. You receive the EIN during the call.

Form SS-4 also includes a third-party designee section on Line 18, letting you authorize a named accountant, attorney, or other representative to receive the newly assigned EIN on your behalf.6Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 The responsible party still has to sign the form. The designee’s authority ends the moment the EIN is assigned and released, so anything after that runs through the responsible party or a separate authorization such as a power of attorney.