How much does an EIN cost?

An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is a unique, nine-digit number used to identify your business entity for various business purposes. Chief among those purposes are filing your business taxes, getting a business bank account, and performing other types of legal and tax reporting. 

Applying for an EIN is a fairly straightforward process, but you may still be wondering what it will cost you. Keep reading to discover how much an EIN costs business owners, plus learn how we can help you through the entire process with our worry-free formation and EIN application services! 

How much does it cost to register an EIN? 

The great news is that EINs are typically free. All you need to do is go to the EIN application on the IRS’ website and enter the information for your business and principal officer (the application’s / business’ responsible party). 

You’ll be asked questions such as:

• What type of business entity you run (limited liability company or LLC, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, etc).
• The location and nature of your business.
• Your principal officer’s / responsible party’s information. 
• Your business’ formation date. 

Simply follow through all the steps in the application, answer the questions honestly and accurately, and submit your application. Then you’ll just need to wait for your confirmation letter to arrive via the method you chose (online or via mail). The letter usually arrives within 8 to 10 business days after the IRS processes your EIN application.

For a full rundown of the steps involved in the application process, read our article on how to get an EIN for your LLC. 

What else do I need to know?

While we already mentioned this in our “What Is an EIN?” page, it bears repeating: certain business types aren’t required to get an EIN. 

For example, sole proprietors with no employees or excise tax liability are not required by the IRS to acquire an EIN. Typically, if you run a sole proprietorship without employees or excise tax liability, you can most likely just use your Social Security Number (SSN) for tax reporting and filing purposes. 

Single-member LLCs (without employees or excise tax liability) are also not required to get an EIN. 

That said, most U.S. financial institutions require businesses to have an EIN in order to acquire a business bank account. So, if you intend to hire employees or get a business bank account, you’ll still want to apply for an EIN. 

You should also consider the best timing for when to get your EIN. Since the IRS asks for your formation date in the EIN application process, you’ll want to form your business before applying for an EIN. 

How We Can Help

Thanks to ZenBusiness, there’s no need to stress about timing OR paperwork. With our worry-free services, we can help with everything from formation to EIN application to compliance. 

No more struggling to make sure nothing has fallen through the cracks. You can relax knowing that we’re on top of the details, while you focus on starting, running, and growing your business! 

Want to learn more? Read all about what an EIN is here.