To get an EIN letter from the IRS, call the Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 and ask for a Letter 147C. The IRS mails the original EIN confirmation notice, called CP 575, only once when your number is first assigned, and it will not issue a duplicate.1Internal Revenue Service. CP 575 G Notice – EIN Assignment Confirmation Letter 147C is the official replacement and carries the same information: your EIN, your entity’s legal name, and the address on file.
Letter 147C Is the Replacement for CP 575
Letter 147C is titled “EIN Previously Assigned.” Banks, payroll processors, and state tax agencies routinely accept it in place of the CP 575. If anyone insists on the “original” CP 575, the answer is that the IRS does not reissue that notice and 147C is what it provides instead.
What to Have Ready Before You Call
The Business and Specialty Tax Line operates Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. in your local time zone, with Alaska and Hawaii on Pacific time.2Internal Revenue Service. Telephone Assistance Contacts for Business Customers Before you dial, pull together:
- The entity’s full legal name exactly as registered with the IRS
- The nine-digit EIN if you have it (the representative can look it up if you don’t)
- The mailing address currently on file
- Your name and your role, whether responsible party, officer, or authorized representative
The caller has to be someone the IRS recognizes as authorized to receive the entity’s tax information. For most small businesses that is an owner, officer, or managing member; for a trust, the grantor or trustor; for an estate, the executor or personal representative.3Internal Revenue Service. Responsible Parties and Nominees If an accountant or attorney is calling for you, the IRS needs a valid Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) on file first.4Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 2848
Making the Call and Getting the Letter
The representative will verify your identity, then take the request. Ask explicitly whether they can fax the letter during the call. Fax delivery is often available and gets the letter in your hands the same day. If fax is not offered, the letter goes by mail to the address on file, which typically takes four to six weeks. The IRS will not email the letter under any circumstances.5Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
A written request by mail or fax is also possible. Include the legal name, EIN, current address, and a clear request for Letter 147C. Written requests generally take longer because the IRS has to work them from a queue rather than verify you in real time.
Check Your Address First
The IRS will only send Letter 147C to the address currently on file for your EIN. If your business has moved and you haven’t updated the IRS, the letter will go to the old location. File Form 8822-B to update your mailing address, physical location, or responsible party.6Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8822-B, Change of Address or Responsible Party – Business Address changes generally take four to six weeks to process, so build that time into your plan if you need the update to clear first.7Internal Revenue Service. Address Changes
A Faster Alternative: The Entity Transcript
If the mail timeline is too slow and fax isn’t working out, an entity transcript is often the better route. It verifies your EIN, legal name, and other information in IRS records, and most requests are processed within about 10 business days.8Internal Revenue Service. Get a Business Tax Transcript There are three ways to get one:
- Online, through the IRS Business Tax Account portal, where sole proprietors, designated officials of corporations and tax-exempt organizations, and individual partners or shareholders can view and download transcripts.9Internal Revenue Service. Business Tax Account
- By mail or fax, using Form 4506-T.
- By phone, on the same 800-829-4933 line.
Not every bank will accept a transcript in place of Letter 147C. Check with whoever is asking for proof before you decide which document to request. In practice, many will take either one.
Documents You May Already Have That Prove Your EIN
While you wait, several documents already in your files can serve as EIN verification:
- The confirmation notice you had the option to view, print, and save at the end of the online EIN application. If you saved it then, that printout is effectively your CP 575. You cannot go back and retrieve it from the IRS website after the session ends.10Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4
- Any federal tax return your business has filed. The EIN appears on the face page.11Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1065 (2025)
- Any IRS notice the business has received. Routine correspondence displays the EIN.
These alternatives are not universally accepted for formal purposes like opening a business bank account, where the institution may specifically require Letter 147C or the CP 575. They often bridge the gap in the meantime.
If Your Business Is Outside the United States
The 800-829-4933 toll-free line does not work from abroad. Call the IRS International Taxpayer Service Call Center at 267-941-1000 (not toll-free), open Monday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time.12Internal Revenue Service. Contact My Local Office Internationally The verification works the same way: have the entity name, EIN, and responsible party information ready. Fax delivery is particularly worth asking about, since international mail from the IRS can take considerably longer than the domestic four-to-six-week estimate.
Don’t Pay for an EIN Letter
Everything above is free. The IRS does not charge for assigning an EIN, issuing Letter 147C, or providing transcripts.13Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number Any site charging a fee to “recover” or “confirm” your EIN is either a third-party filing service adding a markup or a scam. The FTC has warned businesses about sites designed to look like official IRS pages that charge for EIN services the IRS provides at no cost.14Federal Trade Commission. Looking for an Employer Identification Number (EIN)? The FTC Warns Businesses and Consumers to Watch Out for IRS Imposters The real IRS site is always irs.gov. Start there, or make the call.