The IRS issues EINs for free. What you pay us for is the preparation: we fill in Form SS-4 from your company's details, you check and sign it, and we submit it, including when you have no SSN or ITIN.
Prefer to apply yourself? You can, at no cost, on irs.gov.
The IRS offers four ways to apply. Which ones you can use depends on whether the responsible party has an SSN or ITIN.
Without one, the online form can't be completed.
The IRS online application asks for the responsible party's SSN or ITIN, and the company must be formed in the US. If it's approved, the IRS says you get the EIN immediately.
Form SS-4 with "Foreign" on line 7b, faxed to the IRS. The IRS says you'll receive your EIN by fax "generally within 4 business days".
The same Form SS-4, posted to the IRS. The IRS estimate is "approximately 4 weeks" for the EIN to arrive by mail.
Only international applicants can get an EIN by phone. The caller must be authorized to receive the EIN and able to answer questions about Form SS-4.
Source: IRS Instructions for Form SS-4 and Get an EIN, checked September 2026. Quotes are the IRS's own wording; the IRS can change its routes and times.
Most of the form comes from your company's formation filing. The rest are short answers only you can give.
Four steps, all online. You don't need a US visit, and you don't need an SSN.
Onboarding asks whether you want Registate to obtain your EIN and whether you have a Social Security Number. No company yet? Form one first.
Once your company is formed, we fill in the form from your formation filing and your onboarding answers.
You review the details and sign. Tell us if anything is off and we correct it before the form is sent.
We send it to the IRS by the route that fits your case. The order moves through its stages in your panel, and the EIN letter lands in Tax Documents. The full process is on How it works.
The IRS charges nothing for an EIN. Our fee is for preparing and submitting the application, and we can't make the IRS faster.
The IRS: "You never have to pay a fee for an EIN." Anyone can apply directly.
Included in some plans and an add-on in others. The price shows in onboarding and on pricing.
For forming the company, not the EIN. See the state fees table.
After the IRS validates your details. Needs an SSN or ITIN.
The usual route without an SSN or ITIN.
Also open to applicants without an SSN or ITIN.
Processing times vary; the state and the IRS set them. These are the IRS's published estimates, not a promise, and a form with errors takes longer. Your company has to be formed before the EIN can be requested.
An EIN is your company's federal tax number. Most of the next steps ask for it.
Banks ask for your EIN and its confirmation letter. They still decide on their own, and no one can guarantee approval. Why banks say no
Payment providers such as Stripe ask for your company's EIN, and some check that the company name matches the IRS record.
The IRS uses the EIN to identify your company on its returns and letters, and you'll need it for any US hiring.
A proof-of-address lease asks for your EIN letter. Pick your company type: LLC or C-Corp, and see forming as a non-resident.
What the IRS does for free, what our paid support covers, and how long the IRS says it takes.
Yes. The IRS charges no fee for an EIN, and you can apply yourself on irs.gov. Registate's fee is for our preparation and submission support: filling in Form SS-4 from your company details, checking it with you and sending it to the IRS.
Yes. The IRS online application needs the responsible party's SSN or ITIN, so founders without one apply with Form SS-4 by fax or mail, entering "Foreign" on line 7b. International applicants can also apply by phone.
The IRS sets the timing. It says a faxed application is answered "generally within 4 business days" and a mailed one in "approximately 4 weeks". These are estimates, not promises, and a form with errors takes longer.
Yes. The EIN belongs to the company, so we request it once your LLC or C-Corp is formed. If you order formation and EIN support together, the EIN step starts after the state accepts your filing.
No one can promise that. Banks ask for your EIN and its confirmation letter, but each bank makes its own decision on its own criteria. Our page on why banks say no covers the common reasons.
The IRS defines it as the person who ultimately owns or controls the company, or who exercises ultimate effective control over it. For a founder-owned LLC or C-Corp, that's usually the founder.
