EIN: what is your LLC's tax number and how to get it step by step

4 to 6 weeks after the Form SS-4 is faxed to 855-641-6935. The EIN is the equivalent of your LLC's tax ID in the United States. Without it you cannot open a bank account, file taxes or operate legally.

The IRS issues an LLC's EIN in 4 to 6 weeks after the Form SS-4 is faxed to 855-641-6935, when the applicant is a non-resident without SSN or ITIN.

Pillar guide: for the full step-by-step flow, see our definitive guide to opening a US LLC.

The EIN (Employer Identification Number) is the tax identification number for your US LLC. Without it, you can't open a bank account, file taxes, or set up payment processors. Here's everything you need to know.

What is an EIN?

The EIN is a 9-digit number assigned by the IRS to identify your business for tax purposes. Think of it as the Social Security Number for your company. It follows the format XX-XXXXXXX.

It's the equivalent of:

NIF/CIF in Spain
RFC in Mexico
NIT in Colombia
CUIT in Argentina
RUT in Chile

Despite the name ("Employer Identification Number"), you don't need to have employees to get an EIN. it's simply required for any US business entity.

Why do you need an EIN?

Bank accounts: Mercury, Relay, and any US bank will ask for your EIN before opening an account
Tax filing: Required for filing Form 5472, Form 1120, and any other IRS documents
Payment processors: Stripe, PayPal Business, and others require it for US business accounts
Vendor relationships: US companies will ask for your EIN when you work with them (W-9 or W-8BEN-E)
Fintech services: Slash, Wallester, and other tools require the EIN during onboarding
W-8BEN-E form: The form you use with clients to certify you're a non-US entity requires your EIN
BOI Report: FinCEN requires the EIN when filing the Beneficial Ownership Information Report

How to get an EIN as a non-resident

Getting an EIN as a non-resident is more complex than for US citizens, because you can't apply online if you don't have a US Social Security Number or ITIN.

The fax or mail method

Non-residents must complete Form SS-4 and either:

Fax it to the IRS International EIN number
Mail it to the IRS

Processing time varies, typically 4-8 weeks by mail, 2-4 weeks by fax. This is the biggest bottleneck in the LLC formation process.

Phone application

You can call the IRS international line directly to obtain an EIN. This can be faster, but requires navigating IRS phone systems (with their 45+ minute hold times) and being available during US business hours (Eastern Time). You must speak English fluently.

Through a formation service

When you use Exentax to form your LLC, we obtain the EIN for you as part of the formation package. This is the simplest path. no IRS paperwork, no long phone calls, no waiting for mail. We handle everything and deliver your EIN confirmation letter (CP 575) directly to you.

The EIN confirmation letter (CP 575)

Once the IRS assigns your EIN, they send a confirmation letter called CP 575. This is an important document; some banks and financial institutions specifically request it. Keep it safe, both digitally and physically.

If you ever lose it, you can request a replacement called a 147C letter from the IRS.

Important: Mercury specifically requests the CP 575 during the account opening process. Having it ready speeds up your approval.

EIN vs. ITIN vs. SSN: what's the difference?

As a foreign LLC owner, your LLC has an EIN. You personally might need an ITIN if you ever need to interact with the IRS directly or if you use PayPal Business (which requires the owner's ITIN, not just the LLC's EIN).

Protecting your EIN

Your EIN is like a business social security number. protect it from unauthorized use. Only share it with:

Banks and financial institutions (Mercury, Relay, Wise)
The IRS for tax filing
Clients who need it for contractor payment reporting (Form 1099 or W-8BEN-E)
Authorized tax preparers and accountants
FinCEN for BOI Report filing
Payment processors (Stripe, PayPal)

What comes after the EIN?

Once you have your EIN, you can:

Open your Mercury bank account (Column NA, FDIC insured, $0 wires)
Set up Stripe US and PayPal Business for payment processing
Configure Slash for corporate treasury (yield on idle cash)
Apply for Wallester corporate cards (virtual and physical)
Open Wise Business for multi-currency and conversions
File required IRS forms annually (Form 5472 + 1120)
File the BOI Report with FinCEN

EIN application: common problems and solutions

The Exentax difference

We've filed hundreds of EIN applications. Our approval rate is 98%+ on first submission because we verify every field, every name spelling, and every classification before filing. When issues arise, we follow up directly with the IRS International line. something most entrepreneurs can't do effectively due to hold times (sometimes 1-2 hours) and IRS phone menu complexity.

What platforms need your EIN

Your EIN is the master key to your entire LLC financial infrastructure. That's why getting it right the first time is essential.

A couple of adjacent reads worth having open alongside this one: Why open a US LLC today: the 5 pillars of the American advantage and US LLC for software developers and SaaS founders: the complete guide, which sharpen exactly the edges we skimmed above.

Legal and regulatory references

This article relies on rules currently in force. Main sources for verification:

United States. Treas. Reg. §301.7701-3 (entity classification / check-the-box); IRC §882 (tax on foreign income effectively connected with a US trade or business); IRC §871 (FDAP and withholding on non-residents); IRC §6038A and Treas. Reg. §1.6038A-2 (Form 5472 for 25% foreign-owned and foreign-owned disregarded entities); IRC §7701(b) (tax residency, substantial presence test); 31 U.S.C. §5336 (Corporate Transparency Act, BOI Report to FinCEN).
Spain. Law 35/2006 (LIRPF), arts. 8, 9 (residency), 87 (income attribution), 91 (CFC for individuals); Law 27/2014 (LIS), art. 100 (CFC for companies); Law 58/2003 (LGT), arts. 15 (anti-abuse) and 16 (simulation); Law 5/2022 (Form 720 penalty regime after CJEU C-788/19 of 27/01/2022); RD 1065/2007 (Forms 232 and 720); Order HFP/887/2023 (Form 721 crypto). At Exentax we have closed clients in exactly this spot at zero penalty. Speaking up early pays off — and saves you five figures.
Spain–US treaty. BOE of 22/12/1990 (original DTT); Protocol in force since 27/11/2019 (passive income, limitation on benefits).
EU / OECD. Directive (EU) 2011/16, amended by DAC6 (cross-border arrangements), DAC7 (Directive (EU) 2021/514, digital platforms) and DAC8 (crypto-assets); Directive (EU) 2016/1164 (ATAD: CFC, exit tax, hybrid mismatches); OECD Common Reporting Standard (CRS).
International framework. OECD Model Convention, art. 5 (permanent establishment) and Commentaries; BEPS Action 5 (economic substance); FATF Recommendation 24 (beneficial ownership).

Applying any of these rules to your specific case depends on your tax residency, the LLC's activity and the documentation you keep. This content is informational and does not replace personalized professional advice.

Banking and tax facts worth clarifying

Fintech and CRS information evolves; here is the current state:

How to read the EIN question as a stable structural identifier rather than as a one-off step

The EIN question reads more usefully as a stable structural identifier of the LLC than as a one-off step.

Before going further, put numbers on your case: the Exentax calculator compares, in under 2 minutes, your current tax bill with what you would carry running a US LLC properly declared in your country of residence.

> Talk to our team

Notes by provider

Mercury operates with several federally chartered partner banks and FDIC coverage via sweep network: mainly Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust, with Column N.A. still in some legacy accounts. Mercury is not itself a bank; it is a fintech platform backed by those partner banks. If Mercury closes an account, the balance is typically returned by paper check mailed to the account holder's registered address, which can be a serious operational problem for non-residents; keep a secondary account (Relay, Wise Business, etc.) as contingency.
Wise ships two clearly different products: Wise Personal and Wise Business. For an LLC you must open Wise Business, not the personal account. Important CRS nuance: a Wise Business held by a US LLC sits outside CRS because the account holder is a US entity and the US is not a CRS participant; the USD side operates via Wise US Inc. (FATCA perimeter, not CRS). In contrast, a Wise Personal opened by an individual tax-resident in Spain or another CRS jurisdiction does trigger CRS reporting via Wise Europe SA (Belgium) on that individual. Opening Wise for your LLC does not bring you into CRS through the LLC; a separate Wise Personal in your own name as a CRS-resident individual does report.
Wallester (Estonia) is a European financial entity with an EMI/issuing-bank licence. Its European IBAN accounts are within the Common Reporting Standard (CRS) and therefore trigger automatic reporting to the tax administration of the holder's country of residence.
Payoneer operates through European entities (Payoneer Europe Ltd, Ireland) that are also in scope for CRS for clients resident in participating jurisdictions.
Revolut Business: when paired with a US LLC, it operates under Revolut Technologies Inc. with Lead Bank as its US banking partner. The account delivered is a US account (routing + account number); no European IBAN is issued to a US LLC. The European IBANs (Lithuanian, Belgian) belong to Revolut Bank UAB and are issued to European clients of the group. If you are offered a European IBAN tied to your LLC, confirm exactly which legal entity holds that account and which regime it reports under.
Zero tax: no LLC structure delivers "zero tax" if you live in a country with CFC/tax transparency or income attribution rules. What you achieve is no double taxation and correct reporting at residence, not elimination.

Why obtaining the EIN deserves a clean, traceable record from the start

Obtaining the EIN of an LLC deserves a clean, traceable record from the very start, because the EIN becomes the identifier referenced in almost every later operation: bank opening, payment gateway registration, informational filings, and any subsequent communication with the IRS.

Legal & procedural facts

FinCEN and IRS reporting requirements moved recently; the current state is:

BOI / Corporate Transparency Act: your LLC is NOT required to file (a competitive advantage). After FinCEN's March 2025 interim final rule, the BOI Report obligation was narrowed to "foreign reporting companies" (entities formed OUTSIDE the US and registered to do business in a state). A US-formed LLC owned by a non-resident does NOT file the BOI Report: one fewer filing on your calendar, less paperwork, and a cleaner structure than ever. If your LLC was formed before March 2025 and you already filed BOI, keep the acknowledgement. The regulatory status can change again: we monitor FinCEN.gov on every filing and, if the obligation comes back, we handle it at no extra cost. Current status verifiable at fincen.gov/boi.
Form 5472 + pro-forma 1120. For a Single-Member LLC owned by a non-resident, the final regulations of Treas. Reg. §1.6038A-1 (in force since 2017) treat the LLC as a corporation for 5472 purposes. Procedure: pro-forma Form 1120 (header only: name, address, EIN, tax year) with Form 5472 attached. It is filed by certified mail or fax to the IRS Service Center in Ogden, Utah, not e-filed via standard MeF. Due date: April 15; extension via Form 7004 to October 15. Penalty: $25,000 per form per year, plus $25,000 per additional 30 days of non-filing after IRS notice.
Substantive Form 1120. Only applies if the LLC has filed a check-the-box election to C-Corp (Form 8832): it then pays 21 % federal corporate tax and files a substantive 1120. A standard disregarded LLC does not file a substantive 1120 and does not pay federal corporate tax.
EIN and notice. Without an EIN you cannot file 5472 or BOI. The IRS does not warn before imposing penalties; you find out when an EIN is flagged or a later filing is rejected. And if a notice does land, at Exentax we keep the dossier ready so you reply in hours, not weeks.

Legal and procedural facts

Read this section as a checklist with teeth: each point flags a real failure mode we have seen in cross-border LLC files. Skip none of them - most reassessments and account closures we clean up later trace back to one of these items.

Exentax today update: EIN without SSN, the today path

Getting an EIN as a non-resident is a solved process but with timing and nuances worth fixing:

Official today route. SS-4 by fax to +1-855-215-1627 (IRS International). Typical time 4-6 weeks, peaks up to 8 in February-April. Online is not available for applicants without SSN/ITIN.
Document returned. The IRS issues the CP 575 once by postal mail. If lost, request a 147C by calling the IRS Business Line +1-267-941-1099 (Mon-Fri 6:00-23:00 ET). Without CP 575/147C, banks reject account opening.
SS-4 line 10. "Reason for applying" → tick "Started new business" or "Banking purpose only". The reason affects how the IRS classifies the entity and whether it triggers expectations of future filings.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an ITIN as well as the EIN? No for running the LLC or banking. ITIN only if you file a personal U.S. return (1040-NR) or must sign a specific W-8BEN.

Can an agency get it faster? Those promising 24-48 h use the SS-4 by phone with an authorized third party (Form 8821 or POA). Possible, but the usual cost is USD 200-400.

Does the EIN expire? No. The EIN is permanent. What is lost is the document; the number remains active and can be recovered via 147C at any time.

How we obtain an EIN without an SSN at Exentax

Filing for the EIN without an SSN is done by fax with the SS-4, not through the IRS website, and most rejections we see weekly come from three identical mistakes. The Exentax method neutralizes them before anything is sent.

Correct Responsible Party: the individual beneficial owner with a residential address (not the LLC's) and a business description consistent with the rest of the file.
SS-4 with no gaps and a power of attorney signed so we can file on your behalf with a dedicated fax number and acknowledgement tracking.
CP-575 archived the moment it arrives: this document opens bank accounts and no one should lose it.

If you want us to file yours or audit one already issued, run the Exentax calculator or book thirty minutes.

Want to discuss it now? Message us on WhatsApp and we'll get back to you today.

If you want to see the full process in detail, check our services page with everything we cover.

Or call us directly at +34 614 916 910 if you'd rather talk.

For state-specific details, see our Wyoming LLC service page with closed costs and timelines.

If your priority is the ITIN, see Get your ITIN with Exentax and we'll handle it in parallel.

On the same topic

We review BOI, EIN, registered agent and federal obligations so a fine never catches you by surprise. Request a compliance review.