How do you fill out the SS4 form?
You fill out the SS4 form by completing 18 numbered fields, then signing it. Line 1 takes the exact legal name, line 7b takes the responsible party's tax ID or the word Foreign, and line 11 takes the state approval date.
Open each field below and check your answer against the IRS rule. Every field carries a note for applicants filing from outside the United States.
Line 1: Legal name of entity
Copy the name from your approved formation document, character for character. One character of difference rejects the application.
LLC and L.L.C. are two different names to the IRS. Match the state record exactly.
Line 2: Trade name (DBA)
Enter a trade name only when it differs from line 1. Leave line 2 blank when the business trades under its legal name.
A DBA never receives its own EIN. The EIN belongs to the entity on line 1.
Line 3: Executor, administrator, trustee, care-of name
Estates and trusts enter the fiduciary here. Companies leave line 3 blank.
A care-of name changes where the IRS mails the CP-575. It does not change who controls the entity.
Line 4a and 4b: Mailing address
The IRS mails your CP-575 confirmation letter to this address. Line 4b takes city, state, and ZIP code.
The IRS accepts a foreign mailing address. Enter the province and postal code in the line 4b fields, then the country.
Line 5a and 5b: Street address
Complete lines 5a and 5b only when the physical street address differs from line 4. A P.O. box is not accepted on line 5a.
Applicants with no US office leave lines 5a and 5b blank.
Line 6: County and state where the principal business is located
Enter the county and state of the principal business location.
With no US office, enter the state of formation and its county from your formation document.
Line 7a: Name of responsible party
Name the individual who controls the entity and its funds. The IRS accepts one responsible party, and it must be a person.
A parent company, a formation agent, or an accountant on line 7a triggers rejection.
Line 7b: SSN, ITIN, or EIN of the responsible party
Enter the responsible party's SSN or ITIN. Applicants who hold neither enter the word Foreign.
Line 7b is the field that decides your route. Foreign on line 7b blocks the online tool and sends the form to fax.
Line 8a, 8b, 8c: LLC questions
Line 8a asks whether the applicant is an LLC. Line 8b takes the member count. Line 8c asks whether the LLC was organized in the United States.
The number on line 8b sets federal tax treatment: 1 member defaults to a disregarded entity, 2 or more defaults to a partnership.
Line 9a and 9b: Type of entity
Check one box on line 9a. Corporations enter the state or foreign country of incorporation on line 9b.
A single-member LLC with a foreign owner checks the disregarded-entity treatment and files Form 5472 every year.
Line 10: Reason for applying
Check one box: started a new business, hired employees, banking purpose, changed type of organization, or compliance with IRS withholding regulations.
Banking purpose is the accurate box when the EIN opens a US business account.
Line 11: Date the business started or was acquired
Enter the formation date printed on your state approval, in month, day, year order.
Use the state's approval date, not the date you signed the paperwork or paid the filing fee.
Line 12: Closing month of the accounting year
Enter the final month of your fiscal year. December applies to entities on the calendar year.
December keeps the entity aligned with the standard US tax year and the April filing deadlines.
Line 13: Highest number of employees expected in the next 12 months
Enter a number in each of the three boxes: agricultural, household, and other. Enter 0 where you expect none.
0 across all three boxes is a complete answer. A blank line 13 is not.
Line 14: Form 944 election
Check the box when you expect employment tax liability of $1,000 or less for the full calendar year and want to file Form 944 once a year.
Entities with 0 employees leave line 14 unchecked.
Line 15: First date wages or annuities were paid
Enter the first payroll date. Leave line 15 blank when the entity pays no wages.
A date here starts federal payroll filing duties. Enter one only when payroll exists.
Line 16: Principal activity
Check the single box that best describes the principal activity, such as wholesale, retail, or the other box with a written description.
Check other and write the activity when software, consulting, or e-commerce fits nothing on the list.
Line 17: Principal line of merchandise or services
Describe the specific product or service in a few words.
Software development ranks as specific. Consulting and services do not.
Line 18: Prior EIN
Answer whether the entity on line 1 has ever received an EIN before. Enter the previous number when the answer is yes.
A second EIN for the same entity creates two tax accounts under one company.
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and its instructions, verified July 2026.
What do the form SS4 instructions require on each field?
The form SS4 instructions require an exact entity name on line 1, one human responsible party on line 7a, a tax ID or Foreign on line 7b, a member count on line 8b, and a number on all three boxes of line 13.
How to fill out the SS4 form in 5 steps
- Copy your legal name from the state approval (2 minutes). Line 1 must match the formation document character for character, including LLC or L.L.C.
- Name one responsible party (3 minutes). Line 7a takes a person. Line 7b takes their SSN, their ITIN, or the word Foreign.
- Answer the entity questions (5 minutes). Lines 8a, 8b, 8c, 9a, and 9b set your federal tax classification for the life of the entity.
- Complete the operating fields (5 minutes). Lines 10 through 18 cover the reason, the start date, the fiscal year, employees, and activity.
- Sign, date, and send (2 minutes). An unsigned SS-4 gets returned. Fax to 855-641-6935, or 855-215-1627 from outside the US.
The five steps cover all 18 fields and 1 signature line with the formation document in front of you. Preparation is not the slow part of an EIN application. IRS processing is: 15 minutes online against 4 weeks by mail, on identical field content.
How do you fill out the SS4 form without an SSN?
Enter the word Foreign on line 7b. 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 entity has a US business address |
| IRS fax, international | 855-215-1627 | The entity has no US business address |
| IRS international phone line | 267-941-1099 | International applicants calling the IRS directly |
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
Two facts settle the questions that follow. The IRS asks for no Social Security Number on line 7b, and the IRS asks for no identity document with Form SS-4. Line 7b carries one word, and the IRS accepts it.
Read the honest version of the price question on the free EIN number page, or check whether the IRS online tool accepts you on the IRS EIN assistant page.
Where do you send the SS4 form?
Fax the SS4 form to 855-641-6935 when the entity has a US address, or to 855-215-1627 from outside the United States. Applicants holding an SSN skip the paper form and file at irs.gov in 15 minutes.
The IRS online assistant runs Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern. The session ends after 15 minutes of inactivity, and the form restarts from the first screen. The tool validates the responsible party against SSN and ITIN records, which stops applicants who hold neither at that screen.
Fax carries no tracking number and no online status page. That single gap is what the $67 buys: a specialist prepares the form, files it by fax within 5 business days, and follows up with the IRS, or the filing is free.
How long does the SS4 form take to process?
An SS4 form filed online with an SSN issues the EIN in 15 minutes. Faxed forms take days to weeks. Mailed forms take 4 weeks. einnumber.co files by fax within 5 business days, or within 24 hours on Fast.
| 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.
einnumber.co files by fax within 5 business days of receiving your completed details, and within 24 hours on Fast. Your confirmation email prints the filing date.
Why do SS4 form applications get rejected?
A name on line 1 that does not match the state record causes most SS4 rejections. Three more causes: a company named on line 7a, a blank line 13, and a start date on line 11 that predates state approval.
Line 1 does not match the state record. One character decides it. LLC and L.L.C. read as two different entities to the IRS.
Line 7a names a company. The IRS requires a person. A parent LLC, a formation agent, or an accountant on line 7a fails.
Line 13 is blank. All three boxes need a number. Enter 0 for agricultural, household, and other when you hire nobody.
Line 11 predates state approval. The IRS issues EINs to entities that legally exist. Use the approval date printed by the state.
The form is unsigned. An unsigned SS-4 gets returned unprocessed, and the wait restarts from zero.
The IRS reports a rejection by mail, not by email. A rejected fax filing costs weeks before the notice arrives. Checking line 1 against the formation document costs nothing and adds 0 days to the timeline.
What do you receive after the SS4 form is processed?
You receive the 9-digit EIN and the official IRS CP-575 confirmation letter. The CP-575 prints the EIN and the legal name from line 1 of your SS4 form. Banks verify the business against that document.
The EIN prints in a 2-digit and 7-digit format, separated by a hyphen. The IRS issues one CP-575 per EIN and never reprints it. A replacement arrives only as a 147C letter, which the IRS sends on request.
Store a copy before opening any account. Mercury, Wise, Relay, Stripe, PayPal, and Amazon each request the CP-575 during business verification, and each checks the name on it against your formation document. A mismatch on line 1 surfaces here, months after filing.
An EIN lasts the life of the entity. It never renews and never expires, which puts the year 2 cost at $0 and the cost of every year after that at $0.
How much does the SS4 form cost?
The SS4 form costs $0. The IRS charges nothing for the form and nothing for the EIN, through every 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. Northwest reflects the no-SSN rate.
Read this before paying anyone, including us. Holding an SSN means the IRS issues your 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.
See the full price breakdown on the how much does an EIN cost page, or apply for your EIN number online now.