How to Find My EIN Number: 5 Ways to Look It Up
Lost your EIN? Here are 5 reliable ways to find your EIN number fast, from your IRS confirmation letter to a quick call to the IRS Business line.
You need your EIN to file taxes, open a bank account, or apply for a loan, and it is nowhere to be found. Don't panic. Your Employer Identification Number was assigned once and it never expires, so it is sitting in your records somewhere, and the IRS can always confirm it for you.
This guide walks through five practical ways to find your EIN number, starting with the fastest and easiest. Most people locate theirs in under five minutes without ever picking up the phone.
Quick Answer: How Do I Find My EIN Number?
The quickest way to find your EIN is to pull up the confirmation notice (Form CP 575) the IRS sent when you first registered. If you no longer have it, check an old business tax return, a bank statement, or a prior payroll or 1099 form. When all else fails, call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 and they will look it up over the phone after verifying your identity.
An EIN is a nine-digit number formatted as XX-XXXXXXX. If you are still fuzzy on what it actually does, our guide to what an EIN number is covers the basics before you go hunting.
1. Check Your IRS EIN Confirmation Letter (CP 575)
When the IRS issues your EIN, it sends a confirmation notice called CP 575. This is the original, official document showing your number, and it is the first place you should look.
If you applied online, you likely downloaded a PDF at the end of the application. Search your computer, email inbox, and cloud storage for terms like "CP575," "EIN," or "confirmation." If you applied by mail or fax, the physical letter should be filed with your formation documents, such as your articles of incorporation or LLC paperwork.
According to the IRS, the CP 575 is your official EIN confirmation and is accepted by banks and other institutions as written proof of your number. Keep it somewhere safe once you find it.
2. Look at a Past Business Tax Return
Every business tax return you have filed lists your EIN near the top of the first page. If you have filed even once, this is a reliable place to find your EIN number.
Look at:
- Form 1120 or 1120-S for corporations
- Form 1065 for partnerships and multi-member LLCs
- Schedule C attached to your personal Form 1040 for sole proprietors and single-member LLCs
- Any payroll tax filings such as Form 941 or 940
Your accountant or tax software will also have a copy on file. A quick email to whoever prepares your taxes is often the fastest route of all.
3. Dig Through Your Business Financial Records
Your EIN gets used constantly once your business is up and running, so it appears across a surprising number of everyday documents. Where can you find your EIN number in your own paperwork? Try these:
- Business bank account statements or your original account application. You had to provide the EIN to open the account. If you are setting up banking for a new entity, our guide on how to open a business bank account explains what documents you need.
- Business loan or credit card applications, which almost always require the number.
- State or local business license and permit applications.
- Old 1099 or W-2 forms your business issued to contractors or employees, where the EIN is printed as the payer or employer ID.
- Payroll service or accounting software account settings, which store the number in your company profile.
4. Ask Your Bank or a Third Party
If you used your EIN to set up a relationship with a bank, lender, or payroll provider, that institution has it on record. A quick call to your bank's business support line, with your identity verified, will usually get you the number.
The same goes for your bookkeeper, payroll company, or the business attorney who helped you form the company. Any of them can typically pull your EIN in minutes without you touching a single filing cabinet.
5. Call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line
If you have exhausted your own records, the IRS can retrieve your EIN directly. Call the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, open Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, per the IRS.
A few things to know before you dial:
- Only an authorized person can request the number, such as a sole proprietor, a corporate officer, a partner in a partnership, or an authorized representative. Be ready to verify your identity.
- The assistor can give you the EIN over the phone and can also issue Letter 147C, the official EIN verification letter, by mail or fax. Banks accept the 147C as proof of your EIN when you cannot find the original CP 575.
- The IRS notes that Letter 147C requests are handled by phone, not online or by mail, so calling is the only route to the verification letter.
To keep hold time short, avoid Mondays and call early in the morning. If you are calling from outside the U.S., use the international line at 267-941-1099.
Is There an Online EIN Lookup Tool?
A common hope when you're figuring out how to find my EIN number is that the IRS runs a public "EIN lookup" you can search like a phone book. It doesn't. There is no online database where you type in your business name and get your EIN back, and the same is true for confirming another company's number - though our guide to looking up another business's EIN covers the public sources, like SEC filings and nonprofit databases, that sometimes get you there. The IRS treats your EIN as confidential taxpayer information, so retrieval always happens through documents you already hold or a verified phone request.
That said, a few of the methods above are effectively "online" once you know where to look. If you applied for your EIN on the IRS website, the confirmation PDF may still be in your email or downloads folder. Your accounting software, payroll dashboard, and business banking portal all store the number in your company profile, so a quick login is often faster than any search tool. For a publicly traded company, you can also find the EIN on its SEC filings at EDGAR. For your own private business, though, your records and the IRS phone line remain the only reliable routes.
What If My Business Doesn't Have an EIN Yet?
If you have searched everywhere and still come up empty, it may be that your business never received one. Sole proprietors with no employees, for example, often operate under their Social Security number and never applied. In that case there is nothing to find, and you simply need to get one.
Getting an EIN is free and takes about fifteen minutes online through the IRS. Our step-by-step walkthrough on how to get an EIN number covers exactly how to apply and what information you'll need to have ready.
Keep Your EIN Somewhere You'll Actually Find It
Once you have located your number, save yourself the future scramble. Store the CP 575 (or a 147C letter) as a PDF in a clearly labeled folder, and note the EIN in your accounting software and password manager. Treat it the way you would any sensitive business credential, since it identifies your company on tax and financial documents.
Finding your EIN is almost always a matter of knowing where to look, and now you have five solid places to start. If it turns out you never had one, applying is quick, free, and the natural next step in setting up your business properly.
Ready to get organized? Confirm your EIN today, then use it to open a dedicated business bank account and keep your company's finances clean from day one.