How long does it take to get an EIN?
EINFormation
If you apply on the IRS website, the number appears on screen the moment the application is accepted. The confirmation letter is a PDF on the last screen, and that is the whole process. Fax takes about four business days and a mailed Form SS-4 takes around four weeks, and those are the IRS's own estimates in a normal year. Both routes get slower in tax season.
The online tool has quirks worth knowing before you sit down. It is only open Monday to Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern, Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. It cannot be saved part-way, and it times out after fifteen minutes of inactivity, at which point you start again. Have the company's legal name, formation date and address in front of you before you begin, along with the Social Security number or ITIN of the responsible party, meaning the founder who actually controls the company. The IRS wants that person's own number, not a lawyer's or an agent's.
Wait for the state first
The application asks for the exact legal name the state approved and the date it approved it. Applying before your LLC or corporation is actually on file means guessing at both, and a mismatch between what the IRS has and what the state has is a nuisance you will meet again at the bank. Form the company, wait for the approved filing, then apply. Most states approve in a few days, and that wait is usually the longest part of the whole process.
Two limits that surprise people
The IRS issues one EIN per responsible party per day, whichever way you apply. If you are setting up two companies, that is two days. And there is no expedited service at any price, because there is nothing to expedite. The online route is already instant, and the paper routes are slow because someone at the IRS has to key them in.
If Arabella is filing for you, we do it once the state has approved the company, so the IRS gets the name and date the state actually granted. Please do not apply yourself in the meantime. The IRS allows one EIN per responsible party per day, so a second application is refused, or leaves you with two numbers and a letter to write to close one.
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Written by the lawyers who built Arabella. This is legal information, not legal advice for your situation, and reading it does not make us your lawyers. For a real dispute or a high-stakes decision, talk to a licensed attorney. More questions.