Get Your EIN by Fax: New EIN or Proof of One You Have

Which route to take

• No EIN yet: fax Form SS-4. The IRS faxes the new EIN back to the number in the form's "Applicant's fax number" box.
• An EIN you already have, and you need proof of it: call the IRS and ask for Letter 147C by fax. The agent faxes it to you during the call.
• No SSN or ITIN, or a business outside the US: EIN for non-US residents covers which SS-4 line to use.
• A lost CP 575 notice: the IRS never reissues it, and a 147C replaces it.

What to expect from each

• Form SS-4. A reply, when one comes, takes about 16 days. Of first filings, 60% are answered within three weeks and 36% are never answered on that filing. The IRS states a target of 4 business days. The full distribution is on the measured IRS response-time page.
• Letter 147C. The agent faxes the letter while you are on the call. Of the 87 accounts we have seen receive a fax from an IRS line without ever faxing Form SS-4 through us, 64% received it within a day of getting their number, usually 2 pages. That pattern fits a letter faxed during a call; the fax itself does not identify as a 147C.

A fax number the IRS can reach

Both routes end with the IRS faxing a number you gave it: the "Applicant's fax number" box on Form SS-4, or the number you read to the agent for a 147C. Keep that number active until the EIN is in hand. A released number goes out of service and can be assigned to someone else, so a reply sent to it never reaches you.

A one-time number covers a filing and its three-week wait, a re-send and its wait, and the call after. It lasts 90 days and costs $14.99 once. A FaxTerra plan is $4.99/month and keeps the number until you cancel.

The path to a new EIN

1. Get a fax number that can receive, before you fill in the form.
2. Put that number in the "Applicant's fax number" box in the signature block, then fax Form SS-4 to the line for where the business is.
3. Wait three weeks. About 16 days is typical, and by day 21, 95% of the replies that come have arrived.
4. With no reply at three weeks, send the same form again to the same line, with your number in the box.
5. If the re-send brings nothing within three weeks, call the IRS on (800) 829-4933 and ask for Letter 147C by fax.