Where to Get an EIN: Online, Fax, Mail, or Phone

You get an Employer Identification Number directly from the IRS, and it is free through every channel the agency offers. There are four places to apply: the online EIN Assistant at irs.gov, which issues the number immediately; fax, which takes about four business days; mail, which takes about four weeks; and phone, which is reserved for international applicants. Which one you use depends mostly on how fast you need the number and whether your business is based in the United States.¹

Apply Online at IRS.gov

The online application is the fastest option and the one the IRS itself points most applicants toward. If your application clears validation, you receive the EIN on the screen right away and can download and print the confirmation letter on the spot.¹

The service runs on Eastern Time:

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 12:00 a.m.

Three limits are worth knowing before you start. You have to finish in one sitting; the system will not let you save and return. If you sit idle for more than 15 minutes, the session expires and you begin again. And the IRS issues only one EIN per responsible party per day, so if you are setting up more than one entity, plan on separate days.¹

The online tool is only open to entities whose legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office is in the United States or a U.S. territory. If yours is not, you’ll need to use fax, mail, or the international phone line.²

Apply by Fax

Fax gets you an EIN in about four business days. Download Form SS-4 from irs.gov, complete it, and send it in. If you provide a return fax number, the IRS will fax back a cover sheet with your assigned EIN.³⁴

The fax numbers depend on where you are:

Any of the 50 states or the District of Columbia: 855-641-6935
International applicants faxing from within the U.S.: 855-215-1627
International applicants faxing from outside the U.S.: 304-707-9471

⁴

Apply by Mail

Mail takes about four weeks. The IRS recommends sending Form SS-4 at least four to five weeks before you actually need the number. Domestic applicants mail the completed form to:

Internal Revenue Service
Attn: EIN Operation
Cincinnati, OH 45999

International applicants use the same address but write “Attn: EIN International Operation” on the envelope.⁴

Apply by Phone (International Applicants Only)

If your entity has no legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office in the United States or U.S. territories, you can call the IRS at 267-941-1099. This line is not toll-free. It is open Monday through Friday, 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m. Eastern Time. An IRS representative walks through the Form SS-4 questions with you and assigns an EIN during the call.²

If someone other than the responsible party — such as a U.S.-based attorney or accountant — needs to receive the EIN, complete the third-party designee section of Form SS-4. That authority ends once the EIN is assigned. If the IRS representative asks for it, the signed form must be mailed or faxed within 24 hours. The written EIN confirmation notice is always mailed to the taxpayer, never to the designee.²

Do Not Pay a Third-Party Site

The IRS charges nothing for an EIN, ever, through any of these channels. Several third-party websites charge fees (in some cases up to $300) to file the application on your behalf, and many of them use layouts, colors, and terminology built to look like an official IRS page.¹

In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission sent warning letters to operators of sites that charge for EIN services while claiming affiliation with the IRS. The FTC noted the use of the IRS seal, “IRS” in domain names, and phrases like “EIN Assistant” to mislead consumers. Violations of the FTC’s Impersonation Rule can carry civil penalties of up to $53,088 per violation and orders to refund consumers.⁵

The safe rule: apply only through irs.gov, an IRS fax number, an IRS mailing address, or the IRS international phone line.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

The application asks the same core questions on every channel. Have this information in front of you:

The entity’s legal name, as registered with your secretary of state or equivalent authority
Any trade name or DBA you use publicly
Physical and mailing addresses (these need to be current so the IRS can send correspondence)
Entity type — sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, LLC, trust, estate, or nonprofit
Business start or acquisition date
The closing month of your accounting year

You also need to name a responsible party. That is a real person who owns, controls, or directly manages the entity and its funds; a nominee or figurehead does not qualify, and another business entity cannot serve in this role except for government entities. The responsible party must provide a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. If the responsible party has neither and is ineligible for both, enter “foreign” or “N/A” on that line.⁶²

One boundary worth noting: if you are a sole proprietor with no employees and no excise tax filing obligation, you generally do not need an EIN at all and can use your Social Security number. Many sole proprietors still get one to avoid handing out their SSN to clients, vendors, and banks.¹

What You Get Back

Once your application is processed, the IRS issues a confirmation called the CP 575 notice. Online applicants can download and print it right after the EIN appears on the screen. Fax and mail applicants receive it in the mail. Keep the CP 575 somewhere safe: the IRS does not issue replacement copies.

If you later lose track of the number, you can find it on the original CP 575, on any prior business tax return, at the bank that holds your business account, or through the agencies where you applied for state or local licenses. You can also call the IRS business and specialty tax line at 800-829-4933, open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific Time). If you need written proof of your EIN for a bank or licensing agency, ask that same line for a 147C letter, which serves as an official substitute for the CP 575.⁷

1
Internal Revenue Service. Get an Employer Identification Number
2
Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form SS-4 (12/2025)
3
Internal Revenue Service. About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN)
4
Internal Revenue Service. Where to File Your Taxes for Form SS-4
5
Federal Trade Commission. FTC Warns Operators of Websites That Charge for an Employer Identification Number and Claim Affiliation With the IRS
6
Internal Revenue Service. Responsible Parties and Nominees
7
Internal Revenue Service. Employer Identification Number