Where to Fax Your EIN Application to the IRS

To fax an EIN application to the IRS, send a completed Form SS-4 to 855-641-6935 if your business, office, or legal residence is in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia; to 855-215-1627 if you’re in a U.S. territory with no residence in a state or D.C.; or to 304-707-9471 if you have no U.S. presence at all. All three lines run to the IRS EIN Operation in Cincinnati and accept transmissions 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Under the Fax-TIN program, the IRS generally faxes your assigned nine-digit Employer Identification Number back within about four business days.¹

Picking the Right Fax Number

The number you use is determined by where your principal business, office, or legal residence sits. Sending to the wrong line routes your application to a department that isn’t authorized to process it and slows everything down.

50 states or D.C. — fax to 855-641-6935. This covers almost every domestic applicant.
U.S. territories with no state or D.C. residence — fax to 855-215-1627.
No U.S. presence at all — fax to 304-707-9471.

Long-distance charges may apply if you’re outside the local calling area, and the IRS notes these numbers can change without notice, so it’s worth confirming them on the “Where to File” page for Form SS-4 before you dial.² The lines only accept EIN applications. Other IRS correspondence has to go somewhere else.

Preparing Form SS-4 Before You Fax

Form SS-4 is the only form the IRS accepts for a new EIN, and you can download it free from the IRS website.³ Enter your entity’s legal name exactly as it appears on your charter or organizing documents, plus any trade name you use publicly. Select one entity type and check only one reason for applying.¹

The form requires a “responsible party,” which must be a natural individual (not another business), unless the applicant is a government agency. For a corporation, that’s typically the principal officer; for a partnership, a general partner; for a trust, the grantor, owner, or trustor; for an estate, the executor or administrator. Enter the responsible party’s Social Security Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number in the space provided.¹

Who Signs

The applicant signs, not a preparer or assistant. For an individual, that’s you personally. For a corporation, the president, vice president, or another principal officer. For a partnership or unincorporated organization, a responsible and authorized member or officer with knowledge of the entity’s affairs. For a trust or estate, the fiduciary.¹ A missing or incorrect signature is one of the most common reasons a faxed application stalls.

The Return Fax Number

Write your own fax number on the form. The IRS instructions specifically direct you to provide it so the agency can fax your EIN back.¹ Leave it blank and you’ll end up waiting on the mail instead.

One Application Only

Submit one application per entity, using one method. If you fax the form, don’t also mail it or apply online. Duplicate applications can result in the IRS assigning multiple EINs to the same entity, which creates a mess with your tax accounts.¹

Sending the Fax

Set your machine to its highest resolution before transmitting. Handwritten entries in particular can become unreadable at low quality. When the transmission finishes, keep the confirmation receipt showing the date, time, and successful-connection status. That receipt is your proof of filing if any questions come up later.

What You’ll Receive, and When

Under Fax-TIN, the IRS generally faxes your EIN back within four business days.¹ Weekends and federal holidays don’t count. The number goes to the fax line you wrote on the application.

A formal confirmation notice, CP 575, is mailed separately to the address on your application and typically takes eight to ten weeks to arrive. Keep it with your permanent business records; banks, state agencies, and licensing authorities may ask for it as proof of your tax status.

You can use the EIN for most purposes as soon as it’s assigned, including opening a bank account.⁴ Some banks and electronic filing systems, though, need a few weeks before a brand-new EIN appears in the IRS verification database. If a bank tells you the number “doesn’t exist,” wait a couple of weeks and try again rather than applying for a second one.

If Four Business Days Pass With No EIN

Don’t re-fax. A duplicate submission risks getting two EINs for the same entity. Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific).⁵ An agent can check the status of your application and confirm whether an EIN has already been assigned.

If a tax return comes due before your EIN arrives, write “Applied For” and the date you applied in the space where the EIN would go. If a tax deposit is due, send your payment to the IRS service center for your filing area, made payable to “United States Treasury,” and include your name, address, type of tax, period covered, and the date you applied.¹

When Faxing Isn’t the Fastest Route

Faxing gives you a paper trail, but it isn’t the quickest way to get an EIN. If your principal place of business is in the United States or a U.S. territory, the IRS online application issues your EIN immediately upon approval, with no four-day wait.⁶ The online tool runs Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern, Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, and Sundays from 6 p.m. to midnight Eastern. You need the responsible party’s SSN or ITIN, and you can’t apply online with an existing EIN unless you’re a government entity.

Applicants whose principal business is outside the United States can’t use the online tool. They can apply by phone, fax, or mail using the international channels. There’s never a fee for obtaining an EIN directly from the IRS; a website charging for one is a third-party service selling you something the agency provides for free.⁶

1
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (12/2025)
2
Internal Revenue Service. Where to File Your Taxes for Form SS-4
3
Internal Revenue Service. About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN)
4
Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
5
Internal Revenue Service. Telephone Assistance Contacts for Business Customers
6
Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number