How to Get a FEIN Number From the IRS for Free

You can get a Federal Employer Identification Number from the IRS for free by applying directly through the agency in one of three ways: online at irs.gov, by fax, or by mail using Form SS-4. The online application is the fastest — you receive the nine-digit number at the end of the session — while fax takes about four business days and mail runs roughly four weeks. The IRS never charges a fee for issuing an EIN, regardless of which method you use.¹

The Three Free Ways to Apply

All three methods use the same underlying document, Form SS-4, and produce the same result. What differs is how quickly the EIN arrives.

Online: The IRS interview-style application at irs.gov issues your EIN immediately once the system validates your answers. Available Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. (next day) Eastern Time.
Fax: Send a completed Form SS-4 to 855-641-6935. The IRS faxes the EIN back in about four business days, though the agency’s processing status page has shown waits of up to nine business days in early 2026.²
Mail: Send the signed form to Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999. Processing takes roughly four weeks, and the confirmation is mailed to the address on your application.³

The IRS no longer issues EINs by phone for domestic applicants. Phone applications are available only to entities whose principal place of business is outside the United States.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Because all three methods pull the same information from Form SS-4, gathering everything before you begin keeps a fast process fast — and matters especially online, where the session cannot be saved. Have the following on hand:⁴

Your entity type: sole proprietor, partnership, corporation, LLC, trust, estate, or other.
The legal name exactly as it appears on your charter, articles of organization, or Social Security card (for sole proprietors), plus any trade or DBA name.
A physical street address for the principal place of business. The IRS will not accept a P.O. box.
The name and Social Security Number or ITIN of the responsible party — the person who owns, controls, or directly manages the entity and its finances.⁵
The reason you’re applying (starting a new business, hiring employees, opening a bank account, and so on).
The date the business started or was acquired, and, if you’ll have employees, the date you expect to first pay wages.

You can preview every field by downloading Form SS-4 from the IRS website. If you’d rather have an accountant or attorney complete the application for you, the form includes a third-party designee section; that person can answer IRS questions and receive the EIN, but the authority ends the moment the number is assigned.

Applying Online Through the IRS

The online application is a guided questionnaire on irs.gov. If your answers pass validation, the system issues your EIN at the end of the session and generates a confirmation notice you should print or save immediately. That notice serves as your official record until the IRS mails the formal CP 575 confirmation letter to your business address.

Three eligibility requirements apply:

The principal place of business must be in the United States or a U.S. territory.
You must have the responsible party’s SSN or ITIN.
You must be the responsible party or that person’s authorized representative.

A few operational limits are worth knowing. The session times out after 15 minutes of inactivity, and there’s no save function, so a timeout means starting over. The IRS also caps online applications at one EIN per responsible party per day. If you need EINs for several entities, plan to apply on separate days.

Applying by Fax or Mail

Fax and mail both route to the same IRS office in Cincinnati and require a signed Form SS-4. On the fax version, include a return fax number so the IRS can send your EIN back. If someone other than the responsible party is submitting the form, complete the third-party designee section.

Check the IRS processing status page before choosing between fax and mail. Standard timeframes are four business days by fax and about four weeks by mail, but backlogs can push those out.

Applying From Outside the United States

If your principal place of business is outside the U.S., you have an option domestic applicants do not: you can call the IRS international line at 267-941-1099 (not toll-free), Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. A representative walks through the same Form SS-4 information, and if everything checks out, issues the EIN during the call. A formal confirmation follows by mail.

International applicants can also fax Form SS-4 to 855-215-1627 (from within the U.S.) or 304-707-9471 (from outside), or mail it to Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999.

Why “Free” Matters: Avoiding Paid Lookalike Sites

Third-party websites charge hundreds of dollars to file the same application you can complete free at irs.gov. Some use designs that closely mimic the IRS site, creating a false impression of government affiliation. The Federal Trade Commission has sent warning letters to businesses running these operations, noting the conduct may violate federal consumer protection laws.⁶

To make sure you’re on the real IRS application, start from irs.gov directly rather than clicking through a search ad. If you encounter a site that appears to impersonate the IRS, you can report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Do You Actually Need an EIN?

Most business entities do. The IRS requires an EIN if you hire employees, operate as a partnership, corporation, or multi-member LLC, withhold taxes on payments to non-resident aliens, or run a tax-exempt organization, estate, trust, or retirement plan. Many banks also require an EIN before opening a business account, even for entities that aren’t strictly required to have one for tax purposes.³

A single-member LLC with no employees and no excise tax obligations is treated by the IRS as a “disregarded entity” and can use the owner’s SSN or ITIN for federal income tax purposes. That same LLC does need its own EIN if it hires employees or has excise tax filings, and many owners get one anyway to open a business bank account or satisfy state registration.⁷

After You Get the EIN

Save the confirmation the moment you receive it, whether that’s the printable notice from the online session, the fax the IRS sends back, or the CP 575 letter that arrives by mail. The EIN belongs permanently to the entity it was assigned to, and you’ll use it for tax filings, payroll, bank accounts, and licensing.

If you later misplace the number, check the original CP 575 notice, your business bank, prior federal tax returns, or any state or local agency where you used the EIN during registration. If none of those turn it up, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time. After verifying your identity, a representative can give you the number by phone or send a 147C verification letter to the address on file.³

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Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
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Internal Revenue Service. Processing Status for Tax Forms
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Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4
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Internal Revenue Service. Responsible Parties and Nominees
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Federal Trade Commission. Don’t Pay to Get Your Employer Identification Number (EIN)
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Internal Revenue Service. Single Member Limited Liability Companies