How to Get an EIN for Your LLC: Online, Fax, Mail, or Phone

You can get an EIN for your LLC directly from the IRS at no cost. The online application takes about 10 minutes, and the IRS issues the nine-digit number the moment you finish. Fax and mail are available if the online portal isn’t an option, and applicants outside the United States can apply by phone.

Does Your LLC Actually Need an EIN

The IRS requires an EIN for any LLC with more than one member, because multi-member LLCs are taxed as partnerships by default and must file their own return. You also need one if your LLC has employees, owes excise taxes, or withholds taxes on payments to a non-resident alien.¹

A single-member LLC with no employees and no excise tax liability is the exception. The IRS treats it as a “disregarded entity” and lets the owner use a personal Social Security number for federal tax purposes.² Even so, most of these owners end up getting an EIN anyway. Banks generally require one to open a business account, some states require it for state tax registration, and you’ll need one the day you hire your first employee.

Information to Have Ready Before You Apply

Gather everything before you start. The online system times out after 15 minutes of inactivity, and you cannot save your progress.³

The LLC’s legal name exactly as it appears on the state-approved Articles of Organization, plus any trade or “doing business as” name.
Mailing address and, if different, the physical location of the business.
The state or territory where you formed the LLC.
Reason for applying (for a new LLC, “started new business” is the usual choice).
Principal business activity: you check a box for the general category (retail, construction, health care, and so on) and write a short description of what the LLC does.
Date the LLC began operating and the closing month of its tax year (December for most).
Best estimate of employees expected in the next 12 months, even if that number is zero.

These fields track the lines on IRS Form SS-4, which is the official EIN application whether you file online, by fax, or by mail.⁴ Getting the legal name exactly right matters most. A mismatch with your state records can flag the application for manual review and delay processing.

Naming a Responsible Party

Every application must name a “responsible party” — someone who owns or controls the LLC and directly or indirectly manages its funds. This has to be an individual, not another business entity, and the person must provide a Social Security number or, for non-citizens authorized to work in the U.S., an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.⁵

The IRS uses that person as its direct point of contact for the LLC on tax matters. If the responsible party’s name and SSN don’t match IRS records, the online application will reject with an error, and you’ll need to resolve the mismatch before trying again.⁶ One firm limit: a single responsible party can only receive one EIN per day across all filing methods.³

If you’d rather have an attorney, CPA, or other representative handle the filing, the SS-4 has a third-party designee section. You name the individual, and that person is authorized to complete the application and receive the EIN on your behalf. The authority ends the moment the EIN is issued.⁷ One catch: if the designee’s address or phone number matches the LLC’s, the IRS won’t let you use the online portal, and you’ll have to file by fax or mail.

Four Ways to Apply

The IRS offers four submission methods. Online is the fastest and the one the IRS recommends, but each fits a different situation.

Online

The IRS online EIN tool runs Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. the next day Eastern Time, Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. to midnight.³ The system validates entries as you go and issues the EIN immediately when you finish. A confirmation letter appears on screen. Print or save it right then; there’s no way to retrieve it later from the site.

A few things to know. The session expires after 15 minutes of inactivity and you’ll start over from scratch, so have everything in front of you. Some applicants report needing to switch browsers when the system throws errors, and occasional system overloads produce error codes that just tell you to try again later.⁶ The online tool is only available to applicants with a legal residence or principal place of business in the United States or a U.S. territory.

Fax

Complete Form SS-4 and fax it in. For LLCs located in any of the 50 states or Washington, D.C., the fax number is 855-641-6935. International entities without a U.S. location fax to 855-215-1627 from inside the U.S. or 304-707-9471 from outside.⁸ The IRS processes faxed applications in about four to five business days and faxes the EIN back to the number you provide on the form.⁷

Mail

Send the completed Form SS-4 to Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999.⁸ This is the slowest route. Plan for four to five weeks of processing time.⁷ The IRS mails the EIN confirmation to the address on the application.

Phone (International Applicants Only)

Applicants outside the United States with no U.S. legal residence can apply by calling the IRS at 267-941-1000 (not toll-free), Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time.⁹ An IRS representative walks through the SS-4 questions and issues the EIN during the call.

Save the Confirmation Letter

Online applicants get the EIN on the spot, with the confirmation letter shown in the browser. Print or download it immediately; the system won’t let you come back for it. Fax applicants typically receive the EIN within four to five business days by return fax. Mail takes about four to five weeks, with the confirmation arriving by mail.⁷

Store the letter somewhere permanent. You’ll reference the EIN on every tax return, payroll filing, and many state registrations for as long as the LLC exists. Once assigned, the number belongs to that LLC permanently. It can never be transferred to another entity or reused, even after the business closes.¹⁰

The Application Is Free

The IRS does not charge anything for an EIN. The application is free whether you file online, by fax, by mail, or by phone.³ Even so, private websites built to look like official IRS pages routinely charge hundreds of dollars to file the same application on your behalf. The FTC has sent warning letters to companies running these operations, noting they may violate federal consumer protection rules.¹¹ The real application lives at irs.gov. If a site charges a fee, asks for a credit card, or has a URL that isn’t irs.gov, close it and go directly to the IRS.

Keeping the EIN Record Current

Report changes to the LLC’s business address, physical location, or responsible party using Form 8822-B. Changes to the responsible party carry a hard deadline: file within 60 days of the change.¹² Skipping this is where problems quietly build. If the IRS sends notices to an outdated address or a person who no longer controls the LLC, you may miss correspondence about audits, penalties, or filing requirements.

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Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025)
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Taxpayer Advocate Service. When Taxpayers Struggle to Obtain an EIN, Everyone Loses
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (12/2025)
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Internal Revenue Service. Where to File Your Taxes for Form SS-4
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Internal Revenue Service. If You No Longer Need Your EIN
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party – Business