The Employer Identification Number is a nine-digit number formatted as XX-XXXXXXX, and on tax returns it almost always sits in the identifying-information block at the top of page 1. If you want to know where to find the EIN on tax returns, the exact item letter depends on the form, but the location is consistent: alongside the entity’s name and address in the header. On W-2s and 1099s, the EIN appears in a labeled box near the top of the form.
Corporate and Partnership Returns
On Form 1120, U.S. Corporation Income Tax Return, the EIN is at Item B in the top header block on page 1, next to the corporation’s name and address.1Internal Revenue Service. Form 1120 (2025) The instructions require the corporation to enter its legal name, address, and EIN in that header and to repeat the EIN on every attached schedule or supporting statement.2Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1120 (2025) – Section: Name and Address S-corporations filing Form 1120-S follow the same layout.
Form 1065, U.S. Return of Partnership Income, puts the EIN at Item D in the header on page 1, after the business code number and before the date the business started.3Internal Revenue Service. Form 1065 U.S. Return of Partnership Income (2025) Some online guides say the EIN is on “Line A.” That is wrong. Line A asks for the principal business activity.
Foreign corporations with U.S.-source income file Form 1120-F. The EIN sits in the identifying-information block at the top of page 1, entered alongside the corporation’s name and address.4Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Form 1120-F
Nonprofit and Fiduciary Returns
On Form 990, Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax, the EIN is at Item D on page 1, right after the organization’s name and “doing business as” lines.5Internal Revenue Service. Form 990 Return of Organization Exempt From Income Tax (2025) Every tax-exempt organization needs its own EIN, including subordinate chapters of a group.6Internal Revenue Service. 2025 Instructions for Form 990
Estates and trusts file Form 1041, and the EIN appears at Item C in the header on page 1.7Internal Revenue Service. Form 1041 U.S. Income Tax Return for Estates and Trusts (2025) The estate or trust must have its own EIN, separate from the decedent’s or beneficiary’s Social Security Number. If the fiduciary applied for an EIN but hasn’t received it by the filing deadline, the instructions say to write “Applied for” and the application date in the EIN space.8Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form 1041 and Schedules A, B, G, J, and K-1 – Section: Employer Identification Number
W-2s and Payroll Tax Returns
For most employees, the quickest place to find an employer’s EIN is Box b on Form W-2. Every W-2 shows the employer’s EIN in that box, clearly labeled “Employer identification number (EIN),” near the top of the form.9Internal Revenue Service. General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 (2026) If the paper copy is gone but the return was filed electronically, tax-preparation software usually stores a copy.
Employers filing quarterly payroll returns will find the EIN at the very top of Form 941, Employer’s Quarterly Federal Tax Return, in the field labeled “Employer identification number (EIN)” on page 1, above the employer’s name.10Internal Revenue Service. Form 941 Employers Quarterly Federal Tax Return (Rev. March 2026)
Schedule C, K-1s, and 1099s
An individual’s Form 1040 uses a Social Security Number, but several attached schedules and information slips carry an EIN.
Schedule C
If you’re a sole proprietor, your SSN goes at the top of Schedule C, and Line D is reserved for an EIN. The label reads “Employer ID number (EIN).”11Internal Revenue Service. Schedule C (Form 1040) 2025 Profit or Loss From Business Not every sole proprietor has one. The IRS only requires an EIN if you have employees, sponsor a retirement plan, or file certain excise-tax returns. If none of those apply, leave Line D blank.12Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Schedule C (Form 1040) (2025) – Section: Specific Instructions Don’t put your SSN on Line D, and don’t put an EIN from a 1099 you received there either.
Schedule K-1
K-1 forms report your share of income from a partnership, S-corporation, or estate or trust. On all three versions, the issuing entity’s EIN appears at Item A of Part I:
- Partnership K-1 (Form 1065): Part I, Item A, “Partnership’s employer identification number.”13Internal Revenue Service. Schedule K-1 (Form 1065) 2025
- S-Corporation K-1 (Form 1120-S): Part I, Item A, “Corporation’s employer identification number.”14Internal Revenue Service. Schedule K-1 (Form 1120-S) 2024
- Estate or trust K-1 (Form 1041): Part I, Item A, “Estate’s or trust’s employer identification number.”15Internal Revenue Service. Schedule K-1 (Form 1041) 2025
Older references pointing to “Box C or Box D” on a K-1 are out of date. The current forms all use Item A in Part I.
Form 1099-NEC
Independent contractors receive Form 1099-NEC from each client that paid them $600 or more. The payer’s federal identification number, usually an EIN, sits in the upper-left section of the form in the box labeled PAYER’S TIN. The recipient’s TIN appears in a separate box on the right.
How to Retrieve a Missing EIN
If the EIN isn’t on any return you can put your hands on, several backup routes exist. The right one depends on whether you’re looking for your own entity’s number or someone else’s.
Your Own EIN
The single best document is the CP 575 notice the IRS mailed when it first assigned the number. The IRS issues that notice only once and will not generate a duplicate, so keep it in a permanent file.16Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number Beyond that, check previously filed tax returns, bank account opening paperwork, and any IRS correspondence about the entity, all of which typically show the EIN in the header.
If those are gone, the IRS offers two recovery methods:
- Business tax account transcript. Eligible business owners can log in to their IRS business tax account online and pull a business entity transcript, which shows the EIN on file.17Internal Revenue Service. Get a Business Tax Transcript
- IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line. Call 800-829-4933, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. After verifying your identity and authority over the entity, the agent can give the EIN over the phone or fax you a Letter 147C confirming the number. Only an owner, corporate officer, trustee, or someone with a power of attorney on file can make this request.18Taxpayer Advocate Service. Getting an EIN
The 147C letter serves as a replacement for the original CP 575 when you need proof of your EIN for a bank, licensing agency, or other third party. You can also request it by mail, but expect four to six weeks for delivery.16Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number
Someone Else’s EIN
For a nonprofit, the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search at apps.irs.gov/app/eos lets you look up any registered tax-exempt entity by name. The tool includes copies of recent 990 returns, which display the EIN on the first page.19Internal Revenue Service. Tax Exempt Organization Search
For publicly traded companies, annual reports (10-K filings) and quarterly reports (10-Q filings) on the SEC’s EDGAR database contain the company’s EIN. Search by company name or ticker symbol at the EDGAR full-text search page.20SEC.gov. EDGAR Full Text Search