- Cost from the IRS
- Nothing, ever
- With an SSN or ITIN
- Same day
- Without one
- Four to eight weeks
- Applies to
- Every US LLC and corporation
Get an employer identification number
The federal tax number every US entity needs before it can bank, hire or file. Free from the IRS, immediate for some applicants, and a several week paper exercise for everyone else.
- Source
- irs.gov, application page
- Last checked
- September 2026
One line on the IRS website explains most of the confusion.
The IRS provides an online application that issues an EIN at the end of the session, for free, in about ten minutes. It also states, in a paragraph that is easy to skim past, that you cannot use that tool if your principal place of business is outside the United States, and that it requires the responsible party's Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number.
That is the entire bottleneck. Thousands of founders abroad attempt the online form, hit an error, and conclude either that they have done something wrong or that they need to buy an expensive service. Neither is true. The application simply has to go in on paper, on Form SS-4, and be followed up until the number arrives.
We charge for doing that correctly and chasing it. We do not charge for the number, because the number is free, and we would rather say so on this page than have you discover it later.
The two routes.
| With an SSN or ITIN | Without one | |
|---|---|---|
| How it is submitted | The IRS online application. | A prepared Form SS-4, submitted by fax or mail. |
| How long it takes | Issued immediately at the end of the session. | Typically four to eight weeks, occasionally longer. |
| Common failure | Session times out after fifteen minutes of inactivity and cannot be saved. | Reference number 101, or a rejected form that restarts the clock. |
| What the IRS charges | Nothing. The IRS says on its own page that you never have to pay a fee for an EIN. | Nothing. |
| What we charge for | Preparing and submitting it correctly, and following it up. | Preparing and submitting it correctly, and following it up. |
- Order of operations
- Form the entity first, then apply. Not the other way round.
What it unlocks.
You need an EIN before you can
- Open a US business bank account, in practice at every institution
- Hire an employee or run payroll of any kind
- File a federal business tax return, including a pro forma 1120 with Form 5472
- Register for sales tax in most states
- Apply to many payment processors, marketplaces and wholesale suppliers
- Elect S corporation treatment, which cannot be done without one
Common questions
Yes. The IRS states plainly on its own application page that you never have to pay a fee for an EIN, and it warns about sites that charge for one. What we charge for is preparation and follow up, which is a different thing and which we describe as exactly that. If a provider's invoice line says the EIN itself costs money, read the rest of their pricing carefully.
It means the online application has stopped and cannot continue, usually because of a name conflict with an existing entity, because the responsible party already has too many EINs assigned in one day, or because your situation is outside what the tool handles. It cannot be argued with. The resolution is the paper route.
A real person who controls the entity, not a company and not your agent. The IRS wants an individual with authority over the funds and assets. Naming the wrong person is one of the more awkward errors to correct later, because it requires a separate change of responsible party filing.
You should not. The EIN is issued to a legal entity, and applying before the entity exists tends to produce a number attached to something that does not match your eventual filing. Form the company first. The gap is a day or two.
The original CP 575 confirmation letter is issued once and is not reissued. What you can get is a replacement confirmation, which banks generally accept in its place. We can request it for you.
Usually not for a name change, which is a notification rather than a new application. Moving the entity to a different state by conversion or by forming a new entity and merging is a different matter, and the answer depends on which route is taken. Ask before you move rather than after.
Stuck on reference number 101?
It is not something you did wrong. Tell us the situation and we will take the paper route from here.