To find an Employer Identification Number, start with the paperwork your business already has: the IRS confirmation notice (CP 575) mailed when the EIN was issued, any federal tax return the business has filed, and the account-opening documents from your business bank. If none of those turn up the number, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 during business hours and an agent can read it back to you after verifying your identity.
Where the EIN Is Already Written Down
Searching your own records is faster than any call to the IRS and works at any hour. The number usually sits in one of these places:
- The CP 575 confirmation notice the IRS mailed when it approved your original EIN application. It lists the number and the federal forms the business is expected to file. The application itself is Form SS-4; don’t confuse the two. Online applicants often have a digital copy as well.
- Previously filed tax returns. Corporations show the EIN near the top of Form 1120, and partnerships in the same spot on Form 1065. Sole proprietors who used Schedule C carried the number onto their personal return.1Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1120
- Business bank records. Banks collect the EIN during identity verification, so the account-opening agreement almost always has it, and monthly statements sometimes do too.
- Your accountant or attorney. Anyone who prepared a return or filed formation documents keeps the EIN in their work files, and a quick email is usually enough to get it back.
- State and local filings. Business licenses, operating permits, and state registrations often require the federal EIN, so copies of those documents are a reliable backup.
If none of those sources produce the number, the IRS phone line is the next step, and it helps to know in advance who the agency will actually talk to.
Who the IRS Will Give the Number To
The IRS will only verify an EIN by phone to the “responsible party” listed on the most recent EIN application or Form 8822-B.2Internal Revenue Service. Responsible Parties and Nominees That is the person who owns or controls the entity and directly or indirectly manages its funds and assets. In practical terms, it’s the sole proprietor, a general partner, a corporate officer, or a trustee.
If the responsible party has changed since the original application, the business is supposed to file Form 8822-B within 60 days of that change.3Internal Revenue Service. Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party Skipping the update creates a common dead end: the current owner calls, the prior owner’s name is still on file, and the agent won’t share the number. Filing the update before calling saves a wasted call.
If Someone Else Needs to Call for You
A CPA, enrolled agent, or attorney can call in your place if the business grants power of attorney using Form 2848. On that form, describe the matter as “EIN Application,” enter “Form SS-4” in the tax form column, and write “Not Applicable” for the year or period.4Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative
Whoever makes the call needs the business’s exact legal name as registered with the IRS, the address on the most recent filing, and their own Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number so the agent can cross-reference them against the business’s records.5Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
Calling the Business and Specialty Tax Line
The number is 800-829-4933.6Internal Revenue Service. Telephone Assistance Contacts for Business Customers The line runs Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. in your local time zone (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time). In the automated menu, choose the option for Employer Identification Numbers, then the prompt for an existing number.
Hold times tend to be shorter Wednesday through Friday and from May through December, after filing season.7Internal Revenue Service. Let Us Help You Calling right at 7:00 a.m. helps. Expect a short security interview once a live agent picks up: business name, address, and the caller’s personal tax ID. After verification, the agent reads the EIN over the phone. Have a pen ready.
Getting Written Proof: The 147C Letter
While you have the agent on the line, ask for a 147C verification letter if you need written proof. It is the IRS’s official replacement for a lost CP 575, and banks and lenders generally accept it. The letter can be sent by mail or fax; a fax typically arrives the same day, while mail takes a few weeks. It carries the same weight as the original confirmation notice for opening bank accounts, applying for business credit, or any other situation where someone asks for documentation of the EIN.
The Online Business Tax Account
The IRS Business Tax Account portal lets some business owners view their profile information, which can include the EIN, without calling.8Internal Revenue Service. Business Tax Account The portal requires identity verification and does not yet support every business type in full, so the phone line remains the reliable fallback if online access falls short.
Finding Another Company’s EIN
If the EIN you need belongs to a company you do business with rather than your own, the route depends on what kind of organization it is.
Publicly Traded Companies
Public companies file annual reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission, and those filings are free through the EDGAR database.9U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Accessing EDGAR Data Search by company name, ticker, or CIK number.10U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. EDGAR Full Text Search Open the most recent Form 10-K; the IRS Employer Identification Number is printed on the cover page next to the company name, state of incorporation, and address.11SEC.gov. Form 10-K Annual Report Instructions
Nonprofits and Tax-Exempt Organizations
The IRS runs a free Tax Exempt Organization Search that lets you look up any 501(c)(3) or other exempt entity by name or EIN.12Internal Revenue Service. Search for Tax Exempt Organizations It draws from Pub. 78 data (organizations eligible to receive deductible contributions), Form 990 series returns, and the automatic revocation list.13Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search Searching by name is the easiest path when you don’t already have the number. Results show the EIN, the organization’s location, and filing history.
Private Companies
Private companies aren’t subject to the same public disclosure rules, so their EINs are harder to come by. The standard approach is to request a Form W-9 before you pay them; the W-9 exists precisely to collect the payee’s taxpayer identification number so you can issue accurate 1099s at year-end.14Internal Revenue Service. About Form W-9, Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification It is routine in business, and vendors expect the request. Some state business registries include the federal EIN in public filings, though coverage varies.
On Tax Documents You Already Received
If you’re an employee or contractor trying to find a company’s EIN for your own tax filing, the paperwork the payer already sent you carries it. An employer’s EIN appears in Box b of the Form W-2 you receive each January. A payer’s federal identification number appears near the top of any Form 1099-NEC or other 1099 variant. These forms are built to carry that information, so you often already have what you need without asking anyone.
If You Think Your EIN Is Being Misused
Finding your EIN is one thing; discovering someone else has been using it is another. Warning signs include IRS notices about returns you didn’t file, a message that your EIN was already used on another filing, or unfamiliar employees showing up on payroll tax records. In that situation, file Form 14039-B, the Business Identity Theft Affidavit, and respond promptly to any IRS correspondence about the activity.15Internal Revenue Service. Report Identity Theft for a Business16Internal Revenue Service. Identity Theft Information for Businesses Keeping the CP 575 in a secure place, limiting who has access to the number, and updating the responsible party on Form 8822-B when it changes all reduce the chance of a stranger filing under your business’s name in the first place.