3 free ways to find your EIN

The easiest way to find your business tax ID (also known as an Employer Identification Number (EIN)) is to dig up your EIN confirmation. This is the document her IRS sent her when she filed her own application. Employer identification number. If you lose your notice, there are additional free options, such as calling the IRS.

One thing the IRS doesn't offer is an EIN search tool published online. This means that if you want to search for another company's tax ID number rather than your own, you will need to use a different route.

Here's what you need to know when searching for an EIN for your business or someone else.

EIN lookup options are:

If you applied for an EIN online, you should have the opportunity to download, save, and print your EIN confirmation letter. Business owners who received her EIN by mail or fax should have received this confirmation with their respective application method. Start by tracking the document.

Your EIN confirmation letter is an important tax and business record, so it's a good idea to keep it with your business bank account information and incorporation documents. Many business owners need to use this number several times a year.

Most companies do not change their EIN. If he has used an EIN in the past, there may be a record of it somewhere on file.

Try searching for your EIN in the following documents: Most documents require a business tax ID number.

• Business licenses and permits.

• Application for business loan.

• Payroll documents, such as 1099s, received or issued.

If you can't find your EIN on file, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933. The line is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.

To receive a business tax ID over the phone, you must prove that you are a company officer, sole trader, or partner in a partnership. Her responding IRS agent will ask questions to verify your identity.

For example, you may need to look up another company's EIN, such as when verifying information for a new supplier or customer.

If you want to find another company's federal tax ID number, you have the following free options:

• Just ask the company to provide it.

• If the company is publicly traded, use the company's information to search for SEC filings. edgar tools.

There are also commercial EIN databases available for a fee. If you need to search for your EIN frequently, it makes sense to do so.

If you lose your EIN, don't apply for a new one – find it. Once you have an EIN for your business, that tax ID will remain with your business for the entire life of your business.

However, there are some situations where you may need a new business tax ID number. These include:

• If you are incorporating for the first time or changing your business entity.

• Acquire an existing business or inherit a business.

• Your business becomes a subsidiary of another company.

• You are a sole proprietor and subject to bankruptcy proceedings.

• You are a sole proprietor and have established a retirement, profit-sharing, or pension plan.

• You will receive a new charter from your state's secretary of state.

• There is a change in ownership structure.

Once you have a new tax identification number, you will use it on future tax returns and other business documents.

If you decide you don't need the EIN you applied for because you've never actually started a business, you can cancel your EIN by writing a letter to the IRS. If you close your account and start another business in the future, you will need a new girlfriend's EIN.