How to Get an EIN Number for Your LLC Online

To get an EIN for your LLC online, form the LLC with your state first, then apply through the free IRS EIN Assistant at IRS.gov. The application takes a few minutes, costs nothing, and issues your nine-digit Employer Identification Number at the end of the session. The online tool is available to LLCs whose principal business is in the United States or a U.S. territory, and the person applying must have a valid Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number.¹

Before You Start

Your LLC has to exist before the IRS will give it an EIN. That means your articles of organization (or certificate of formation, depending on the state) should already be approved and on file. State formation fees run roughly $50 to $500. The IRS itself charges nothing.²

Have the following ready before you open the assistant, because you cannot save and return:

The LLC’s exact legal name as shown on the approved state filing, not a trade name or DBA.
The mailing address where the LLC receives official correspondence.
The county and state where the principal business activity takes place.
The number of members (this drives your default tax classification).
The date you started or acquired the business.
The closing month of your fiscal year (December for most LLCs on a calendar year).
The responsible party’s name and SSN or ITIN.

These are the same fields that appear on Form SS-4, the paper version of the application.³

Who the Responsible Party Is

Every application names one responsible party: a real person who controls the LLC and manages its money and assets, usually a member or manager. The IRS accepts only one. This is not your registered agent, who handles legal mail; the responsible party is the individual personally accountable for the company’s tax obligations, and their SSN or ITIN goes on the application.⁴

The IRS also limits EIN issuance to one per responsible party per day across all application methods. If you need EINs for several entities, space them out.³

When the Online Assistant Is Open

The EIN Assistant runs on published hours, all Eastern Time:¹

Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. the next day.
Saturday, 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday, 6:00 p.m. to midnight.

Two rules matter once you start. The session cannot be saved and resumed, and the system times out after 15 minutes of inactivity. If you time out, you begin again from the first screen. Having your information typed up in a document before you open the tool prevents this.

Filling Out the Application

The assistant walks through the SS-4 fields in order: entity type, state of formation, reason for applying, responsible party, mailing address, principal activity, start date, fiscal year, and expected employees. Two answers deserve attention because they set your federal tax treatment.

The number of members determines your default classification. A single-member LLC is treated as a disregarded entity, and its income and expenses flow to your personal return, typically on Schedule C of Form 1040. A multi-member LLC is treated as a partnership by default and files a separate partnership return.⁵⁶⁷

The online portal does not allow a third-party designee. If you want an accountant or attorney to submit the application for you, that has to go through the paper or fax SS-4 route.⁸ Online, the responsible party applies directly.

After You Submit

At the end of the session, the portal displays your EIN and generates the CP 575 confirmation notice. Download it and print it right then. The IRS issues the CP 575 only once and will not send a duplicate.⁹ Save a PDF copy somewhere you will find it years from now. Banks, payroll providers, and state agencies will ask for it.

The number is yours immediately for uses like opening a bank account or completing state registrations. It takes up to two weeks, though, before the number is usable for e-filing a federal return, making electronic payments through EFTPS, or passing the IRS TIN Matching Program. If you are forming the LLC close to a payroll deposit or filing deadline, build that lag into your plan.²

If the Online Tool Won’t Work for You

The online assistant is not open to every applicant. If your principal business is outside the United States, or the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN, you cannot use it. In those situations you file Form SS-4 by fax (about four business days to receive the EIN) or by mail (four to five weeks), and international applicants can also apply by phone at 267-941-1099, which is not toll-free.²¹⁰

Skip the Paid Middlemen

Many websites charge to file an EIN application for you, sometimes up to $300, for a service the IRS provides free. In April 2025, the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to operators of sites that use IRS-style logos, colors, and domain names to imply a government affiliation they do not have.¹¹ Apply at IRS.gov directly, either through the EIN Assistant or by downloading Form SS-4.¹²

Whatever you put on the application, put honestly. Submitting false information on a federal tax filing, including Form SS-4, is a felony carrying penalties up to $100,000 in fines and three years in prison for individuals.¹³

1
Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
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Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
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Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (12/2025)
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Internal Revenue Service. Responsible Parties and Nominees
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Internal Revenue Service. LLC Filing as a Corporation or Partnership
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form 8832, Entity Classification Election
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Internal Revenue Service. When to Get a New EIN
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Internal Revenue Service. Form SS-4 (Rev. December 2025)
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Regulations.gov. CP 575 B Notice
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Internal Revenue Service. Where to File Your Taxes for Form SS-4
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Federal Trade Commission. FTC Warns Operators of Websites That Charge for Employer Identification Numbers
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Internal Revenue Service. About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN)
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 26 USC 7206 – Fraud and False Statements