Due to fraud you cannot obtain your EIN certificate by going online. The Internet EIN application is the preferred method for customers to obtain an EIN and is found at irs.gov. Once the application is completed, the information is validated during the online session and an EIN is issued immediately. The principal officer, general partner, grantor, owner, trustor and so forth must have a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (Social Security Number, Employer Identification Number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) in order to use the online application. Taxpayers can obtain an EIN immediately by calling the Business & Specialty Tax Line at (800) 829-4933. The hours of operation are 07:00 to 22:00 local time, Monday through Friday. An assistor takes the information, assigns the EIN and provides the number to an authorised individual over the telephone. An EIN, also known as an employer identification number, federal tax ID number or tax identification number allows your business to establish business credit and open business checking accounts, as well as identifying your business for tax purposes and allowing you to hire employees. The nine-digit number, when you receive it, is on a certificate and mailed to your location. (For security purposes, they may not mail a copy of the certificate to your new address.) The IRS agent will need your business name and possibly your Social Security number. Once your business has been verified and located in the system, they will mail the certificate to the address you initially used to register your business. This done, ask the IRS agent to fax a copy of the certificate to your fax machine. An EIN is required if your business has employees, if it is a Corporation or a Partnership, if you file Employment, Excise or Alcohol, Tobacco or Firearms Tax returns, if you withhold taxes on income other than wages, paid to a non-resident alien, if you have a Keogh plan or if you are involved with any of these: Trusts, IRAs, exempt organization business income tax returns, estates, real estate mortgage investment conduits, non-profit organisations, farmers' cooperatives or plan administrators.
