An EIN, or Employer Identification Number, is a unique nine-digit number used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to identify businesses for tax purposes. Discover the importance of an EIN and how to get one for your business by diving deeper below!
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If you run a limited liability company (LLC), you’ll most likely need an Employer Identification Number (EIN). This unique, nine-digit number identifies your business entity for tax and other legal purposes (such as opening a business bank account).
You can apply for an EIN online, or via fax or mail. If you’re an international applicant, you can also apply by phone. Here, we’ll cover the steps for getting an EIN for your LLC online. If you’re ready to form your LLC and get an EIN, we can handle everything for you with our EIN Service.
To get an EIN for your LLC, visit the IRS website and enter the requested information in the online EIN application:
First, you’ll choose your legal structure. Your options include:
For the purposes of this guide, we’ll focus on the steps for a LLC. If you selected LLC in the previous step, the next step will be entering how many members there are in your company.
Next, you’ll select your state. This is the state / territory where your business is physically located.
Now it’s time to enter why you’re requesting an EIN. Your options include:
In step 5, you’ll need to enter the information for your responsible party. This is the individual that you’ve selected to be your principal officer throughout the EIN application process.
The “responsible party” is the person who ultimately owns or controls your business (otherwise known by the IRS as the “applicant entity”). Unless the applicant is a government entity, the responsible party must be an individual (in other words, a natural person).
The information you need to enter for your responsible party includes:
Next, enter the address for where the business is physically located. This must be a U.S. address, and cannot be a PO Box.
Finally, you need to provide a few additional details about your LLC, such as:
Once you submit these details, you’ll be asked a few questions about your LLC, including:
Once you’ve completed the aforementioned steps, you simply need to confirm your application and select how you’d like to receive your confirmation letter! Your options are online or via mail.
Upon approval of your EIN, the IRS will send your confirmation letter within 8 to 10 weeks of assigning you an EIN.
Note: The IRS limits all businesses to one EIN per responsible party per day.
As we already mentioned, you can also apply for an EIN via fax or mail. International applicants have yet an additional option: telephone.
To apply by fax or mail, go to the IRS website and print off the EIN application (Form SS-4). Click on the appropriate link under the Apply by Fax and Apply by Mail headers to determine where to send your completed forms.
International applicants have yet an additional option: telephone. Call 1-267-941-1099 between the hours of 6a.m. and 11p.m., Eastern, Monday through Friday.
As long as you have all the details in order for your application, getting an EIN is a fairly straightforward process. That said, we make it even easier.
With our worry-free formation and EIN services, you can let us handle everything for you! No more worrying about whether you got the details right or missed a step. We’ll make sure everything is taken care of and fully compliant.
Want to learn more about EINs? Check out our other pages “What is an EIN?” and “How much does an EIN cost?“
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Disclaimer: The content on this page is for information purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or accounting advice. If you have specific questions about any of these topics, seek the counsel of a licensed professional.
Written by Team ZenBusiness
ZenBusiness has helped people start, run, and grow over 700,000 dream companies. The editorial team at ZenBusiness has over 20 years of collective small business publishing experience and is composed of business formation experts who are dedicated to empowering and educating entrepreneurs about owning a company.
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