How to Get an EIN From the IRS (For Free)

You can get an EIN - an Employer Identification Number - completely free, straight from the IRS, usually in about 15 minutes. Go to irs.gov/ein, use the IRS's own online EIN Assistant, and you'll have your number the same session. There is no government fee for an EIN, ever. If a website is asking you to pay for one, it is not the IRS.

What an EIN actually is

An EIN is a nine-digit number the IRS assigns to identify a business or other entity for federal tax purposes - it works something like a Social Security number, but for your business instead of you personally. You'll use it to file federal tax returns, open a business bank account, apply for business licenses, and set up payroll if you hire anyone.

Getting an EIN does not, by itself, create a business entity or change how you're taxed. Forming an LLC or corporation happens at the state level, through your Secretary of State's office. An EIN is a federal tax ID that sits alongside whatever entity structure your state has already approved (or that you're operating without, as a sole proprietor).

Who actually needs one

The IRS says you generally need an EIN if any of the following applies to you:

• You have, or plan to have, employees - even just one.
• Your business is a partnership or a corporation (including an LLC that has elected to be taxed as a corporation).
• You file certain federal tax returns, including employment, excise, or alcohol/tobacco/firearms tax returns.
• You withhold taxes on income, other than wages, paid to a non-resident alien.
• You have a Keogh plan, or you're involved with certain types of trusts, estates, or non-profit organizations.
• You're changing the ownership or structure of an existing business (for example, incorporating a sole proprietorship) - this typically requires a new EIN rather than reusing the old one.

If none of that applies - say, you're a sole proprietor or a single-member LLC taxed as a disregarded entity, with no employees and no excise tax obligations - the IRS says you can generally use your own Social Security number on federal filings instead of getting an EIN. This is the one place where "you might not legally need one" is honestly true.

Why most single-member LLCs get one anyway

Even when it isn't strictly required, most people running a single-member LLC or freelancing under a sole proprietorship end up applying for a free EIN for practical reasons:

• Opening a business bank account. Most banks require an EIN, not your SSN, to open an account in the business's name - and keeping business and personal money separate matters for both bookkeeping and for preserving the liability protection an LLC is supposed to give you.
• Keeping your SSN off paperwork. Clients who pay you as a contractor will ask for a completed Form W-9 before they pay you or issue you a 1099. Putting an EIN on that form instead of your SSN keeps your personal number out of other people's files.
• Hiring later. If you might bring on even one employee down the road, getting the EIN now saves a step later.
• Credibility with vendors and lenders. Some suppliers, lenders, and licensing bodies simply expect a business to have its own federal ID.

None of this is legal advice tailored to your situation - if you're unsure whether you need an EIN given your specific setup, the IRS's own "Do You Need an EIN" guidance and a qualified accountant are the right places to check.

What to do: applying for a free EIN online

1. Confirm you're eligible to apply online. Your principal business must be located in the United States or a U.S. territory, and the person applying (the "responsible party" - generally the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity) must already have a valid Social Security number, ITIN, or existing EIN.
2. Form your entity with the state first, if you're forming one. If you're creating an LLC, partnership, corporation, or nonprofit, the IRS recommends completing your state formation before you apply for the EIN. A sole proprietor with no separate entity can skip this step.
3. Go directly to irs.gov. Search "EIN" on irs.gov or navigate to the IRS's "Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Online" page. Do not use a search-ad result or a site that isn't on the irs.gov domain.
4. Check the hours. The IRS's online EIN tool isn't available around the clock - it runs only during set hours on the IRS's schedule (generally weekday business and evening hours, Eastern Time, with some limited weekend availability that the IRS can change). Check the current hours on the irs.gov application page. If it's closed, come back later, or apply by fax or mail instead.
5. Set aside time to finish in one sitting. The online application can't be saved partway through, and the session times out after a period of inactivity. Have your business information ready before you start: your legal business name, the entity type (sole proprietorship, LLC, corporation, etc.), the reason you're applying, and the responsible party's SSN or ITIN.
6. Submit and get your EIN immediately. If everything validates, the IRS issues your EIN on the spot and lets you download and print an official confirmation letter (the CP 575 notice) - save this, since some banks and vendors will ask to see it.
7. If you can't apply online - for example, your principal business is located outside the U.S. and U.S. territories - you can apply by fax or mail using Form SS-4, and international applicants can also apply by phone. These methods take considerably longer than the instant online result.

The one-per-day limit

The IRS limits each responsible party to one EIN per day, across all application methods combined (online, fax, mail, and - for international applicants - phone). If you're setting up more than one business entity, plan to spread your applications across separate days.

Never pay a third party for this

Because "EIN" and "tax ID" sound official and a little intimidating, a whole industry of commercial websites has sprung up offering to "file" your EIN application for a fee - sometimes framed to look like a government form. The IRS is blunt about this: you never have to pay a fee for an EIN, and it warns taxpayers directly to beware of sites that charge for one. Before you type in any business or personal information, check the address bar - the only official source is a page ending in irs.gov. If a site asks for payment before it will issue your number, close it and go to irs.gov instead.

This doesn't mean every paid "formation service" is a scam - some legitimately bundle EIN filing with other paperwork for a convenience fee, and that's their right to charge for. It just means you're never required to pay anyone to obtain the EIN itself, and you can always get it yourself for free in the time it takes to fill out a short form.

A few things an EIN does not do

It's worth being clear-eyed about what an EIN is not. Getting one doesn't form your LLC or corporation - that's a separate filing with your state, with its own fees that vary by state, so check with your Secretary of State's office for your state's current requirements. An EIN also doesn't, by itself, protect your personal assets; that protection comes from properly maintaining your entity under state law, keeping business and personal finances separate, and following your state's formalities. And if you do end up hiring anyone, an EIN is just the first step - you'll also have federal and state payroll, tax withholding, and worker-classification obligations to sort out, which the site's employer-obligations material covers in more depth.

If your business later closes or you're weighing a shutdown that involves debts you can't pay, business bankruptcy options are covered separately - an EIN question is usually a much earlier, much simpler one than that.

This is general information, not legal, tax, or financial advice. For guidance specific to your situation, talk to a qualified attorney or CPA, or use free resources like the IRS, the U.S. Small Business Administration, SCORE, or your local Small Business Development Center.