An Employer Identification Number, also called an EIN, is essentially the equivalent of a Social Security number for a business. Each EIN is unique and no EIN is ever reissued. While they are primarily used for employer tax purposes, EINs are also required for creating trusts and administering estates. Therefore they're an important part of doing business. Keep your EIN in a safe place for easy reference or know how to verify the number, especially if you’re ever asked to prove your number for business purposes such as getting a vendor's account or applying for a line of credit.
Produce the original notice received from the IRS when you initially applied for the EIN. Whether you applied for the EIN online or by mail, an confirmation letter will be sent to you from the IRS. That notice formally verifies the EIN and the date of issue of that EIN to you.
Contact your bank and ask a banker to send you a copy of your original banking application. Business bank accounts require submission of an EIN at the time of application. Your banker will supply this information to an official signor or officer listed on the articles of incorporation or certificate of formation.
Call the IRS’s Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, and ask a representative locate your EIN. The representative will provide the EIN over the phone to a responsible or designated third party on record. Ask for an official letter verifying the EIN belongs to you.
Request official copies of the business’ tax records from the prior year from your local, state and federal tax authorities. Formal tax filings of the entity or owner of the EIN require citing the EIN when initially completing tax records for filing purposes.
Tip
Keep documents containing your EIN in a safe place for future reference.
