If you are starting a business in the United States, one of the very first things standing between you and your first business bank account, your first client contract, or your first payroll run is a nine-digit number issued by the IRS: your Employer Identification Number. Whether you are a US citizen launching a side hustle, a student building a startup, or a non-resident business owner setting up an EIN for foreign-owned LLC, this number is the foundation everything else gets built on.

This guide walks through exactly what an EIN is, who needs one, how to apply step by step, what documents you need, the most common mistakes that delay approval, and what to do once you have it — including opening a business bank account, choosing a registered agent, and understanding the difference between an EIN and an ITIN. It is written to be detailed enough for a first-time founder, but sharp enough for anyone who has done this before and just wants the current 2026 process.

Because tax and IRS procedures shift over time, treat this article as an educational starting point. Confirm current requirements directly with the IRS or a licensed tax professional before filing anything.

Who This Guide Is For

This article is written for a wide range of people who all end up asking the same question: how do I actually get an EIN?

• Students and first-time entrepreneurs launching their very first US business entity
• Non-resident business owners forming a US LLC or corporation from outside the country
• Freelancers and consultants who need an EIN to open a business bank account or bill clients formally
• Foreign nationals building a foreign national LLC without a Social Security Number
• E-commerce sellers, dropshippers, and Amazon FBA sellers registering a US entity
• Existing business owners who are opening a second entity, changing structure, or hiring their first employee
• Accountants, bookkeepers, and formation agents researching the process on behalf of clients

If any of these describe you, keep reading — this guide covers your exact situation somewhere below.

Quick Answer: What Is an EIN and How Do You Get One?

An Employer Identification Number is a unique nine-digit number the IRS assigns to a business for tax identification purposes. It works similarly to a Social Security Number, but for a company instead of a person. You apply for one using IRS Form SS-4, either online through the IRS website (fastest, if you have a valid SSN or ITIN), by fax, or by phone if you are a non-resident without either. US-based applicants with an SSN can typically receive their EIN instantly online. Non-resident applicants without an SSN or ITIN usually apply by fax or phone and may wait one to several weeks. There is no official government fee to apply directly through the IRS.

What Is an Employer Identification Number, Exactly?

Think of an EIN as your business’s own personal identity number. The IRS uses it to track your company’s tax filings, payroll, and financial reporting, completely separate from your personal Social Security Number or ITIN. It’s issued once and stays with your business for its entire life, even if you never hire a single employee.

Despite the name, you don’t actually need employees to get one. Sole proprietors, single-member LLCs, foreign-owned entities, and even some individuals with certain tax filing needs can apply. The name is a historical holdover — in practice, an EIN functions as a general-purpose federal business tax ID.

Every legitimate US bank, payment processor, and government agency will eventually ask for it. It’s the number on your tax returns, your payroll filings, your business licenses, and the paperwork behind almost every financial account your company opens.

Why You Need an EIN

An EIN unlocks nearly everything a functioning business needs to operate legally and financially in the US. Here’s what it’s actually used for:

• Opening a US business bank account, which almost every bank requires before they’ll even look at your paperwork
• Filing federal and state business tax returns
• Hiring employees and running payroll
• Applying for business licenses and permits in most states
• Applying for business credit cards and starting to build business credit
• Signing contracts with vendors, suppliers, and larger clients who require a tax ID on file
• Setting up merchant accounts and payment processors like Stripe or PayPal Business
• Protecting your personal Social Security Number from being shared with clients or vendors

For a non-resident business owner, the EIN carries even more weight. Without a Social Security Number, it is often the only federal ID your business has, and it becomes the anchor document for nearly every other step of setting up in the US.

EIN vs ITIN: What’s the Difference?

This is one of the most confused topics for first-time founders, so let’s separate it clearly.

An EIN identifies a business. An ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) identifies a person who isn’t eligible for a Social Security Number but still has US tax obligations. They serve completely different purposes and neither one replaces the other.

Here’s where the confusion usually starts: a non-resident founder does not need an ITIN to get an EIN. This surprises a lot of people. You can form a US LLC, apply for an EIN, and open a business bank account as a foreign national without ever obtaining an ITIN, as long as your business itself qualifies. You would typically only need an ITIN personally if you have individual US tax filing obligations, such as needing to file a personal US tax return to report income connected to your business.

So the short version: the EIN belongs to your company, the ITIN belongs to you as an individual, and most non-resident founders only need the EIN to get started.

Who Needs an EIN in 2026?

Not every business structure legally requires one, but in practice, almost every serious business benefits from having one. You will typically need an EIN if you:

• Formed an LLC, corporation, or partnership, regardless of where you live
• Plan to hire employees at any point, even one part-time worker
• Are a non-resident business owner forming a US entity to sell products or services internationally
• Need to open a US business bank account, which is nearly impossible without one
• Withhold taxes on income paid to a non-resident alien
• File excise, alcohol, tobacco, or firearms tax returns
• Are involved with trusts, estates, or certain nonprofit organizations
• Want to keep your personal SSN private from clients, vendors, and platforms

Single-member LLCs owned by US citizens can technically operate using the owner’s SSN for tax purposes in some cases, but almost every bank, payment processor, and serious client will still expect an EIN on file. If you’re forming an EIN for foreign-owned LLC, it is not optional. It is required, full stop, regardless of whether the LLC has income yet.

Eligibility Requirements to Apply for an EIN

The IRS allows a wide range of applicants to obtain an EIN, but the process differs depending on your situation.

You are generally eligible to apply if:

• You are forming a legal business entity in the United States, such as an LLC, corporation, or partnership
• You are a sole proprietor operating a US-based business
• You are a foreign national LLC owner applying on behalf of your company
• You have a valid reason under IRS guidelines, such as opening a trust, estate, or certain nonprofit structures
• Your business is physically located in the US or its territories, or conducts business connected to the US

One important nuance: if you have a valid SSN or ITIN, you can typically apply online and receive your EIN the same day. If you do not have either, you’re routed to a different process involving fax or phone applications, which naturally takes longer but is absolutely still possible and extremely common among international founders.

Documents and Information You’ll Need

Before you start the application, gather the following. Having everything ready before you begin is the single biggest factor in avoiding delays.

• Your business’s legal name and any trade name or “doing business as” (DBA) name
• Your business formation state and the state filing confirmation or Articles of Organization
• A valid mailing address for the business, which can be a registered agent address if you don’t have a US address
• The responsible party’s full legal name and either an SSN, ITIN, or (for those without either) full identifying details as required on Form SS-4
• The type of entity you’re forming — LLC, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, etc.
• The reason you’re applying, such as starting a new business, hiring employees, or banking purposes
• The expected number of employees, if any, within the next 12 months
• The principal business activity and a short description of what your company does

If you’re a non-resident applying without an SSN or ITIN, you’ll also need to identify a “responsible party” — someone with authority over the business’s funds and assets — even if that’s you personally as a foreign owner.

How to Apply for an EIN: Step-by-Step Guide

Here is the actual process, broken into a clear sequence.

Step 1: Form your legal business entity first. You cannot apply for an EIN before your LLC or corporation is legally registered with your chosen state. This usually means filing Articles of Organization or Incorporation and receiving state confirmation.

Step 2: Choose and confirm your registered agent. Most states require a registered agent with a physical address in the state of formation to receive legal and tax documents on the business’s behalf. This step matters more than people expect, especially for non-resident founders who don’t have a US address themselves.

Step 3: Complete IRS Form SS-4. This is the official EIN application. It asks for your entity details, responsible party information, business activity, and reason for applying. Even if you apply online, the online system is essentially a digital version of this same form.

Step 4: Choose your application method.

• Online, through the IRS EIN Assistant, is the fastest option and is available only to applicants with a valid SSN or ITIN, and only for entities formed in the US or its territories. Approval is often instant.
• Fax, by submitting a completed Form SS-4 to the correct IRS fax number, typically takes about four business days.
• Phone, specifically for international applicants without an SSN or ITIN, who can call the IRS’s international EIN line directly and receive the number by the end of the call in many cases.
• Mail, the slowest option, which can take four to five weeks.

Step 5: Receive your EIN confirmation letter (CP 575). This is the official document proving your EIN, and banks will often ask for a copy of it directly, so keep it somewhere safe permanently.

Step 6: Use your EIN to open a business bank account, apply for licenses, and start operating. This is the step most founders are actually racing toward — the EIN itself is rarely the end goal, it’s the key that unlocks everything after it.

Applying for an EIN Without an SSN or ITIN

This is the situation most non-resident business owners find themselves in, and it’s more manageable than it looks.

If you don’t have a Social Security Number or ITIN, you cannot use the IRS’s online EIN application. Instead, international applicants apply by phone or fax using Form SS-4, listing themselves as a foreign responsible party and leaving the SSN/ITIN field blank or marked as “Foreign” where instructed. The IRS has a dedicated phone line specifically for international EIN applicants, and many callers do successfully receive their EIN in the same call, though this can vary by season and call volume.

This route is exactly why so many international founders lean on formation services or accountants who handle EIN applications regularly. It removes the guesswork around phone hours, fax formatting, and IRS terminology that trips up first-time applicants.

The Role of a Registered Agent in the EIN Process

A registered agent is a person or company designated to receive official government and legal correspondence on behalf of your business. Nearly every US state requires one when you form an LLC or corporation, and the address must be a physical street address in that state — not a P.O. box.

For a domestic founder, this might just be yourself or a business partner. For a foreign national LLC owner without a US address, this becomes essential infrastructure, not a formality. Formation services like Northwest Registered Agent, ZenBusiness, and LegalZoom offer this as part of their packages, often bundled with the LLC formation filing itself.

Your registered agent’s address is also frequently used as your business’s mailing address on the EIN application, which matters a great deal if you don’t have a US-based address to list yourself.

How Long Does It Take to Get an EIN?

Timing depends entirely on your application method and whether you have an SSN or ITIN.

• Online application (US applicants with SSN/ITIN): Often instant, same-day
• Phone application (international applicants): Sometimes same-day, depending on IRS call volume
• Fax application: Roughly four business days
• Mail application: Four to five weeks, sometimes longer during peak tax season

If you’re on a deadline — say, you need the EIN to open a bank account before a specific date — apply as early as possible and avoid mail entirely if you have any faster option available.

Common Mistakes to Avoid When Applying for an EIN

These are the errors that cause the most delays and rejected applications, based on patterns seen across thousands of founder applications.

• Applying before the LLC is officially formed. The state filing has to be approved first; applying too early leads to automatic rejection.
• Mismatched business names. The name on your EIN application must match your state formation documents exactly, including punctuation and suffixes like “LLC.”
• Leaving the responsible party section incomplete. Every EIN needs one clearly identified individual, not just a company name.
• Using a P.O. box instead of a physical registered agent address. Some applications get flagged or delayed over this.
• Applying multiple times for the same entity. If you don’t hear back quickly, resist the urge to resubmit; duplicate applications can cause processing confusion and delays.
• Choosing the wrong entity type on the form. LLCs, corporations, and partnerships are taxed differently, and selecting the wrong one can create tax classification headaches later.
• Forgetting to keep the CP 575 confirmation letter. Banks ask for it, and requesting a replacement later takes real time.
• Assuming you need an ITIN first. As covered above, this is one of the most common — and most unnecessary — delays non-resident founders create for themselves.

After You Get Your EIN: Opening a US Business Bank Account

Once your EIN arrives, the very next move for most founders is opening a US business bank account. This is where the EIN really starts paying off, because almost no US bank — traditional or fintech — will open a business account without one.

Traditional banks often want an in-person visit, which is a real obstacle for international founders. This is why fintech and neobank platforms such as Mercury, Relay, and Wise Business have become the default choice for non-resident business owners — many allow you to open a business account fully online using your EIN confirmation letter, formation documents, and identification, without ever stepping into a US branch.

Having a dedicated business bank account also matters for a reason beyond convenience: it keeps your personal and business finances legally separate, which protects the liability shield an LLC is supposed to provide in the first place.

Using Your EIN to Build Business Credit

Once your EIN and business bank account are active, the next milestone worth working toward is business credit. This is a credit profile tied to your EIN rather than your personal Social Security Number, and it eventually allows your business to qualify for credit cards, vendor accounts, and loans based on its own financial history.

Building business credit usually starts small: a secured business credit card, a vendor account that reports payments to business credit bureaus, or a starter line tied to your EIN. Over time, consistent on-time payments build a credit profile that can qualify your business for larger financing without relying on your personal credit score at all.

For foreign national LLC owners especially, this matters more than it might first seem — business credit becomes one of the few US financial track records available to you as a non-resident, separate from any personal credit history you may or may not have in the US.

EIN and LLC Formation: What Comes First?

A quick but important clarification, because it trips up a lot of first-time founders: LLC formation always comes before the EIN application, never the other way around. You cannot get an EIN for a business that doesn’t legally exist yet.

The typical order looks like this: choose your state, file your Articles of Organization, receive state approval, set up your registered agent if you haven’t already, then apply for your EIN using your approved formation documents. Skipping ahead or applying out of order is one of the most common reasons EIN applications get rejected or delayed.

If you haven’t formed your LLC yet, it’s worth treating LLC formation and the EIN application as two connected steps in the same process rather than two separate errands — most formation services bundle them together for exactly this reason.

Does an EIN Expire? Do You Need to Renew It?

No. An EIN does not expire and does not need to be renewed. Once the IRS assigns it to your business, it stays valid for the life of that entity, even during periods when the business isn’t actively operating.

That said, if your business structure changes significantly — for example, you convert from a sole proprietorship to a corporation, or ownership changes in certain ways — you may need to apply for a new EIN rather than update the existing one. It’s worth checking current IRS guidance whenever a major structural change happens, since the rules depend on the specific type of change.

How Much Does an EIN Cost?

Applying directly through the IRS is completely free, regardless of whether you apply online, by fax, phone, or mail. There is no official government fee.

If you see a service charging you specifically for “EIN processing,” that’s typically a third-party formation company charging for convenience, faster handling, or bundling it with LLC formation and registered agent services — not an IRS fee. That’s not necessarily a bad deal if you value the time saved, especially for international applicants navigating the phone or fax process, but it’s worth knowing the number itself is always free from the source.

Should You Use a Formation Service or Apply Yourself?

Both are legitimate paths, and the right choice depends on your situation.

Applying directly with the IRS makes the most sense if you’re a US-based founder with an SSN or ITIN, comfortable navigating Form SS-4, and not in a rush. The process is genuinely simple in this scenario.

Using a formation service makes more sense if you’re a non-resident business owner without an SSN or ITIN, juggling LLC formation, registered agent setup, and the EIN application all at once, or simply want one point of contact managing paperwork across time zones. Services like Northwest Registered Agent, ZenBusiness, and LegalZoom package all three together, which removes a lot of the back-and-forth that trips up first-time international founders.

Neither route is “wrong” — it’s a genuine trade-off between cost and convenience.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need an SSN to get an EIN? No. Non-resident founders can apply for an EIN without a Social Security Number or ITIN by using the phone or fax application method instead of the online system, which is restricted to SSN or ITIN holders.

Can a foreigner get an EIN for a US LLC? Yes. A foreign national LLC owner can apply for an EIN as a non-resident, listing themselves as the responsible party on Form SS-4. This is one of the most common paths for international founders building US businesses.

Is an EIN the same as a business license? No. An EIN is a federal tax identification number. A business license is a separate state or local permit that may also be required depending on your industry and location. Many businesses need both.

How much does it cost to get an EIN from the IRS? Nothing. Applying directly through the IRS is free. Any fee you pay is for a third-party service handling the application on your behalf, not for the EIN itself.

Can I apply for an EIN before forming my LLC? No. Your LLC or corporation must be legally formed and approved by the state first. Applying before formation typically results in rejection.

Do I need an ITIN before applying for an EIN? No. This is a very common misconception. The EIN belongs to your business, not to you personally, and most non-resident founders successfully obtain an EIN without ever applying for an ITIN.

How long does it take to get an EIN as a non-resident? It varies. Phone applications for international founders can sometimes be completed same-day, while fax applications usually take about four business days. Mail is the slowest, often several weeks.

Can I use my EIN to open a business bank account remotely? Yes, particularly through fintech and neobank platforms that specialize in serving non-resident business owners, many of which allow full online account opening using your EIN confirmation letter and formation documents.

What is a responsible party on Form SS-4? It’s the individual the IRS holds primarily accountable for the business’s funds and assets. Even non-resident owners without an SSN can be listed as the responsible party using alternative identifying information.

Can I get an EIN without a US address? Yes. Most non-resident founders use their registered agent’s address as the business mailing address on the EIN application, since a physical US address is typically required for formation and correspondence purposes.

Disclaimer

This article is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. IRS procedures, forms, and requirements can change. Always confirm current requirements directly with the IRS or a licensed tax professional before applying for an EIN or forming a business entity.

Conclusion

Getting an Employer Identification Number is one of the most foundational steps in starting a US business, and for non-resident business owners especially, it’s often the single document that unlocks everything else — from a business bank account to your first vendor contract to building business credit down the line. The process itself is straightforward once you understand the sequence: form your entity, lock in your registered agent, complete IRS Form SS-4, and choose the application method that fits your situation, whether that’s the instant online system or the phone and fax route built for international founders.

Whether you handle it yourself or lean on a formation service to manage the EIN for foreign-owned LLC process alongside your LLC formation, the number itself costs nothing to obtain directly from the IRS and, once issued, never expires. Get this one step right, and nearly everything else in setting up your US business gets noticeably easier from here.