How to Find Your Own or Other Company’s EIN?

Introduction to EIN

A business tax ID number like the Employer Identification Number (EIN) is used for many purposes and yet it is not used on a day-to-day basis. As a result, you might not remember the number off the hook just like you remember your business phone number or address. So, what happens when you need to use the EIN on business documentation or need to find the EIN of a vendor? This is where an EIN look up will help you to find the tax ID number. There are different aspects, processes, and tools or a resource for finding an employer identification number and this guide has been created to help you understand the different processes involved.

EIN of a Company

An employer identification number (EIN) of a company is one of the important tax ID numbers that is required by different types of public companies, non-profit organizations, and private companies among others. Since, most businesses have to obtain an EIN prior to transacting in any state in the US, you can also use several resources to find EIN numbers for other businesses as well.

What is an EIN of a company?

When you form or register a new business in any state in the US, you will also have to simultaneously apply for the federal tax ID also known as an employer identification number (EIN). This is a mandatory requirement and is issued by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). This tax ID number is used for identifying a business entity and hence sometimes businesses use EIN look up resources to check their own EIN or that of other companies. There are a wide variety of businesses like Business Corporation and partnerships that require this tax ID number and it is also required when the ownership or structure of a specific business entity has changed.

Why is it important to know your EIN?

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a unique nine-digit number, which is primarily used for identification of a business for tax purposes. It is also used for providing tax statements of a specific entity to the tax lawyers. It is important to know your EIN because once you have this business tax ID number, it may fulfill a wide variety of purposes including filing of tax returns. Sometimes, you may require this business tax ID number for a loan application or for any other important business requirement like application for business license or even to hire employees. In such a scenario, if you don’t remember the number, you can find the EIN number using different resources. The bottom-line is that if you are unable to remember your EIN number when filing an important document then the filing may get delayed, which could be unprofitable for the business.

EIN Look up: Finding your company’s EIN

An EIN look up is a process by which you can find this unique nine-digit business tax ID number of your company as well as any other business in the US. There is always a probability that you may need to find the EIN of another company you are planning to do business with. There are other times when you may need to find your own EIN for an important business related application. There can be any number of reasons why you may need to find your business tax ID number but the question is how you go about looking up your EIN.

Find EIN number from EIN confirmation letter

One of the ways to find an EIN number is with the help of the employer identification number (EIN) confirmation letter. In order to understand what the confirmation letter is and how do you find EIN, let’s look at an example:

You have formed a company and applied with the IRS for an employer identification number. You want to open a bank account for business transactions and your bank asks for a confirmation regarding the issue of the EIN. In such a scenario, what do you do? This is where the form CP575 comes to the rescue. Yes, this is a form that will help you find an EIN number so that you can provide it to the bank.

Contact IRS directly to find EIN

One of the most common ways to find an EIN number is by contacting the Internal Revenue Service directly. Most often than not, businesses contact the IRS only when they have lost or misplaced their Employer Identification Number (EIN). You will be required to call the Business & Specialty Tax phone number at 800-829-4933 between 7:00 am and 7:00 pm local time from Monday through to Friday. You will be required to provide identifying information to an assistor and you will receive the information only if you are an authorized person. Authorized persons according to the IRS include a business partner, sole proprietor, corporate officers, executors of an estate etc.

Look in other company documents where an EIN can be found

If you are unable to remember your EIN or have misplaced it then one of the options for business EIN lookup is by trying to find it in other company related documents. Some of the documents where you can search for the employer identification number (EIN) include:

Do you need an EIN for your company?

Finding another company’s EIN

Why would you need to find the EIN number of another company? The most commonly stated reason includes validation of information provided by another company. Sometimes when one business chooses its vendors, retailers, or partnership businesses, such a business has to provide relevant information regarding its credibility. In order to check their credibility and to find out if the business exists, you may be required to search its Employer Identification Number. There are several ways to find out the EIN, so let’s look at your options.

• Contact company official directly – The first option for EIN lookup especially for other companies is to directly contact an authorized company representative or official. Such an official would be the company accountant or even an officer in their finance division.
• Get company’s business credit report – The second option of EIN lookup for other companies is to check their business credit report. You will be able to get a credit report from credit bureaus like Equifax, Experian, and Dun & Bradstreet. A company’s credit report always contains their employer identification number.
• Look in SEC Filings if company is publicly traded – You can also check the website of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to confirm whether the company’s EIN you are searching for is publicly traded. Public companies in the US are required to file periodic returns as well as provide updates on their earnings to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). A company’s employer identification number is present in such documents and by conducting a proper search; you will be able to find the EIN number of any company.
• Hire any professionals to search for an EIN – If you need to look up your own or another company’s Employer Identification Number then you can also hire professionals with knowledge and expertise in EIN look up. Each professional has their own ways and sources and will conduct in-depth public document or business document search to find the Employer Identification Number of the said company.

EDGAR Filings

EDGAR stands for the Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval system and it contains a massive database of public companies in the US. The EDGAR system performs a variety of tasks including automated collection of information, indexing, acceptance, validation, and forwarding of any submissions made by public companies as well as other businesses as are required by the law to file specific forms with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Public companies and other regulated business entities have to also submit quarterly, periodic, and annual reports to the SEC and hence the EDGAR filings are often used for EIN look up.

What is EDGAR Filing?

EDGAR filing is an electronic filing process that has been created so that public companies and other relevant businesses can submit several types of documents including financial statements, annual reports, and other formal business documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The objective of EDGAR filing is to gather data, analyze it and retrieve as and when required or if specific information is searched for like when you want to find the EIN number of another company.

Get the help from IncParadise!

An employer identification number (EIN) is used for identifying a business by the IRS similar to an individual being identified by his/her Social Security number (SSN). An individual has to provide their SSN while filing returns and similarly, businesses provide EIN to file returns and hence IncParadise has created a service that caters towards helping you order EIN directly. We have a strong team of professionals that will not only provide information pertaining to employer identification numbers but also guide you through the process. Our team is also committed towards helping you with EDGAR filings for your company including filing of Form ID.

IncParadise believes that every new and existing business has a wide variety of requirements right from applying to a business license to filing annual lists. The business requirements are a driving factor for IncParadise towards creating a variety of additional services. These additional services are targeted at businesses that require assistance with different processes like IRS filing, applying for DBA – Fictitious Name, Certificate of Good Standing, Corporate Kits, Apostille for international entities, Amendments of Articles, mail-forwarding and virtual address services.