Getting an EIN from the IRS: free, online and done in one sitting

An Employer Identification Number is the federal tax ID for your business: nine digits, issued by the IRS, used on tax returns, payroll filings, bank applications and the W-9 forms commercial clients send you. Getting one is one of the easiest steps in starting a company. The hard part is making sure you are on the real IRS site and not one of the many sites that charge to fill in the same form for you.

The IRS details below come from the IRS's own EIN pages and forms as read in October 2026. It is general information, not tax advice. If your situation is unusual (a partnership, a trust, a business based outside the US), talk to an accountant.

Do you need an EIN?

According to the IRS page on getting an EIN, a business generally needs one for:

• hiring employees;
• operating as a partnership or corporation;
• paying sales and excise taxes;
• changing its structure or ownership;
• administering certain trusts, retirement plans and estates.

The IRS's main EIN page also lists limited liability companies among the entities that need one. There is one wrinkle: its single-member LLC page says a single-member LLC that is disregarded for tax purposes, with no employees and no excise tax liability, does not need an EIN and uses the owner's name and taxpayer ID for federal tax purposes. The same page says such an LLC can still get one if a bank requires it to open an account or state tax law requires it. If you plan to hire, or your bank asks for one, plan on getting it, and ask your accountant if you are unsure which rule applies to you.

A sole proprietor with no employees can often operate using their own Social Security number. The IRS says that if you don't need an EIN for federal tax purposes, you can still request one for banking or state tax purposes. Some owners get one for a practical reason: commercial clients, property managers and general contractors who pay you will often ask for a W-9, and the Form W-9 instructions say a sole proprietor with an EIN may enter either the SSN or the EIN. Using the EIN keeps your SSN out of other companies' filing cabinets. It costs nothing, so the downside is small.

Not sure whether you are a sole proprietor or an LLC yet? Decide that first. Our LLC vs sole proprietor guide covers it, because the entity type is one of the first questions the application asks.

What do you need before you apply?

Have these ready before you open the application, because the IRS online session cannot be saved and expires after 15 minutes of inactivity:

The IRS defines the responsible party as the person in charge of the entity and its assets. For a one-owner service business, that is you. The IRS also states that nominees, meaning people applying in someone else's place without being in control, "are not authorized to apply for an EIN." A third-party designee such as your accountant can apply on your behalf, but the IRS says a designee must have signed authorization to apply.

How to apply online, step by step

1. Go to IRS.gov directly. Type irs.gov into the browser yourself and search "get an EIN" on the site. Do not click an ad.
2. Check the hours. The online tool is available Monday to Friday 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. the next day, Saturday 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday 6:00 p.m. to midnight, Eastern Time, per the IRS page.
3. Choose your entity type and answer the questions about members, reason for applying and address.
4. Enter the responsible party's details, including the SSN or ITIN.
5. Describe the business activity and expected employees.
6. Review and submit. If approved, the IRS says it issues the EIN "immediately online."
7. Save the confirmation letter. The IRS tells applicants to print it for their records. Save a PDF somewhere you will find it in five years.

Two limits to know. The IRS allows only one EIN per responsible party per day, so do not experiment. And the online tool is only for domestic organizations with a principal place of business in the US or its territories; if yours is outside the US, the IRS directs you to apply by phone, fax or mail instead.

How do you avoid paying for a free EIN?

Search for "get EIN" and you will see polished sites that look official, ask the same questions, and charge a fee to submit the form for you. The IRS is blunt about this on its own page: "Beware of websites that charge for an EIN. You never have to pay a fee for an EIN."

A related warning: after you form an LLC, official-looking letters may arrive offering to file reports for a fee. One common one involves beneficial ownership information (BOI). FinCEN's BOI page says U.S. companies are exempt from BOI reporting and no longer have to file, following an interim final rule in March 2025 and a final rule in August 2026. The same page says there is no fee to file BOI directly with FinCEN, that FinCEN does not send correspondence requesting payment to file, and that letters referencing a "Form 4022" or "Form 5102" are fraudulent because FinCEN has no such forms. When a letter asks for money, check the agency's own website before paying.

What to do once you have your EIN

With the number in hand, the rest of the setup moves quickly. In the next few days:

• Open a business bank account. The SBA lists the EIN (or an SSN for sole proprietors), formation documents and ownership agreements among the usual requirements.
• Set up your payment processor in the business's legal name, so card payments land in the business account and the processor's tax forms carry the right name and taxpayer number.
• Fill out a W-9 you can send to commercial clients the moment they ask. Follow the form's instructions on which number to use: a single-member LLC that is disregarded for tax purposes enters the owner's SSN (or the owner's EIN, if the owner has one), while an LLC taxed as a corporation or partnership enters the entity's EIN.
• Register with your state for sales tax or payroll accounts if your work or hiring plans require it. Rules vary by state, and states generally issue their own account numbers in addition to the EIN, so check your state revenue and labor department sites.
• Put the legal name and EIN into your bookkeeping software and your CRM's invoice settings so every document matches.

Share the EIN only where it is needed: W-9s, your bank, your accountant and your payroll provider. There is no reason to print it on a quote.

Common EIN mistakes

• Applying before the LLC exists. The IRS says this can delay the application. File with the state first.
• Getting a second EIN by accident. If you already have one for this business, use it. The IRS says you generally need a new EIN when you change the entity's ownership or structure, but not to change the business name, address or responsible party.
• Using a mailing address you won't keep. IRS letters go to the address you enter. Use one you will still be checking next year.
• Misspelling the legal name. Every bank and tax form will repeat the error. Copy it exactly from the state filing.
• Losing the confirmation letter. Save it with your formation documents on day one.

Where the EIN fits in the bigger setup

The EIN is the third step in a longer sequence: choose the work, form the business, get the EIN, open the bank account, check licenses, buy insurance, set prices, then build the systems customers see. Our startup checklist lays out the full order, and our start a company hub has trade-specific guides.

The customer-facing systems should carry the same legal name you just gave the IRS: the business email on your own domain, the website footer, the invoices your CRM sends and the payment processor's statement descriptor. When names match everywhere, customers recognize the invoice, the bank paperwork lines up, and your accountant has an easier April. If you want help wiring that up, our free system quote is a good place to start.

Frequently asked questions