What is a Delaware EIN number?
A Delaware EIN number is the 9-digit Employer Identification Number the IRS assigns to a business registered in Delaware. It is a federal number, not a state number. The IRS issues it for $0 through Form SS-4.
The number prints in a 2-digit and 7-digit format separated by a hyphen, like 12-3456789. Delaware issues no part of it. The Delaware Division of Corporations creates the company; the IRS creates the tax identity. Two agencies, two records, one order of operations.
Delaware carries more registered entities than residents. The Division of Corporations reports more than 2 million registered business entities in a state with 3 counties, in its published annual report statistics. That volume is why the phrase “Delaware EIN” gets searched every month, and why the answer disappoints people who expect something special: the form is the same 18-field Form SS-4 filed from every other state.
An EIN never expires and never renews. Year 2 costs $0. Year 10 costs $0. A Delaware company keeps the same EIN through a registered agent change, an address change, and a bank change. The only event that creates a second EIN is a change of entity type, and a second EIN for the same company creates two open tax accounts under one name.
How do you get an EIN number in Delaware?
You get an EIN number in Delaware by filing Form SS-4 with the IRS: free online at irs.gov in 15 minutes if you have an SSN, or by fax to 855-641-6935 if you do not. The IRS fee is $0.
The Delaware step comes first. The Division of Corporations files a Certificate of Formation for an LLC at $110 and a Certificate of Incorporation for a corporation starting at $89. Standard processing is measured in days; 24-hour expedited service costs $50 on top of the filing fee. The stamped certificate is what line 1 and line 11 of Form SS-4 copy from.
The 5 steps, in order
- Get the Delaware entity approved first (before line 1 exists). The Delaware Division of Corporations files the Certificate of Formation for $110 for an LLC, or a Certificate of Incorporation from $89.
- Copy the legal name off the Delaware certificate (line 1). Line 1 must match the Division of Corporations record character for character, including LLC, L.L.C., Inc. or Incorporated.
- Enter 1 of Delaware's 3 counties on line 6. Line 6 takes a county and a state. Delaware has 3: New Castle, Kent, and Sussex. Wilmington is a city, not the answer.
- Answer line 7a and line 7b (2 fields, 1 person). Line 7a takes one human being who controls the funds. Line 7b takes their SSN, their ITIN, or the word Foreign.
- File with the IRS (15 minutes online, or by fax). File at irs.gov in 15 minutes with an SSN, or fax to 855-641-6935 from a US address and 855-215-1627 from outside it.
Sources: IRS Form SS-4 and its instructions at irs.gov. The $110, $89, and $50 expedite figures come from the Delaware Division of Corporations fee schedule. Verified July 2026.
Keep the Delaware certificate open on screen while you complete the form. Line 1 and line 11 both copy straight off it. All 18 fields are answered before anything is submitted. IRS processing is the part that takes days or weeks, and which of the 2 routes above applies decides that entirely.
Does forming in Delaware change the EIN itself?
No. An EIN is federal. The IRS issues the same 9-digit number in the same format from the same 18-field Form SS-4 in all 50 states, for $0. Delaware runs no EIN program and issues no state EIN.
No digit in an EIN encodes a state. The IRS retired geographic prefixes when it centralized EIN assignment, so the first 2 digits identify the IRS campus that processed the application, not Delaware, not Wyoming, and not Florida. A bank reading 12-3456789 learns nothing about where the company formed.
What Delaware changes is 4 answers on the form and the paperwork calendar around it. Everything else on the page below is federal and applies to a company formed in any state.
| Element of the application | Set by | Changes with the state? |
|---|---|---|
| The 9-digit EIN format | IRS | No |
| The $0 fee | IRS | No |
| The 18 numbered fields | IRS | No |
| The 15-minute online route | IRS | No |
| Fax numbers 855-641-6935 and 855-215-1627 | IRS | No |
| The CP-575 confirmation letter | IRS | No |
| Line 1 legal name | State formation record | Yes |
| Line 6 county | State geography (Delaware has 3) | Yes |
| Line 9b state of incorporation | State of formation | Yes |
| Line 11 start date | State approval stamp | Yes |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and its instructions, verified July 2026.
Comparing states before you form? The wyoming ein number page runs the same 4 changed answers against Wyoming’s 23 counties and its $50 annual report, so you can see exactly how little the EIN side moves.
Do you form the Delaware company before or after the EIN?
Before. The IRS issues EINs to entities that legally exist. Line 1 needs the approved Delaware name and line 11 needs the Delaware formation date, so the $110 Certificate of Formation comes first, then Form SS-4.
Reversing the order costs weeks. The IRS reports a rejection by mail, not by email, and a faxed application that fails is silent until that envelope arrives. Applicants outside the United States wait for international post on top of that.
The Delaware sequence, with what each step needs
| Step | Who handles it | What it needs from the step before | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Appoint a Delaware registered agent | Private agent with a Delaware address | Nothing | Set by the agent |
| 2. File the Certificate of Formation | Delaware Division of Corporations | The registered agent name | $110 for an LLC |
| 3. File Form SS-4 for the EIN | IRS | The stamped name and formation date | $0 |
| 4. Get the Delaware business license | Delaware Division of Revenue | The EIN | From $75 |
| 5. Open the US bank account | The bank | The EIN and the CP-575 letter | Set by the bank |
| 6. Pay the annual LLC tax | Delaware Division of Revenue | The entity file number | $300 by June 1 |
Sources: the $110 from the Division of Corporations fee schedule, the $300 June 1 tax from its annual tax page, the $75 license from Delaware One Stop, and the $0 EIN fee from the IRS. Verified July 2026.
Step 3 is the hinge. Steps 4 and 5 both ask for the EIN, so a stalled EIN application stalls the bank account and the license behind it. That is the reason applicants on the fax route care about a written filing deadline instead of a status page.
Is a Delaware EIN number the same as a Delaware state tax ID?
No. The EIN is a 9-digit federal number issued by the IRS for $0. Delaware issues a separate business license and tax account through the Division of Revenue, and that account asks for the EIN on the application.
| Registration | Issued by | Fee | Recurring? | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EIN | IRS (federal) | $0 | Never renews | Federal filing, payroll, US bank accounts |
| Delaware business license | Delaware Division of Revenue | From $75 | Yes | The right to do business in Delaware |
| Gross receipts tax account | Delaware Division of Revenue | 0.0945% to 0.7468% of receipts | Yes | Tax on the seller in place of sales tax |
| Entity formation | Delaware Division of Corporations | $110 LLC, from $89 corporation | One time | Legal existence of the company |
Sources: the $0 EIN fee from the IRS; the $75 license from Delaware One Stop; the 0.0945% to 0.7468% range from the Division of Revenue gross receipts tax rates; the $110 and $89 from the Division of Corporations fee schedule. Verified July 2026.
Delaware charges 0% sales tax, which is the fact most people repeat about the state. The Division of Revenue collects a gross receipts tax from the seller instead, at published rates running from 0.0945% to 0.7468% depending on the activity. Corporate income tax runs at 8.7%, and the top personal income tax rate is 6.6%. None of those 5 numbers appear anywhere on Form SS-4.
The federal and state numbers do different jobs and never substitute for each other. The state tax id vs ein breakdown runs that comparison across all 50 states, including which states issue a separate number at all and which reuse the federal EIN in their own systems.
How does a Delaware LLC get an EIN number?
A Delaware LLC gets an EIN by filing Form SS-4 after the Division of Corporations stamps its Certificate of Formation. Line 8a is checked yes, line 8b takes the member count, and line 8c is checked yes.
The number on line 8b decides federal tax treatment for the life of the company. 1 member defaults to a disregarded entity. 2 or more members default to a partnership. An LLC that wants corporate treatment files a separate election after the EIN arrives, because that election prints the EIN in its header.
Delaware does not require an LLC annual report. It requires an annual tax instead: a flat $300, due June 1, with no revenue test and no proration. A Delaware corporation follows a different calendar entirely, filing an annual report by March 1 for $50 plus franchise tax.
The Delaware annual calendar
| Obligation | Applies to | Deadline | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual LLC tax | LLC and LP | June 1 each year | $300 flat |
| Annual report | Corporation | March 1 each year | $50 |
| Franchise tax, authorized shares method | Corporation | March 1 each year | From $175 |
| Franchise tax, assumed par value method | Corporation | March 1 each year | From $400 |
| Franchise tax ceiling | Corporation | March 1 each year | $200,000 |
| Franchise tax ceiling, large corporate filer | Corporation | March 1 each year | $250,000 |
| Late payment penalty | LLC and corporation | After the deadline | $200 plus 1.5% monthly interest |
| EIN renewal | Every entity | None | $0 |
Sources: the $300, $50, and $200 plus 1.5% figures from the Division of Corporations annual tax and annual report page; the $175, $400, $200,000, and $250,000 franchise tax figures from its franchise tax calculation page; the $0 EIN figure from the IRS. Verified July 2026.
The last row is the point of this table. Every other line repeats every year and carries a penalty for missing it. The EIN carries no deadline, no renewal, and no fee, which puts its lifetime cost at $0 against $300 a year for the LLC that holds it.
What changes for a foreign owner forming in Delaware?
Three things change: line 7b takes the word Foreign, lines 5a and 5b stay blank with no US street address, and a single-member LLC with a foreign owner files Form 5472 every year. The IRS fee stays $0.
Delaware asks nothing about citizenship or residence. The Division of Corporations requires a registered agent with a Delaware address, and that agent is a company, not the owner. No owner has to live in the state, visit the state, or hold any US status to be named on the Certificate of Formation.
Line 6 still needs a county. Use the county on the Delaware record even when the owner has never set foot in Dover. Line 4a takes a foreign mailing address with the country written out, which is where the IRS mails the CP-575.
Form 5472 is the obligation people miss. A single-member Delaware LLC owned by a person outside the United States files Form 5472 with a pro forma Form 1120 every year, and the IRS penalty for failing to file it is $25,000. Form 5472 prints the EIN in its header, which is another reason the EIN comes before the first tax season rather than after it.
Delaware requires a registered agent, not a resident owner. The agent needs a Delaware address. The owner needs neither an address nor a visit.
Form SS-4 requires no identity document. The IRS asks for 18 field answers and 1 signature. No passport is uploaded anywhere in the process.
The responsible party on line 7a is 1 person. A parent company, the Delaware registered agent, or an accountant on line 7a triggers rejection.
Form 5472 follows every year, at a $25,000 penalty for skipping it. It attaches to a pro forma Form 1120 and requires the EIN from this application.
Ready to hand the filing over? get started with your EIN and we prepare all 18 fields, then file by fax within 5 business days, or within 24 hours on Fast.
How do you get a Delaware EIN number without an SSN?
Enter the word Foreign on line 7b of Form SS-4. The IRS issues EINs to responsible parties who hold no SSN and no ITIN. The application moves from the online tool to the fax line, and no passport is required.
| Channel | Number | Who uses it |
|---|---|---|
| IRS fax, US-based entity | 855-641-6935 | The Delaware entity has a US business address |
| IRS fax, international | 855-215-1627 | The Delaware entity has no US business address |
| IRS international phone line | 267-941-1099 | International applicants calling the IRS directly |
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
Line 7b decides the route on its own. The IRS online assistant validates the responsible party against SSN and ITIN records, so an applicant holding neither stops at that screen every time. The paper form runs no such check. One word opens the fax route.
A Delaware registered agent address is not a US business address for this question. The agent receives legal service; it does not operate the business. Companies with no US office use 855-215-1627 and leave lines 5a and 5b blank.
The full no-SSN walkthrough sits on the apply for EIN without SSN page, and every field rule is on the Form SS-4 checklist.
How long does a Delaware EIN number take?
A Delaware EIN takes 15 minutes online with an SSN, days to weeks by fax, and 4 weeks by mail. Delaware does not change IRS processing time. einnumber.co files by fax within 5 business days, or within 24 hours.
| Method | Time to EIN | SSN required | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRS online assistant | 15 minutes | Yes | $0 |
| IRS fax, Form SS-4 | Days to weeks | No | $0 |
| IRS mail, Form SS-4 | 4 weeks | No | $0 |
| IRS international phone | One call | No | $0 |
| einnumber.co Standard | 12–14 business days total | No | $67 |
| einnumber.co Fast | Under a week | No | $97 |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 instructions, verified July 2026. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays.
The IRS online assistant runs Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern. Delaware sits in the Eastern time zone, so those hours read straight off the clock in Wilmington and Dover. The session ends after 15 minutes of inactivity and restarts from the first screen.
Add the Delaware step to the front of any plan. The Division of Corporations processes standard filings in days, and 24-hour expedited service costs $50. Nobody files Form SS-4 until that certificate exists, because line 11 asks for its date.
Fax carries no tracking number and no status page. That gap is what the fee buys: we file by fax within 5 business days for $67, follow up with the IRS, and file within 24 hours for $97 when you pick Fast, or the filing is free.
What does Form SS-4 ask a Delaware applicant on each line?
Form SS-4 asks the same 18 numbered fields of every applicant. Delaware changes 4 answers: the legal name on line 1, 1 of 3 counties on line 6, Delaware on line 9b for corporations, and the line 11 date.
| Line | What it asks | The Delaware answer |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Legal name of entity | The exact name printed on the Delaware Certificate of Formation or Certificate of Incorporation, character for character. |
| 2 | Trade name (DBA) | A Delaware trade name registered with the Prothonotary of the county goes here. A trade name never receives its own EIN. |
| 4a, 4b | Mailing address | Where the IRS mails the CP-575. A foreign mailing address is accepted with the country written out. A Delaware registered agent address is not a mailing address for the owner. |
| 5a, 5b | Street address | Complete these only when a physical US street address exists. A P.O. box fails on line 5a. Owners with no US office leave both blank. |
| 6 | County and state of the principal business | New Castle, Kent, or Sussex, then Delaware. Wilmington, Dover, and Newark are cities and reject. |
| 7a | Responsible party | One person who controls the entity and its funds. The Delaware registered agent on line 7a triggers rejection. |
| 7b | SSN, ITIN, or EIN of the responsible party | An SSN or ITIN when the responsible party holds one. The word Foreign when the responsible party holds neither. |
| 8a, 8b, 8c | LLC questions | A Delaware LLC checks yes on 8a, enters its member count on 8b, and checks yes on 8c because Delaware is in the United States. |
| 9a, 9b | Type of entity | One box on 9a. A Delaware corporation enters Delaware on line 9b as the state of incorporation. |
| 10 | Reason for applying | Started a new business, or banking purpose when the EIN opens the US business bank account. |
| 11 | Date the business started | The formation date stamped by the Delaware Division of Corporations, not the date the operating agreement was signed. |
| 13 | Highest number of employees in the next 12 months | A number in all 3 boxes: agricultural, household, other. Enter 0 in each box when the company hires nobody. |
| 16, 17 | Principal activity and merchandise | One box on line 16 and a specific description on line 17. Software development is specific. Consulting is not. |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and its instructions, verified July 2026.
The 5 mistakes that reject Delaware applications
Line 1 drops or adds a character. LLC and L.L.C. read as 2 different entities to the IRS. Read the Delaware certificate back one character at a time.
Line 6 names Wilmington. Wilmington is a city in New Castle County. Line 6 takes 1 of Delaware's 3 counties, then the word Delaware.
Line 7a names the registered agent. Delaware requires a registered agent. The IRS requires the person who controls the funds. They are 2 different roles.
Line 11 predates the Delaware stamp. Use the formation date printed by the Division of Corporations, not the date the operating agreement was signed.
Line 13 is left blank. All 3 boxes need a number. Enter 0 for agricultural, household, and other when the company hires nobody.
The IRS reports a rejection by mail, not by email. A rejected fax filing burns weeks before the notice reaches the address on line 4a. Reading line 1 back against the Delaware certificate before you file prevents the first failure on this list of 5, and it adds 0 days to the timeline.
How much does a Delaware EIN number cost?
A Delaware EIN number costs $0. The IRS charges nothing for Form SS-4 and nothing for the EIN, through every filing method. An EIN costs $0 in year 2 and every year after, because an EIN never renews.
| Filed by | Price | Filing guarantee in writing | Year 2+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yourself, direct to the IRS | $0 | None | $0 |
| einnumber.co Standard | $67 | Filed by fax within 5 business days or the filing is free | $0 |
| einnumber.co Fast | $97 | Filed and the IRS call made within 24 hours, guaranteed, or the filing is free | $0 |
| Northwest | $200 | Not stated | $0 |
| ZenBusiness | $99 | Not stated | $0 |
| Rocket Lawyer | $59.99 | Not stated | $0 |
Competitor prices verified July 2026 and listed here for price comparison only. Northwest reflects the no-SSN rate. No link, recommendation, or service comparison is offered or implied.
Read this before paying anyone, including us. Holding an SSN means the IRS issues your Delaware EIN at irs.gov in 15 minutes for $0. The $67 exists for the applicants the online tool blocks: a paper form, a fax line with no tracking, and 18 fields that have to be right the first time.
Note what the $67 does not cover. It does not cover the $110 Certificate of Formation, the $300 annual LLC tax, the $75 business license, or the registered agent. Those are Delaware costs paid to Delaware. The $67 covers the federal EIN filing and the filing guarantee, and it repeats 0 times.
The honest version of the price question lives on the free EIN number page, which lays out every route the IRS operates and what each one actually costs.