How to Get Your EIN

What is the EIN?

The EIN or Employee Identification Number is a unique nine digit number that is assigned to corporate businesses for identifying their status and for taxation purposes. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is responsible for assigning the EIN to business entities. There are various ways to obtain your EIN, but the simplest method is applying for it online.

Getting Your EIN from the IRS

To obtain your unique EIN, follow these steps:

Visit the official Internal Revenue Service website. Click on the “Apply Online Now” tab at the bottom of the page. Go to “Begin Application.” If you wish to apply for the EIN to file your export information to the Census Bureau, choose the option of “Sole Proprietor” on the legal structure of the page. Click on Continue. On the next menu, select “Sole Proprietor “again on the list and click the Continue button once again. You will be asked to confirm your selection. Click on the “Continue” button on this new page to confirm your selection. Now you will be taken to a new page where you will be prompted for a reason to applying for the EIN. Go through the list and select any of these. Hit the “Continue” button once again On the form that comes up, fill in your personal details like your name, address and SSN fields. Choose “sole proprietor” again. Click on “continue.” Leave the field for Trade Name blank Choose United States as the location of the sole proprietor i.e. you. Select your State of Origin and enter the date as “Sole Proprietor Start Date.” Click on “Continue.”

Once done, you will be prompted for a questionnaire.