The fastest way to get a copy of your EIN from the IRS is to look at documents you already have — the original CP 575 confirmation letter, any federal tax return your business has filed, or bank and payroll paperwork all show it. If none of that is available, the IRS offers three free retrieval routes: an online Business Tax Account, the Business and Specialty Tax Line, and a written verification letter called the 147C. None of them cost anything when you go directly through the IRS.
Check the Records You Already Have
Start with the CP 575 notice. That’s the confirmation letter the IRS mails after approving an EIN application, and your number is printed on the first page. If it was filed away when the business was formed, this is the single most reliable place to look.
Every federal tax return your business has filed also carries the EIN near the top of page one. Corporate returns, partnership returns, and quarterly payroll filings all have a dedicated field for it.
If tax paperwork isn’t handy, check bank account opening documents, loan applications, business licenses, and payroll records. Banks require an EIN to open a business account, so yours likely has it on file and can read it back after verifying your identity. An accountant, attorney, or payroll service almost certainly has it too.
Pull an Entity Transcript From Your IRS Business Tax Account
The IRS lets business owners view tax information online through a Business Tax Account at IRS.gov. Once you create an account or sign in, you can request an entity transcript, which verifies your EIN, filing requirements, and entity type directly from IRS records.1Internal Revenue Service. Get a Business Tax Transcript You can view, print, or download it immediately.
If you’d rather not create an online account, you can request the same entity transcript by mailing Form 4506-T (Request for Transcript of Tax Return). It takes longer, but the document is identical.1Internal Revenue Service. Get a Business Tax Transcript
Call the Business and Specialty Tax Line
When self-service doesn’t work, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 1-800-829-4933. The line is open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. Callers in Alaska and Hawaii should follow Pacific time.2Internal Revenue Service. Telephone Assistance Contacts for Business Customers
Have this ready before you call:
- The business’s legal name as filed with the IRS, not a trade name or DBA
- The current business address on record
- The entity type — sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, or LLC
- The name and Social Security Number or ITIN of the responsible party who originally applied for the EIN
The responsible party is the individual the IRS considers in charge of the entity and its assets. Only that person, or someone with formal IRS authorization on file, can retrieve the EIN by phone.3Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number After the agent verifies your identity, they’ll read the EIN to you on the call.
Request Letter 147C for Written Proof
If you need written confirmation of the EIN and not just the number itself, ask the agent for Letter 147C during the same call. Banks, lenders, and state agencies sometimes require this letter before they’ll process applications or update records.3Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
The IRS sends the 147C by fax or by mail. Fax is dramatically faster; the agent can send it while you’re still on the phone. By mail, expect four to six weeks. For security reasons the IRS won’t email it, and it goes only to the address on file or the fax number you provide during the call.
Authorizing Someone Else To Retrieve the EIN
If you want a CPA, attorney, or other representative to handle the retrieval, you’ll need authorization paperwork on file first. There are two options.
Form 2848 (Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative) authorizes an eligible representative to act on your behalf with the IRS, including receiving confidential tax information. The representative must be someone authorized to practice before the IRS, such as an attorney or CPA, and must sign the declaration section.4Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2848
Form 8821 (Tax Information Authorization) is narrower. It lets a designated individual or organization inspect or receive your tax information without the full power to represent you.5Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization
Third parties with either authorization on file can request a business entity transcript through the IRS Practitioner Priority Service Line. On line 3 of the authorization form, they should enter “Business entity transcript” or “Entity information” so the access covers the right records.1Internal Revenue Service. Get a Business Tax Transcript
Make Sure You Actually Need the Old EIN
Before you spend time tracking down the old number, confirm you’re still allowed to use it. A name change or address change alone doesn’t require a new EIN. Changes to the entity’s legal form or ownership generally do.6Internal Revenue Service. When to Get a New EIN Common triggers include a sole proprietor incorporating or forming a partnership, a corporation receiving a new charter or merging into a new corporation, a partnership incorporating or dissolving to reform, and an LLC terminating to become a corporation or partnership. A single-member LLC that begins filing employment or excise taxes may also need a new number.
If any of those apply, retrieval won’t help. Apply for a new EIN at IRS.gov/EIN, where the number is issued immediately once the application validates.6Internal Revenue Service. When to Get a New EIN Filing under the wrong EIN after a structural change can delay returns and trigger IRS notices.