Sep 1

Sep 1 Business incorporation - 4 ways to apply for an EIN

The processing time for EIN (Employer Identification Number) applications has been delayed due to COVID. Since March 2020, the backlog time from IRS has been about two to three months. Many new startup founders have had to delay their business operations due to a missing EIN. Let’s learn about 4 different ways to apply for an EIN:

First, what do you need when applying for an EIN?

U.S. address
Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN, ITIN, EIN)
Tips: For foreign owners, you can apply for an EIN by phone, fax, or mail; you can’t apply online without a SSN.
You can only apply for one EIN a day

Tips: This one is important to remember when you apply for more than one EIN. The IRS will only process one application a day. The applications which don’t get processed will need to be sent again as the IRS will disregard the extra ones. It is on you to send the applications one-by-one on different days.

Now that you know what you information you need for the application, let’s discuss the 4 different ways to apply for an EIN:

1. Apply online (requires an SSN):

Here is the link to online EIN application with the IRS. If all the info is filled out properly you will get an EIN after submission. This is the fastest way to get an EIN.

Note: You will need an SSN to complete the application.

2. Apply by phone via 800-829-4933 (do NOT need an SSN):

For founders who don’t have an SSN, call the IRS and provide the info they need over the phone. You can often get the EIN in as little as 10 minutes.

3. Apply by fax (do NOT need an SSN):

Download the EIN application form SS-4 here and fax it to the IRS. You will receive the EIN via fax at the fax number you provided on the application.

Tips: Make sure the fax number you provided on the application works. If that number is not capable of receiving faxes, you will not receive your EIN from the IRS.

4. Apply by mail (do NOT need an SSN):

Mail the application SS-4 to the IRS and save a copy for your records. If you do not provide a fax number, the IRS will mail the EIN to you. The processing time varies, but it could take up to a month. Note: this method has the longest processing time.

If you have more questions, email us at hi@advisori.finance.