How to get an EIN for free

The $79 EIN is a myth

An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is your business’s federal tax ID — the company equivalent of a Social Security Number. The IRS issues it for free, directly, on irs.gov. There is no government fee. None.

Yet formation services routinely tack on an “EIN filing” add-on for $79, $99, even $300. What you’re buying is someone copying your details onto a free form. That can be worth it for a non-resident who’d rather not deal with an IRS fax — but be clear-eyed: you are paying for convenience, not for the number. Anyone with a U.S. SSN or ITIN can get an EIN themselves in about five minutes.

Do you even need one?

You need an EIN if any of these are true:

• You’ll have employees.
• Your LLC has more than one member (multi-member LLCs need one).
• You’ll elect S-corp or C-corp taxation.
• You want to open a U.S. business bank account — banks require it.
• You’re a foreign-owned single-member LLC — you need an EIN to file the mandatory Form 5472 each year.

A U.S.-resident single-member LLC with no employees can technically use the owner’s SSN — but nearly every founder gets an EIN anyway, because banks and payment processors ask for it and it keeps your SSN private.

Get it free, step by step

The fastest free route depends on whether you have a U.S. SSN or ITIN.

If you have an SSN or ITIN (instant, online)

1. Go to the official IRS EIN application on irs.gov (search “IRS apply for an EIN online”).
2. Complete the interview-style form in one sitting — it times out after 15 minutes of inactivity and can’t be saved.
3. Submit. The EIN is issued immediately, and you can download the confirmation letter (CP 575) right away.

The online tool is available weekdays during IRS hours (roughly 7am–10pm ET). It’s free — if a page asks for payment, you’re not on irs.gov.

If you have no SSN and no ITIN (the foreign-founder path)

This is the situation for most non-U.S. founders, and it’s where the misinformation is worst. You can still get an EIN — for free. You just can’t use the online tool. Instead:

1. Download Form SS-4 (“Application for Employer Identification Number”) from irs.gov.
2. Fill it out. On line 7b (the responsible party’s SSN/ITIN), write “Foreign” — do not leave it blank, and do not invent a number.
3. Name a responsible party — a real individual who controls the entity (usually you, the owner).
4. Fax the completed SS-4 to the IRS’s international fax number for entities with no U.S. address (listed in the SS-4 instructions). Fax is far faster than mail.
5. The IRS faxes back your EIN in roughly four business days. By mail, expect four to six weeks.

You can also call the IRS international EIN line, but the fax route is the standard, reliable method and avoids hold times across time zones. You do not need an ITIN first — an EIN and an ITIN are separate things.

EIN vs ITIN vs SSN — don’t mix them up

• EIN — your business’s tax ID. Free. Needed to bank and file company taxes.
• SSN — a U.S. person’s Social Security Number. Most non-residents don’t have one.
• ITIN — an individual taxpayer ID for people who owe U.S. tax but can’t get an SSN. Separate from the EIN, and not required to get one.

Don’t skip Form 5472 (foreign owners)

If you’re a non-U.S. owner of a single-member U.S. LLC, getting the EIN is step one — but the bigger trap is the annual Form 5472 (filed with a pro-forma Form 1120) that reports transactions between you and your LLC. Missing it carries a $25,000 penalty. The EIN is what lets you file it, so handle the EIN early and put the 5472 deadline on your calendar.