How long does it take to get an EIN?
It takes 15 minutes to get an EIN online, one phone call on 267-941-1099, 4 business days by IRS fax, or 4 weeks by mail. The IRS charges $0 through all four methods.
The IRS runs 4 intake channels for Form SS-4, and each one carries its own published processing figure. The table below sets them side by side, with the hours each channel operates and the tax ID each one demands from the responsible party.
| Method | Time to EIN | SSN required | Hours | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| IRS online assistant | 15 minutes, EIN on screen | Yes | Mon–Fri, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern | $0 |
| IRS international phone, 267-941-1099 | One call, EIN read out | No | Mon–Fri, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern | $0 |
| IRS fax, Form SS-4 | 4 business days | No | 24 hours, every day | $0 |
| IRS mail, Form SS-4 | 4 weeks | No | 24 hours, every day | $0 |
| einnumber.co Standard | 12–14 business days total | No | Live chat 24/7 | $67 |
| einnumber.co Fast | Under a week | No | Live chat 24/7 | $97 |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 instructions and the IRS “Apply for an Employer Identification Number” pages, verified July 2026. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays.
Read the table twice. The first read shows a 4-week spread between the fastest and slowest channel. The second read shows the real story: the SSN column. Every fast channel except the phone line checks the responsible party against SSN and ITIN records, and that check is what pushes most non-resident founders onto fax.
Form SS-4 has 18 fields and 1 signature line, and the same 18 fields go to all 4 channels. Preparation is never the slow part of an EIN application. IRS processing is, and the method sets the processing figure before you write a single line: 15 minutes online against 4 weeks by mail, on identical field content.
How long does an EIN take online?
An EIN takes 15 minutes online. The IRS online assistant issues the 9-digit number on screen inside one session, at $0. The tool runs Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern.
The online assistant is the only channel that returns an EIN in the same session you start. It walks the 18 fields of Form SS-4 as a sequence of screens, validates the responsible party in real time, and prints the EIN before you close the tab.
The 3 timing rules of the online tool
Rule 1: the tool closes at 10 p.m. Eastern. It opens at 7 a.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday, and stays closed on Saturday and Sunday. An application started at 9:50 p.m. Eastern has 10 minutes.
Rule 2: 15 minutes of inactivity ends the session. The form restarts from screen 1 with nothing saved. Collect your formation date, county, state, and member count before you open the tool.
Rule 3: 1 EIN per responsible party per day. Filing for a second entity means waiting 1 calendar day. Founders forming 3 companies plan 3 separate days.
The tool validates line 7b against SSN and ITIN records. A responsible party holding neither stops at that screen, and no amount of waiting changes the result. Check whether the tool accepts you on the IRS EIN assistant page before you plan around 15 minutes.
How long does an EIN take by fax?
An EIN takes 4 business days by fax. The IRS returns the assigned number to the return fax number printed on Form SS-4. The 2 IRS fax lines are 855-641-6935 and 855-215-1627.
| Fax line | Number | Who uses it | Return time |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRS fax, US-based entity | 855-641-6935 | The entity has a US business address | 4 business days |
| IRS fax, international | 855-215-1627 | The entity has no US business address | 4 business days |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 instructions, verified July 2026.
The 4-business-day figure carries one condition. It applies when the SS-4 prints a working return fax number. An SS-4 sent without one moves onto the mail track, and the 4 business days become 4 weeks. That single omission is the most expensive blank field on the form.
Four business days means 4 working days, not 4 calendar days. A fax sent on Thursday at 6 p.m. Eastern counts Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Add 1 more day for each US federal holiday inside that window.
Fax carries no tracking number and no status page. Nothing confirms the IRS received the transmission, and nothing reports a rejection until a letter arrives by mail weeks later. The full mechanics sit on the EIN by fax page.
How long does an EIN take by mail?
An EIN takes 4 weeks by mail. The IRS publishes 4 weeks for a mailed Form SS-4, measured from the day the form reaches an IRS processing centre. International postage adds to that 4 weeks.
Mail is the slowest of the 4 channels by a factor of 5. Four weeks equals 20 business days, against 4 business days by fax, for the same form, the same 18 fields, and the same $0 IRS fee. The only difference is the envelope.
The 4-week clock starts on arrival, not on posting. A letter posted from outside the United States spends its transit time outside the count. A founder mailing from Europe or Asia plans the transit and the 4 weeks as two separate blocks.
Mail carries the same reporting gap as fax. The IRS reports a rejection by post, which puts a second 4-week wait behind the first. One rejected mail application costs 8 weeks. One rejected fax application costs days plus the postal round trip.
How long does an EIN take by phone?
An EIN takes one phone call. The IRS international line, 267-941-1099, assigns the number during the call and reads it back. The line runs Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern.
The phone line is the fastest channel open to a responsible party without an SSN. It is not a toll-free number, and the IRS answers it for international applicants. The 17-hour daily window covers business hours across most of the world.
The call runs off a completed Form SS-4. The IRS officer reads the fields in order and enters your answers directly, so line 1, line 7a, line 7b, line 9a, and line 11 have to be in front of you before you dial. Every field of the form is set out on the Form SS-4 page.
One constraint governs the call. The IRS speaks only to the responsible party named on line 7a, or to a person carrying a signed Form SS-4 that authorises them under the third-party designee block. The mechanics sit on the EIN by phone page.
How long does it take to get an EIN without an SSN?
It takes 4 business days by fax, or one phone call on 267-941-1099. Enter the word Foreign on line 7b. The IRS issues EINs to responsible parties holding no SSN and no ITIN, and no passport is required.
Line 7b is the field that sets your timeline. It takes the responsible party's SSN, ITIN, or EIN. A responsible party holding none of the three writes Foreign, and that one word closes the 15-minute online route and opens the 4-business-day fax route.
| Channel | Number | Time to EIN |
|---|---|---|
| IRS fax, US-based entity | 855-641-6935 | 4 business days |
| IRS fax, international | 855-215-1627 | 4 business days |
| IRS international phone line | 267-941-1099 | One call |
| einnumber.co Standard, filed by fax | $67 | 12–14 business days total |
| einnumber.co Fast, IRS call included | $97 | Under a week |
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 alongside Form SS-4. The complete no-SSN route, step by step, sits on the apply for EIN without SSN page.
The 4 business days is the IRS figure for a clean application. It is not a promise, and no tracking number exists to check it against. That gap is what the fee closes: a specialist prepares all 18 fields and faxes them within 5 business days on Standard at $67, or within 24 hours with the IRS call included on Fast at $97, or the filing is free.
How long before you can use a new EIN?
The 9-digit number works with banks immediately. The IRS takes 2 weeks to write a new EIN into its permanent records. Until those 2 weeks pass, the EIN fails electronic returns, electronic payments, and TIN matching.
This is the timeline nobody plans for. Receiving an EIN and holding a working EIN are two separate events separated by 2 weeks, and the IRS states the gap plainly. A number assigned on 1 July clears the permanent records around 15 July.
| What you want to do | Works on day 1 | Needs the 2-week wait |
|---|---|---|
| Open a US business bank account | Yes | No |
| Verify a Stripe or PayPal account | Yes | No |
| File a paper federal tax return | Yes | No |
| File an electronic federal tax return | No | Yes |
| Make an electronic federal tax payment | No | Yes |
| Pass an IRS TIN matching check | No | Yes |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 instructions, verified July 2026.
The practical consequence: a founder who wants a bank account moves on day 1. A founder facing a payroll deposit deadline or an electronic filing deadline adds 2 weeks to every figure on this page. An EIN needed for a 15 January deadline gets applied for by 1 December, not 10 January.
How long does the CP-575 confirmation letter take?
The IRS mails the CP-575 to the line 4a address after it assigns the EIN. Fax filers receive the 9-digit number in 4 business days and the printed letter afterwards. The IRS issues 1 CP-575 per EIN.
The EIN and the CP-575 arrive on two separate schedules. The number comes back through the channel you filed on. The letter travels by post to whatever address you wrote on line 4a, including a foreign address with its province, postal code, and country.
The CP-575 prints the 9-digit EIN in its 2-digit and 7-digit format, plus the legal name from line 1. Mercury, Wise, Relay, Stripe, PayPal, and Amazon each check that letter during business verification, and each compares the name on it against the formation document.
The IRS never reprints a CP-575. A replacement arrives only as a 147C letter, which the IRS sends on request. Store a copy before you open any account. The full anatomy of the document sits on the EIN confirmation letter page.
einnumber.co sends both items, the 9-digit EIN and the official IRS CP-575 letter. Standard lands 12–14 business days after filing at $67, and Fast lands under a week at $97.
What makes an EIN take longer than expected?
A rejection makes an EIN take longer, and the IRS reports rejections by mail. A name on line 1 that does not match the state record causes most rejections and restarts the full 4-business-day or 4-week clock.
| Cause | What it adds | The fix |
|---|---|---|
| Line 1 does not match the state formation record | Restarts the full 4-business-day or 4-week clock | Copy the legal name character for character, including LLC or L.L.C. |
| Line 7a names a company instead of a person | Restarts the full clock | Name one individual who controls the entity and its funds |
| Line 13 left blank | Restarts the full clock | Enter a number in all 3 boxes, including 0 |
| Line 11 predates the state approval date | Restarts the full clock | Use the approval date printed by the state |
| The SS-4 is unsigned | The IRS returns the form unprocessed | Sign and date the form before sending |
| No return fax number on the SS-4 | Moves a fax filing onto the 4-week mail track | Print a working return fax number on the form |
| A second application for the same responsible party the same day | The IRS issues 1 EIN per responsible party per day | File one application, then wait 1 calendar day |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and its instructions, verified July 2026.
One more cause sits before the form. The IRS issues EINs to entities that legally exist, because line 1 requires the approved legal name and line 11 requires the state approval date. An SS-4 filed before state approval gets rejected weeks later, by post, and the founder has lost the entire wait.
Checking line 1 against the formation document costs nothing and adds 0 days to the timeline. A rejection costs 4 business days at best and 8 weeks at worst. That gap is the whole argument for reading all 18 fields twice before the form goes.
Confirm the entity actually needs a number first on the do i need an ein page, and confirm you are applying for the right federal ID on the ein vs itin page.
How do you plan a launch date around the EIN timeline?
Work backwards from the deadline. Standard runs 12–14 business days total, Fast runs under a week, and the EIN needs 2 more weeks to clear IRS electronic systems. A 15 January electronic deadline means applying by 1 December.
The worked calendar below runs both einnumber.co routes from the day your details are complete. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays, and every date in your filing confirmation prints against that definition.
| When | What happens |
|---|---|
| Day 0 | You send your completed details. The filing clock starts the moment they are complete. |
| Within 24 hours | Fast, $97: Form SS-4 goes out and the IRS call is made, or the filing is free. |
| Within 5 business days | Standard, $67: Form SS-4 is faxed to the IRS, or the filing is free. |
| Under a week | Fast: the 9-digit EIN and the official IRS CP-575 letter arrive. |
| 12–14 business days | Standard: the 9-digit EIN and the official IRS CP-575 letter arrive. |
| 2 weeks after issue | The EIN enters the IRS permanent records and clears electronic filing. |
Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays. The filing clock starts the moment your details are complete.
Three deadlines drive most EIN applications: a bank account appointment, a marketplace or payment platform verification, and a federal filing date. The first two clear on day 1 of holding the number. The third waits the extra 2 weeks.
One sequencing rule closes the plan. State formation comes first, always, because line 11 takes the state approval date. Add your state's own processing time in front of every figure on this page, then get started.
What does a faster EIN cost?
Speed from the IRS costs $0. Online, phone, fax, and mail all carry the same $0 IRS fee, and only the method changes the time. einnumber.co charges $67 to file by fax, or $97 to file within 24 hours.
| 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 | $0 |
| einnumber.co Fast | $97 | Filed and the IRS call made within 24 hours | $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, and no service on earth beats 15 minutes. The $67 exists for the applicants the online tool blocks: a paper form, a fax line with no tracking, and a 4-business-day figure nobody can check.
An EIN never renews and never expires, which puts the year 2 cost at $0 and every year after at $0. The honest version of the whole price question sits on the free EIN number page.