How to Get an EIN for a Client
The Employer Identification Number (EIN) is the federal tax ID for the business. The client needs one to open a business bank account, hire employees, file federal taxes, or do almost anything that touches the IRS.
The IRS issues EINs for free directly through irs.gov/ein (opens in a new tab). Never pay a third party for an EIN — they're scams or marked-up services.
Source of truth: IRS EIN Online Assistant (opens in a new tab). Available Monday–Friday, 7 AM to 10 PM Eastern.
When to apply
- Right after WA SOS issues a UBI for a new LLC (or right after federal incorporation for a corporation)
- When a sole proprietor decides to hire employees
- When the business changes structure (sole prop → LLC, LLC → S-corp, etc.) — usually triggers a new EIN
- When the responsible party / owner changes — does NOT trigger a new EIN, but does require a Form 8822-B update
Prerequisites
Before starting the IRS online form:
- Legal business name — exactly as registered with WA SOS
- DBA / trade name — if applicable
- Mailing address — must be a U.S. address
- Physical location address — can match mailing
- Responsible party name + SSN — this is the individual the IRS associates with the EIN. For a single-member LLC, this is the member. For a multi-member LLC or corporation, it's the principal officer/manager. Must have a valid SSN or ITIN.
- Reason for applying — usually "Started a new business"
- Type of entity — LLC, S-corp, sole prop, partnership, nonprofit, etc.
- Date business started or acquired — match the SOS effective date
- Highest number of employees expected in the next 12 months
- First date wages will be paid — if expecting to hire
- Principal business activity — and a short description (used for IRS classification)
Responsible Party rule (2017): The "responsible party" must be a real person with an SSN or ITIN. You cannot use Launch Industries as the responsible party for a client's EIN. The client (or one of their members/officers) has to be on the form.
Filing procedure
Confirm the entity exists
Before applying, the entity should already exist legally:
- For an LLC: WA SOS has issued the Certificate of Formation and UBI
- For a corporation: state of incorporation has issued the formation cert
- For a sole proprietor: nothing needed (the SSN IS the business until you change structure)
If they're still pre-formation, file SOS registration first.
Decide who fills out the form
You have three options:
- Client fills it out themselves — fastest, but they may stall. Send them the prep checklist (link them to this page) and offer to be on the call if they want help. The "Online Assistant" expires after 15 minutes of inactivity, so they need to be ready.
- Launch fills it out on their behalf, with client on the call — common path. We screen-share, they confirm answers and SSN/ITIN.
- Launch fills it out using Form SS-4 by fax — slower (4 business days for fax response) but works if the responsible party is a foreign individual or if the online tool kicks them out repeatedly.
Time of day matters
The IRS Online Assistant runs Monday–Friday, 7 AM to 10 PM Eastern (4 AM to 7 PM Pacific). It's down weekends. Plan accordingly.
Open the form
Go to irs.gov/ein (opens in a new tab) → "Apply Online Now". The form is a step-by-step wizard.
Complete the wizard
The form sections, in order:
- Type of structure — LLC, sole proprietor, corporation, partnership, etc.
- Why are you applying? — usually "Started a new business"
- Member count + state of formation (for LLCs) — number of members and where formed
- LLC tax classification (if asked) — single-member usually "disregarded entity"; or "S-corp" if they've elected S-corp status via Form 2553 (note: S-corp election is a separate filing; we can do it after EIN is issued)
- Responsible party info — name, SSN/ITIN, address
- Business address — physical and mailing
- Legal name + DBA — must match exactly
- Start date
- Business activity + principal product/service
- Employees expected + first wage date
- Filing methods — how the IRS should send confirmation. Choose "Receive letter online" — gets the CP 575 instantly.
Submit and capture
If everything is valid, the IRS issues the EIN immediately and gives a downloadable confirmation letter (Form CP 575).
- Download the CP 575 PDF — file under
Drive → Government → [Client Name]/EIN/ - Note the EIN in the client's Supabase profile and client file
- Email the client the EIN + CP 575 PDF — remind them this is sensitive (treat like an SSN for the business)
Common errors
- "Reference number 101" — name conflict with another EIN. Often happens when applying for an LLC with the same name as a sole prop the same person had before. Resolve via Form SS-4 paper filing with explanation.
- "Reference number 102" — SSN/ITIN mismatch. Triple-check.
- "Reference number 109" / "112" — system error, try again later (often resolves within an hour).
- Wizard kicks them out repeatedly — submit via Form SS-4 paper instead (mail or fax).
Special cases
S-Corp election
If the client wants their LLC taxed as an S-corp, that's a separate IRS filing: Form 2553. Timing:
- For a new business: file Form 2553 within 75 days of the date you want the S-corp election to take effect
- For an existing LLC: file by March 15 of the year you want the election to apply (with relief available for late elections up to 3 years and 75 days)
Stored procedure for filing Form 2553 lives in the Tax SOPs (not in this folder).
Foreign owners (no SSN/ITIN)
If the responsible party doesn't have an SSN or ITIN, the EIN must be applied for by mail or fax via Form SS-4 with "Foreign" written in the SSN field. Processing takes 4 business days by fax, 4 to 6 weeks by mail. We've handled this; reach out to Monica for the playbook on multi-step foreign-owner applications.
Trust, nonprofit, estate
Different rules. Not covered here; see IRS Pub 1635 or escalate.
Pricing for client
- IRS fee — $0. Always free.
- Launch service fee — typically bundled into a Startup Support package or billed hourly for a standalone EIN. We do NOT mark up the IRS (because there's nothing to mark up).
v1 draft. Verify the IRS Online Assistant URL and hours hadn't changed before quoting a client. The "reference number" error codes can drift too. Last updated 2026-05-27.