Start with paper you already hold
The number is on every business return and payroll filing you have made, and a 147C request is the fallback.
At a glance
A Business Tax Account gives you a digital CP 575
If you have an IRS Business Tax Account online, you can download a digital copy of the CP 575, the letter the IRS sent when your EIN was first issued. The IRS says banks accept it.
Do not apply for a second EIN
A lost EIN number is a filing cabinet problem, not a reason to start again.
Skip the wait on the IRS business line
Waiting on the IRS business line is time you could spend elsewhere. With authorization on file we can request the letter for you. Call (212) 641-0673 or use the contact form. Open evenings and weekends.
Before you call the IRS
A lost EIN is a filing-cabinet problem
A lost EIN number almost never needs the IRS to solve it. The number is nine digits your business has been writing on things for years, so the first job is looking in the right drawer. The second is knowing what to do when somebody wants proof rather than a number.
01Your own records
Where your EIN number already lives
A lost EIN number shows up in one of four places, in roughly this order.
Any business return you have filed
Form 1065, 1120 or 1120-S carries it on the first page. A sole proprietor will find it on Schedule C, on the line for the employer ID number.
Payroll filings
Every Form 941 and every W-2 your business has issued shows the EIN, which is why a payroll provider can usually tell you in a minute.
The business bank account
If you used the EIN to open it, the paperwork may have it, and the IRS suggests asking your bank if the number is lost.
Paperwork other people hold
Business licenses and state tax registrations usually ask for the federal number and keep it on the record. A 1099 a client sent you may show the number you gave on the W-9.
02The original letter
The IRS will not reissue the CP 575 letter
The original CP 575 is the EIN confirmation letter, sent once when the number is first assigned. The IRS is explicit that the CP575A-J series cannot be duplicated or recreated, so nobody can send you a replacement.
Holding for the IRS?
We can request the letter for you with authorization on file. Call (212) 641-0673.
There is now a substitute. Eligible Business Tax Account users can download a digital CP 575, and the IRS says it works in place of both the original notice and Letter 147C. It also says banks and other institutions accept it as written confirmation of the EIN, which is the line to quote at a branch counter.
03Letter 147C
How to get an EIN verification letter
If the digital notice is not available to you, Letter 147C is how to get written confirmation.
By phone, in three steps
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line
800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm local time. Early in the day is the shortest wait.Verify who you are
You have to be the responsible party, a partner or an officer, or hold written authorization. The representative verifies who you are and whether you are entitled to the account before they issue anything.Ask for Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned
Choose mail or fax. Fax can reach you during the call. Allow about two weeks by mail.
04Four documents, one number
CP 575 or 147C, and which one the bank wants
Four documents that all confirm the same nine digits. They differ in when the IRS issued them, how you get hold of them, and how much else they show.
| Document | When you get it | How to get it | What it shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Original CP 575 | Once, when the EIN is first issued | Cannot be reissued or duplicated | EIN and legal name at formation |
| Letter 147C | On request, any time after | Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line | EIN and legal name currently on file — the standard replacement |
| Digital CP 575 | On demand | Download from an IRS Business Tax Account | EIN — the IRS treats it as equivalent to both the original notice and 147C |
| Business entity transcript | Free, any time | Order online or through an IRS transcript request | The EIN in full, current name and address, and whether an LLC is single or multi member |
Whether a bank, lender or payroll provider accepts one document over another is that institution’s own policy rather than an IRS rule, so ask before you go in. Check the legal name on whichever letter reaches you: a mismatch with the name you trade under is what holds up the account. Background is in IRS Publication 1635.
05FAQ
Find my EIN number FAQs
Can I get a copy of my original CP 575?
No. The IRS says the CP575A-J series cannot be duplicated or recreated. A digital CP 575 or Letter 147C stands in for it.
Can I get a copy of my EIN letter online?
Yes, if you have an IRS Business Tax Account. You can download a digital CP 575 there, and the IRS says banks accept it as written confirmation of the EIN. The IRS never reissues the original paper letter, and the digital one stands in for it.
Can I look up my EIN online?
Only in your own IRS Business Tax Account. There is no public page where you type a business name and get its EIN back, so if you cannot sign in, the number is on your own returns and payroll filings.
Can I look up another company’s EIN?
Sometimes. The IRS publishes EINs for tax exempt organizations in its Tax Exempt Organization Search, and public companies show theirs in SEC filings. For a private company there is no public record, so ask them for a signed W-9.
How long does Letter 147C take?
By mail, allow about two weeks. The fax copy can reach you before the call ends.
Will a bank accept a 147C instead of the CP 575?
Usually yes. The IRS treats the digital CP 575 as equivalent to both, and 147C is the standard replacement, though each institution sets its own policy.
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Keep it from happening again
Get your records in one place
If you are hunting for the EIN, the rest of the file is probably scattered too. We keep client records year to year so this stops happening. Call (212) 641-0673 or use the contact form. No charge for the conversation.
Reviewed by George Dimov, CPA, New York, NY. Serving clients in all 50 states, 15+ years advising businesses on federal registration, IRS correspondence and New York City and State tax. President of George Dimov, CPA, a New York City firm serving clients across the five boroughs and nationwide.