You receive an EIN Confirmation Letter once you have completed the Employer Identification Number (EIN) application on the IRS website. Upon completion, you will have the options for downloading and saving the Tax ID certificate. The confirmation letter, along with saved copies of your Federal Tax ID Number should be kept alongside all your other Limited Liability Company documents. 

For every EIN application processed by the IRS, the agency sends out a confirmation letter called CP 575. The EIN confirmation letter is sent to the address provided on the SS-4 form, eight to ten weeks following the issuance of the Federal Tax ID Number. However, if you choose to apply online, a copy of the letter is viewable, printable, and ready for download directly from the IRS website as soon as the process is complete. Aside from serving as a documented proof of your LLC's EIN assignment, a bank or a vendor may request to see a copy of the letter. 

What Happens If You Lose Your Federal Tax ID Certificate?

If for whatever reason you need a replacement for a lost or never-received EIN confirmation letter, you can call the Internal Revenue Service, and they will send the verification letter to you. The copy is sent to the contact information you provided at the time you filed to have the application processed initially. If there has been a change of mailing address or fax number since that time, file Form 8822 to update the IRS so that they can send the letter to the appropriate destination. 

The Business & Specialty Tax Line is available Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time and handles all requests for a replacement of lost or misplaced EIN confirmation letters. The number to call is (800) 829-4933. If you want to contact the IRS directly, you can do so by calling (267) 941-1099 and ask for a 147C letter.

For security, you will need to verify your identity when contacting the IRS. Some of the security questions you may be required to answer include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Your name and position with the company
  • Your EIN 
  • The kind of income tax form you file for the business 
  • Name and address of the LLC

After adequately identifying yourself, the phone representative you have connected with will look up the number and send the confirmation letter replacement right away. There is no cost for receiving a copy.  

If your need for the copy confirmation is dire, another option is to contact your bank or accountant. Either of the two may have kept a copy of your original Tax ID certificate, and you can merely get what you need from either of those sources. 

Even if you applied online, for protection against fraudulent conduct, the Internal Revenue Service does not offer online verification. Alternatively, if you initially completed your EIN application online, your email's inbox or archive folder would be a superb place to check for the confirmation email the IRS would have sent to you when your Employer Identification Number was first issued. 

A Few More Things To Know About the EIN

You cannot apply for an EIN until after your LLC has state approval. An important thing to remember is that although you must obtain a Tax ID if you have hired employees, your LLC does not need to have employees to be assigned an Employer Identification Number.

The EIN is nine digits long, just like a person's Social Security Number. To distinguish the two, the EIN is written starting with two numbers, then a hyphen, followed by the remaining seven digits. So here's an example of the EIN format: 12-3456789.

Although the IRS does not require businesses to pay a fee for to receive an EIN, there are quite a few websites that will complete the application for you at costs ranging from $50 to $100. 

If you already have an EIN from a former taxation identity, it is likely due to a connection with a Sole Proprietorship. You want to close that Tax ID number out. After you have received state approval for your LLC, obtain a new number, which will be a completely different EIN for your Limited Liability Company.  

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