The quickest way to find a nonprofit’s EIN is the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search at apps.irs.gov/app/eos/, a free tool that covers more than 1.8 million tax-exempt entities. An EIN is the nine-digit number (formatted XX-XXXXXXX) the IRS assigns to every organization for tax filing and reporting.1Internal Revenue Service. About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN) If the IRS search comes up empty, a Form 990 filing, a third-party database like ProPublica or Candid, a state business registry, or the organization itself can all get you the number.
Start With the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search
The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, or TEOS, consolidates five separate datasets into one interface.2Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search You can search by EIN if you already have the number and want to verify it, or by organization name if you’re trying to find the number in the first place. Optional filters for city, state, and country narrow results when several organizations share similar names.
The five datasets you can search:
- Pub. 78 Data: organizations currently eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.
- Form 990 Series Returns: full copies of annual returns (990, 990-EZ, 990-PF, and 990-T) filed by reporting organizations.
- Form 990-N (e-Postcard): filings from small organizations with gross receipts normally at or below $50,000.
- Determination Letters: the official IRS letter recognizing an organization’s tax-exempt status.
- Automatic Revocation List: organizations that lost exempt status for failing to file returns three years in a row.
Pick the dataset that fits your goal. If you just want the EIN and want to confirm the organization can receive deductible donations, the Pub. 78 search is the most direct path. If you want to see finances or filing history, search the Form 990 series. Every result shows the EIN alongside the legal name, city, and state.
Get the Legal Name Right
The single detail that decides whether your search works is the organization’s legal name as registered with the IRS, and that name often differs from what’s on the website or fundraising materials. Many nonprofits operate under a “Doing Business As” name that looks nothing like the formal name on their incorporation documents. A local food bank called “Helping Hands” might be registered as “Greater Metro Community Services, Inc.” If the first search comes up empty, try the common name, abbreviations, and acronyms.
City and state matter more than you’d guess. Thousands of nonprofits share generic names, and TEOS returns every match in the country unless you filter by location. A search for “Community Foundation” without a state filter produces pages of results. Having a zip code or street address handy lets you tell the right entity apart from local chapters, affiliates, and unrelated organizations with the same name.
Third-Party Databases When the Name Is Fuzzy
Independent platforms aggregate the same IRS data and present it in a more browsable format. ProPublica’s Nonprofit Explorer and Candid (formerly GuideStar) are the two most widely used. They pull from the same IRS datasets behind TEOS but add features the IRS tool doesn’t offer: searchable financial summaries, executive compensation tables, and mission-statement keyword searches.
These sites help most when you don’t know the exact legal name. You can search by keyword, geographic area, or revenue range to narrow the field. Once you find a match, the EIN sits near the top of the profile. Third-party sites sometimes lag the IRS by a few weeks on recent filings or status changes, so if data looks stale, cross-check against TEOS.
Pull the EIN From a Form 990 or Determination Letter
Every Form 990 shows the EIN on the first page, next to the legal name. The IRS requires most tax-exempt organizations to file some version of the 990 annually, and these returns are public records.3Internal Revenue Service. About Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax You can view copies free through TEOS or the third-party sites.
Smaller organizations with annual gross receipts normally at or below $50,000 file Form 990-N, also called the e-Postcard, instead of the full 990.4Internal Revenue Service. Form 990-N (e-Postcard) The e-Postcard is much shorter but still shows the EIN, legal name, mailing address, principal officer, and website. These filings are searchable through TEOS.
The IRS Determination Letter is another reliable source. It’s the official notice the IRS sends when it first recognizes an organization as tax-exempt, and it lists the EIN alongside the specific code section under which the organization qualifies.5Internal Revenue Service. Exempt Organizations Rulings and Determinations Letters Many nonprofits post the determination letter on their own site. If it’s not there, TEOS carries determination letters as one of its searchable datasets.
Ask the Organization Directly
Federal law gives you the right to inspect a nonprofit’s annual returns and exemption application in person at the organization’s principal office during regular business hours. You can also request copies in writing, and the organization must provide them within 30 days. In-person requests must be filled immediately. The organization can charge a reasonable fee for reproduction and mailing but cannot charge for inspection.6Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 U.S. Code 6104 – Publicity of Information Required From Certain Exempt Organizations and Certain Trusts In practice, most organizations point requesters to their 990s online, which satisfies the requirement.
Check State Business Registries
Most nonprofits must file articles of incorporation with a Secretary of State or equivalent agency to operate as a legal entity.7Internal Revenue Service. Exempt Organizations – Organizing Documents These filings are public, and many states offer free online searches through a corporate database. You can usually search by entity name or registered agent and pull up filing history, registered address, and sometimes the federal EIN.
State registries are a good backup when TEOS turns up nothing, which happens with very new organizations that haven’t filed a 990 or received their determination letter. Terminology varies (some states call them “not-for-profit” or “non-stock” corporations), but the process is similar: enter the name, review results, look for the federal EIN in the filing details. Not every state publishes the EIN in its records, so this method is less reliable than the federal tools.
Confirm the Status Is Still Active
An EIN lookup can also reveal something a donor or grant-maker needs to know: whether the organization has lost its tax-exempt status. The IRS automatically revokes exemption from any organization that fails to file its required annual return for three consecutive years, effective on the filing due date of the third missed return.8Internal Revenue Service. Automatic Revocation of Exemption
The Auto-Revocation List within TEOS is updated monthly and shows each revoked organization’s name, EIN, last known address, effective date of revocation, and whether it has since been reinstated. A revoked organization can apply for reinstatement, and if approved, the IRS issues a new determination letter and adds the organization back to Pub. 78.9Internal Revenue Service. Reinstatement of Tax-Exempt Status After Automatic Revocation The name stays on the revocation list permanently as a historical record even after reinstatement, so check the reinstatement date before assuming the worst.
For donors, the IRS expects verification that an organization is listed in the Pub. 78 data or the Exempt Organizations Business Master File before claiming a deduction.10Internal Revenue Service. Rev. Proc. 2018-32 Contributions made during the gap between a revocation and a later reinstatement are generally not deductible; the new determination letter sets the effective date from which donors can rely on the listing again.9Internal Revenue Service. Reinstatement of Tax-Exempt Status After Automatic Revocation