EIN for your business with an ITIN — Form SS-4 step by step

Yes — you can get an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for your business with an ITIN, and you can usually do it online in one sitting. The IRS online EIN assistant asks for “the Social Security number or taxpayer ID number of the responsible party in control of your business or organization,” and an ITIN satisfies that requirement. The EIN itself is free, issued immediately online, and identifies your business to the IRS the same way your ITIN identifies you.

Who counts as the “responsible party”

Every EIN application names one responsible party. The Instructions for Form SS-4 define this as “the person who ultimately owns or controls the entity or who exercises ultimate effective control over the entity.” For a sole proprietorship or a single-owner LLC, that is you. Unless the applicant is a government entity, the responsible party must be a natural person, not another company.

Line 7b of Form SS-4 asks for the responsible party’s taxpayer identification number, and the instructions list three acceptable types: an SSN, an ITIN, or an EIN. If you have a valid ITIN — one you have used on a recent return, or recently received after applying with Form W-7 — you have what the form requires.

One hard limit applies no matter how you file: EIN issuances are limited to one per responsible party, per day. If you are forming two businesses, the second EIN waits until tomorrow.

The four ways to apply, and how long each takes

Online (immediate). The EIN assistant at irs.gov runs weekdays 6 a.m. to 1 a.m. Eastern, Saturdays 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Sundays 6 p.m. to midnight. It is available only if your legal residence or principal place of business is in the United States or its territories. You answer the questionnaire in one session (it times out), and the EIN is issued at the end. Enter your ITIN where the system asks for the responsible party’s taxpayer ID. If the system rejects your ITIN for any reason, fall back to fax — do not pay a third party to “fix” it.

Fax (about 4 business days). Complete Form SS-4 and fax it to 855-641-6935 (the number for applicants located in the 50 states or DC). Under the Fax-TIN program the IRS returns your EIN “generally within 4 business days” if you include a return fax number.

Mail (about 4 weeks). Mail the completed SS-4 to the IRS service center listed in the instructions. The IRS says you will receive the EIN “in approximately 4 weeks.” Use this only if you are not in a hurry.

Phone (international applicants only). If you have no legal residence or principal place of business in the US, you can call 267-941-1099. This option does not apply to someone living and operating inside the United States.

An EIN is free — every time, everywhere

The IRS states it plainly: “Beware of websites that charge for an EIN. You never have to pay a fee for an EIN.” Search results for “get an EIN” are crowded with lookalike sites charging $75-$300 to file the same free Form SS-4 you can file yourself. Some imitate IRS page design. The only address that issues EINs is irs.gov, and the only price is zero. A paid preparer can legitimately file SS-4 for you as a designee — but the IRS itself never charges.

Do you even need an EIN?

Not always. A sole proprietor with no employees and no excise or pension-plan filings can run the business under their own ITIN — the IRS does not require an EIN for that situation. The same logic covers a single-member LLC taxed as a disregarded entity: per the IRS, it “does not need an EIN” if it has no employees and no excise tax liability.

In practice, most owners get one anyway, for three reasons. First, banks generally ask for an EIN to open a business account — see our guide to banking with an ITIN. Second, clients who pay you as a contractor ask for a W-9, and listing an EIN there keeps your ITIN off documents that circulate through other people’s bookkeeping. Third, the moment you hire your first employee or owe excise tax, the EIN becomes mandatory — and for an LLC, the IRS requires employment taxes to be reported under the LLC’s own name and EIN, not yours.

The EIN does not replace your ITIN

This is the most common point of confusion. The EIN belongs to the business; the ITIN belongs to you. Your personal Form 1040 — including the Schedule C where a sole proprietor or single-member LLC owner reports business profit — is still filed under your ITIN. The Form 1040 instructions are explicit: “If you already have an ITIN, enter it wherever your SSN is requested on your tax return.” Getting an EIN also does not change your immigration status, does not authorize employment, and does not stop the ITIN renewal clock — an ITIN unused on a return for three consecutive years still expires (renewal guide).

Keep the CP 575 notice the IRS sends when it assigns your EIN. Banks, payment processors, and state agencies will ask for it, and the IRS does not issue duplicates — only a replacement verification letter (147C) by phone request.

For choosing between sole proprietorship and LLC, and state-by-state formation steps, see the business hub.

Last verified: 2026-06-11. Sources: IRS — get an EIN, IRS — Form SS-4 instructions, IRS — single-member LLCs.

General information — not legal or tax advice. For case-specific guidance, consult an Enrolled Agent or CPA with ITIN experience.