Your EIN (Employer Identification Number) is issued by the IRS and is the same thing as your LLC's Tax ID — you don't need a separate Tax ID once you have your EIN.

Your LLC generally needs to be filed and approved by the state before the EIN application can be submitted. If your LLC filing is still pending with the state, your EIN can't be requested yet — check your Member Portal for your current filing status.

If you purchased the EIN service, log in to your Member Portal (reset your password here if needed, or choose 'Email me a link' at login to have a one-time sign-in link sent to you — valid for 7 days) and look for 'Actions Required' under 'Company Documents' in the left-side menu. There you'll complete the remaining details on your SS-4 form — your Social Security Number and your signature — so we can submit your application.

If your FormationHub LLC order didn't include the EIN service, we can file it on your behalf for an additional $79 — the same price whether you add it at checkout or anytime afterward. Note: the EIN filing service is an add-on to a FormationHub LLC order and is not available as a standalone purchase for LLCs formed elsewhere. We file your SS-4 the fastest way possible and error-free; mistakes on a self-filed SS-4 can be expensive and slow to fix with the IRS.

Typically, your EIN is ready 1 hour to 24 hours after your LLC is approved. If the IRS rejects our online submission, we automatically resubmit by fax along with your approved formation documents, which usually takes about a week. There's no guaranteed timeline, since the IRS — not FormationHub — is the one that issues the EIN.

Once we receive your EIN from the IRS, we'll email you a PDF confirmation and upload it to the Documents section of your Member Portal, where you can access it anytime.

We obtain and deliver your EIN directly by email in about 95% of cases. In rare instances, an IRS technical error assigns the EIN but doesn't return it to us — if that happens, the fastest way to get your number is for the responsible party (usually you, the business owner) to call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933: press 1 for English, press 1 for EINs, then press 3 for 'already have an EIN but can't remember it' (this requests your 147C verification letter/number readout). Lines tend to open around 7 a.m. local time, and calling Tuesday through Thursday typically means a shorter wait.

You may also see a name listed as 'Third-Party Designee' on your EIN paperwork — that's simply our team's authorization to speak with the IRS about your application status. It does not give that person ownership or control of your business. Similarly, if a registered agent's name and address appear on your Articles of Organization, that's just the state-required contact for legal notices, not an ownership claim.

Lost your EIN confirmation or other formation documents? Contact us — or log in with 'Email me a link' at formationhub.com/member/login for instant portal access — and we'll resend them from your file. Please double-check the email address on your account and your spam folder first.