Step 1: Determine Eligibility
- If your principal place of business is located in the United States or a United States territory, you are eligible to apply for an EIN online.
- Online applicants must provide a valid taxpayer identification number ( SSN, ITIN, EIN ).
- Each can only use one EIN per day.
- “Responsible party” means the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity, or exercises ultimate effective control over the entity. Unless the applicant is a government entity, the responsible party must be an individual (ie, a natural person), not an entity.
Step 2: Learn about the online application
- You must complete the application in one session as the application cannot be saved nor restored at a later time.
- A session will expire after 15 minutes of inactivity, at which point it will need to be restarted.
Step 3: Submit Application
- You will get your EIN immediately after all verifications are done. You can download, save and print your EIN confirmation notice.
Employer Tax Liability Statement ( Publications 15, 15- A and 15B )
PDF More complex issues are discussed and, in addition, Publication 15 provides the tax treatment of many employee benefits. We recommend that employers download these publications from IRS.gov. You can also request a copy online (search for “forms and publications”), or call 1-800 -TAX-FORM.
Important information
Purpose of Employer Identification Number
Employer Identification Numbers are issued for tax administration purposes and are not used to participate in any other activity (such as tax lien auctions or sales, lotteries, etc.)
Tax Exempt Organization Information
If you think your institution satisfies tax-exempt status (whether or not you need to apply for a formal ruling), make sure your institution is legally established before applying for an EIN. For nearly all IRC 501( a ) exempt entities, failure to file the required annual tax information returns or notices for three consecutive years will automatically revoke their exemptions. When you apply for an EIN, we will assume that your institution has been legally established, and the validity period will continue for three years from this point in time.
Example: Your institution applied for an EIN in November 2014 and selected the December accounting period. Your first tax filing period will end on December 31, 2014, and your first tax information return or notice (in the rare case if your institution does not meet annual reporting requirements) will be due on May 15, 2015, maturity. If you fail to submit your application within the three years ending on December 31, 2016 (tax information returns or notices are due on May 15, 2017) or any consecutive three-year period thereafter, you will automatically Revoke your tax exemption. EIN in November 2014 and selected the December accounting period. Your first tax filing period will end on December 31, 2014, and your first tax information return or notice (in the rare case if your institution does not meet annual reporting requirements) will be due on May 15, 2015, maturity. If you fail to submit your application within the three years ending on December 31, 2016 (tax information returns or notices are due on May 15, 2017) or any consecutive three-year period thereafter, you will automatically Revoke your tax exemption.
