If you formed an LLC in the last few weeks, you've probably already seen an ad, an email, or a "filing service" offering to get your EIN for $79, $149, or "expedited" for even more. Here's the part nobody in that funnel wants said plainly:
The IRS issues an Employer Identification Number to a new LLC at no charge, on IRS.gov, usually the same day you apply online.
Every paid "EIN filing service" is doing one of two things: retyping your legal name into the same free government form, or — worse — collecting your Social Security number and business details on a page that has nothing to do with the IRS.
How to actually get it, in about ten minutes
- Go to irs.gov and search "Apply for an EIN Online," or navigate directly to the IRS's EIN Assistant.
- Apply as the "responsible party" — a real person with authority over the LLC. This is an IRS requirement, not a marketing form. Nobody but the IRS should see this information.
- Use your LLC's exact legal name, copied character-for-character from your state formation document. Do not retype it from memory.
- Complete the session in one sitting — the online EIN Assistant times out and does not save partial applications.
- Save the EIN confirmation notice (CP 575 or the online-generated letter) immediately. You'll need it for the bank and for every vendor application afterward.
Two things that actually delay a new company more than the EIN
- The legal name doesn't match across the state filing, the EIN, the bank, and the first vendor application — a missing "LLC," an "&" swapped for "and," a suite number dropped. Each mismatch reads as a different, less-established company.
- Paying a "faster DUNS" reseller and ending up with two versions of the company circulating instead of one clean file.
Signs you're on a mill, not the IRS
A page that charges before showing you the actual application fields.
Any mention of "expedited," "same-day guaranteed," or "processing fee" for something the IRS issues at no charge.
A chat widget asking for your SSN "to speed things up" before you've reached irs.gov.
A URL that isn't irs.gov but looks close (irs-ein-tax-id, irs-gov-ein, etc.).
What to do the same day you get the EIN
Put the confirmation notice next to your formation document. Then start pre-flight for the business checking account — the bank will want both documents, plus a photo ID, and will open the account fastest when the legal name on everything matches exactly.
Ignition drafts the operating agreement, locks your name/address/phone pattern, and walks you through the EIN and bank steps on official sites only — for free. The vendor packets and the dated 30-day checklist live on the paid Sprint Pass, but pre-flight itself costs nothing.
Start pre-flight free
See the desk draft your operating agreement and lock your NAP pattern before you pay anything.
Start pre-flight free