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How to find or confirm your EIN

What an EIN is, where it is usually written down, and the free official ways to confirm it.

1. What it is

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is the nine-digit number the IRS uses to identify a business, a bit like a Social Security number for the business. Getting one directly from the IRS is free.

2. Why it matters

Banks, payment processors, payroll, funders and many state registrations ask for it. It is also sensitive: treat it like an account number and only give it to people who genuinely need it.

3. Where to look

  • The IRS confirmation notice sent when the EIN was assigned (often called a CP 575), or the PDF you saved after applying online.
  • Your business bank account paperwork.
  • Past federal tax returns or payroll filings for the business.
  • State or local license and tax registrations, which usually record it.

4. How to do it

  1. Check the places above first.
  2. If it is truly lost, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line (800-829-4933, weekdays 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time). The IRS verifies your identity and gives the number to an authorized person.
  3. To get proof of it, the IRS lists three routes: an entity transcript, a downloadable CP575 for eligible Business Tax Account users, or Letter 147C (EIN Previously Assigned).
  4. If the business never had one and needs one, apply on the IRS site. It is free; do not pay a third party.
  5. Record where the confirmation is kept below. Record only the last four digits, never the full number.

5. Official sources

6. Record what you found

Keep a note of where each of these lives:

  • The CP575 notice, entity transcript or Letter 147C
  • Where that document is stored
  • The last four digits, if you want a reference

In Brand Axis this becomes a step on your launch map: you record where the proof lives, mark how it was checked, and get a reminder when it needs checking again.

7. Check it

Mark it done once you have seen the record yourself. It counts as verified when the record is an official one, and as professionally reviewed when someone qualified has checked it. When to get help: An accountant if the business changed structure or ownership, or if you are unsure whether it needs its own EIN.

8. Where it gets used

Only the status (found and confirmed) is reused: it unlocks the bank account, payment and funding steps. The number itself is never sent to Axis or put in any export.

9. When to check again

No renewal. Check again if the business structure changes, which can require a new EIN.

General information for US businesses, not legal, tax or financial advice. Rules differ by state and change over time. Check the official source, and ask a qualified professional about your situation. Scope: United States (federal). Last reviewed 2026-09-19 by AxisAlign editorial.