An EIN for your LLC, even if you can’t apply online
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) is the nine-digit tax ID the IRS gives to a business. Your LLC needs one to open a business bank account, hire employees, file federal returns and register for state taxes. Getting an EIN for an LLC is the step right after forming the company and before almost everything else.
Let’s be clear first: the IRS does not charge for an EIN. If you are the owner, you have a Social Security number (SSN) or ITIN, and your business is based in the U.S., you can complete the IRS online EIN application yourself and get the number immediately. You do not need us for that. SolutionHub is a private firm, not a government agency.
Where we help is when the online route doesn’t fit. The most common case is a founder who lives in Turkey or elsewhere abroad, owns a U.S. LLC and has no SSN or ITIN. The IRS online application is not available to them, and a paper Form SS-4 with a wrong answer can mean weeks of delay. We also handle the EIN as part of our business formation services, so owners don’t have to deal with it separately.
What our EIN application service includes
Form SS-4 prepared and reviewed
We prepare Form SS-4, the IRS application for an EIN, from the details of your company. The answers that matter most are easy to get wrong: the type of entity, the number of members, how the LLC is taxed, the reason for applying and the responsible party. A mistake here can give your LLC the wrong tax classification in IRS records, which causes problems later when returns are filed.
EIN for foreign owners without an SSN
A foreign owner who doesn’t have and isn’t eligible for an SSN or ITIN can still get an EIN. Under the Form SS-4 instructions, the responsible party’s tax ID line is completed as “foreign” or N/A, and the application goes by fax or mail instead of online. International applicants can also call the IRS directly. For a foreign-owned single-member LLC, the form also identifies the company as a foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity that files Form 5472, so the IRS sets up the account correctly from the start.
After your EIN arrives
You receive the EIN and the IRS confirmation notice, and we explain what comes next for your situation: registering with New Jersey for state taxes if you do business in NJ, setting up books, and the yearly federal filings. Foreign owners get a short list of their annual obligations, including Form 5472.
How to get an EIN for an LLC: the four IRS routes
The IRS offers four ways to apply, listed on its Get an employer identification number page. Which one applies to you depends mainly on where the business is located and whether the responsible party has an SSN or ITIN.
| Method | Who can use it | Usual timing |
|---|---|---|
| Online at irs.gov | U.S. entities whose responsible party has an SSN or ITIN | Immediately |
| Fax (Form SS-4) | Anyone, including foreign owners | Generally within 4 business days |
| Phone | International applicants only | During the call |
| Mail (Form SS-4) | Anyone | About 4 weeks |
A few rules worth knowing before you apply:
- The responsible party must be a person. The IRS requires an individual who controls the entity, not another company.
- One EIN per responsible party per day. The IRS limits how many EINs one person can request.
- Form the LLC first. The EIN is issued to the legal entity, so you apply after the state approves your formation.
- Only the IRS issues EINs. Any service you use, including ours, files the same free IRS application on your behalf.
When to apply, and what comes after
Most clients come to us for the EIN as one step in a bigger plan. A founder abroad might form a Delaware LLC or a Wyoming LLC, get the EIN, then need Form 5472 filed every year with a pro forma corporate return. If the owner later earns U.S.-source income personally, an ITIN application through us as an IRS-authorized Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA) usually follows. Local owners forming an LLC in New Jersey usually go on to sales tax registration and monthly bookkeeping.
If you own a U.S. company from outside the country, our page for foreign-owned LLCs brings all of those steps together.
The EIN itself is free. What you pay us for is getting it right the first time and knowing what comes next. Our fee is quoted before any work starts. Book a free consultation and we will tell you whether you can apply yourself or need Form SS-4.