An EIN is your LLC’s federal tax ID. Getting one is free, fast, and takes about ten minutes on the IRS website. Here’s exactly what you need to know — plus what we do for you when we file on your behalf.
Think of it as a Social Security Number, but for your business.
An EIN — short for Employer Identification Number — is a nine-digit ID the IRS issues to businesses. It’s how the federal government (and basically every bank, payroll service, and vendor) tells one business apart from another. The name is a little misleading: you don’t need employees to get one. Most single-member LLCs grab an EIN the same week they form, because without it you can’t open a business bank account or file business taxes cleanly.
You only get one EIN per entity, and it doesn’t expire. If you dissolve the LLC, the EIN is retired — not reassigned.
The IRS gives EINs out for free. Anyone charging you $75+ to “register” one is reselling something you can get in ten minutes.
The fastest route is the IRS’s online EIN Assistant at irs.gov/ein. It’s available weekdays from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern. You answer a handful of questions about the LLC’s structure, ownership, and purpose, and at the end you get a PDF with your EIN on it. Save that PDF — the IRS only issues the confirmation letter once, and replacement letters take weeks.
If you apply online and meet every requirement, you have your EIN before you close the tab. If you apply by fax (Form SS-4), expect about four business days. Mail is painfully slow — plan on four to six weeks.
The online system requires an SSN or ITIN for the responsible party. If you have neither — which is common for non-U.S. residents forming an LLC — you’ll submit Form SS-4 by fax or mail instead. It usually takes a couple of weeks. We handle this flow automatically for our customers in that situation.
Our $199 filing covers your Articles and the first year of registered agent service. The EIN stays with you: it is free and takes about ten minutes.
Once the state approves your LLC, apply for the EIN on the IRS site using the steps above. It is free — the IRS doesn’t charge anyone — and the online application issues the number in one sitting.
Your EIN is federal, but a handful of states layer on their own taxes and filings that use it. Here’s the stuff people trip over most.
California LLCs pay the Franchise Tax Board $800/year minimum on top of federal taxes. Your EIN is how both agencies identify the entity.
Open the California guide →Newly formed New York LLCs have a newspaper publication requirement within 120 days. You'll need your EIN for the Certificate of Publication filing.
Open the New York guide →Wyoming has no state income tax, so your EIN mostly matters for federal filings and opening a business bank account.
Open the Wyoming guide →Texas LLCs file an annual Franchise Tax Report with the Comptroller — no tax owed under ~$2.47M revenue, but the EIN is required on the form.
Open the Texas guide →Tennessee charges both a 6.5% excise tax on earnings and a franchise tax of $0.25 per $100 of net worth. Your EIN ties everything to the correct entity.
Open the Tennessee guide →Your state page covers the local tax picture in depth. Pick yours at the top of this page.
Technically the IRS lets single-member LLCs use the owner’s SSN. But try opening a business bank account without an EIN — you won’t get far. We’d recommend one for every LLC, full stop.
You can, but we don’t recommend it. If your Articles get rejected or you change the business name mid-filing, the EIN ends up attached to an entity name that doesn’t match your state records. Cleaner to form the LLC first, then apply.
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933. They can fax or mail you a Form 147C, which works the same as the original confirmation. It’s free, but plan on waiting on hold.
No. The IRS issues EINs for free. Any website charging $75, $149, or $299 to “register” one is reselling the same free form. The steps above take about ten minutes.
No. The EIN stays with the entity. You’ll update your address with the IRS (Form 8822-B) and register as a foreign LLC in the new state, but the EIN is permanent.
Yes. An S-corp election (Form 2553) doesn’t change your EIN — it changes how the IRS taxes the profits. Same number, different return.
$199 plus your state's fees, paid to the state at cost. Your first year of registered agent service is included.