EIN Express — your EIN in 24 to 72 hours

What is your LLC's EIN used for?

The EIN (Employer Identification Number) is your company's federal tax number: 9 digits (XX-XXXXXXX) issued by the IRS. It is not only for employers, and it is permanent: the IRS can deactivate it but not cancel it. You use it to:

• open the LLC's bank account: the IRS says you can use it for this as soon as you receive it;
• activate Stripe or PayPal, which check your legal name and number against IRS records;
• file the LLC's returns, including Form 5472 for an LLC wholly owned by a foreign person;
• answer W-8 requests: if your LLC has a single non-resident owner, you sign a W-8BEN in your own name (or a W-8BEN-E if the owner is a foreign company), not a W-9 in the LLC's name;
• hire staff: every employer needs an EIN.

The full path, from formation to bank account, is covered in our guide to creating a US LLC as a non-resident.

EIN vs ITIN vs SSN: what's the difference?

Three 9-digit numbers, three different roles:

An EIN is for business activities only, never a substitute for an SSN or ITIN. Your LLC has its EIN; you, as the owner, may need an ITIN for your own obligations. And the IRS states that a foreign individual does not need an ITIN to obtain an EIN.

Form SS-4 and the responsible party

You apply with Form SS-4 (December 2025 revision). The responsible party is the person who ultimately owns or controls the LLC and directs its funds and assets. It must be an individual, never a company: if a company owns the LLC, you list the person who controls it. A nominee, given limited authority only during formation, can neither apply for the EIN nor appear on Form SS-4.

The lines that need care:

• line 1: the legal name, exactly as on the formation documents filed with the state;
• lines 7a and 7b: the responsible party and their SSN or ITIN, or “foreign” or “N/A” if they have neither and aren't eligible for one;
• lines 8a to 9a: LLC, number of members, tax classification. For a single-member LLC owned by a foreign person, the IRS asks you to check “Other” and write “Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity-Form 5472”;
• the Third Party Designee section: it authorizes someone else to answer IRS questions about the form and receive the EIN for you, until it is released.

How to get an EIN without an SSN or ITIN, from abroad

The IRS online tool requires a principal place of business in the US and an SSN or ITIN for the responsible party. Without them, the IRS offers three channels for international applicants:

Without a return fax number, confirmation comes by mail, in about two weeks according to the IRS internal manual. These timeframes grow longer when volumes are high: the IRS publishes current ones on its Processing status for tax forms page.

Two rules apply to every channel: one EIN per responsible party per day, and one method per entity, to avoid duplicates. The IRS charges no fee.

CP 575 and Letter 147C: proof of your EIN

When it assigns the number, the IRS sends notice CP 575. Keep it: it is the written confirmation banks and payment platforms ask for, and the original cannot be duplicated or recreated.

If you lose it, the replacement proof is Letter 147C (EIN Previously Assigned). You, or a third party authorized with Form 8821 or 2848, request it by phone: the IRS verifies the caller's identity, gives the number verbally, then sends the letter by fax or mail. The IRS lists 800-829-4933 and, from outside the US, +1 267-941-1099.

Stripe asks for exactly this letter when it cannot verify a company's name and number. If you have access to the IRS Business Tax Account, a digital CP 575 there serves as a Letter 147C.

Lost EIN, name change or new responsible party

• Can't find your EIN: check the CP 575 notice, ask your bank, look at past returns, then request Letter 147C.
• New responsible party: Form 8822-B within 60 days. If the LLC's previous address was in Wyoming or outside the US, it goes to the IRS in Ogden, Utah; processing generally takes 4 to 6 weeks. With no confirmation after 60 days, send a copy marked “Second Request”.
• New name or address: the EIN stays the same. Report the name in a signed letter, the address on Form 8822-B.
• New EIN: generally only when ownership or structure changes, for example when an LLC is terminated and replaced by a corporation.

Mistakes that delay an EIN

• applying before the state has registered the LLC: the IRS warns the application may then be delayed;
• a name that differs from the formation documents: the IRS accepts only letters, numbers, hyphens and “&”, and other symbols must be spelled out. The error then follows you to Stripe, which requires an exact match with the IRS document;
• the wrong entity type on line 9a, such as “Partnership” for a single-member LLC: the IRS may use it to determine your filing requirements;
• the wrong responsible party: a company, a nominee, a tax number that doesn't match the name;
• a third-party authorization signed electronically: the IRS internal manual requires a handwritten signature, otherwise the EIN is not released to the designee;
• following a fax application with a phone call: you risk two EINs for one LLC, which should have only one.

How it works with Altixia

1. We review your file: registered LLC, exact name, members, responsible party, any ITIN or SSN. No LLC yet? We form it first, in 24 business hours.
2. We prepare Form SS-4 in English, with the right classification for your LLC.
3. You review and sign it.
4. We send it to the IRS and follow up: EIN obtained in 24 business hours with an ITIN or SSN, 48 to 72 hours without.
5. You receive the EIN, then the CP 575 letter as a PDF, and we help you put it to use: bank account, Stripe, your LLC's accounting.

Need an ITIN too? Our IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent handles it without your passport leaving your hands: see ITIN and our article on getting an ITIN without traveling.