Career Step Tax Id Number

17.08.2019
95 Comments

Get Authorized to Represent Tax Resolution Clients in 3 Steps. Step 2: Get Your CAF Number. A CAF number is a nine-digit number assigned to you by the IRS the first time you file a Form 2848 (Power of Attorney) or a Form 8821 (Tax Information Authorization). The number is used by the IRS to track your requests for client information. Career Step General Help and Questions. Hours: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM EST Mon-Fri Phone Support: 800-246-7837 Email Support: info@careerstep.com.

Related Articles

  • 1 Look Up an EIN Number
  • 2 Locate a Business Tax ID Number
  • 3 Check an EIN Number
  • 4 What Permits Do I Need to Open a Boutique?
Career Step Tax Id Number

If you need a federal ID number for your business, you find it through the IRS website. Known as an employer identification number, EIN or tax identification number, it identifies your company to the IRS the same way your Social Security number identifies you as an individual. Once you complete the application process, the IRS assigns your EIN. Finding another business's EIN takes slightly more work.

Do You Really Need an EIN?

Many small businesses don't need an EIN. If you run your business as a sole proprietorship with no employees, you probably don't need one. If you have employees, or structure your business as a corporation or a partnership, you'll have to apply for an EIN. Other triggers requiring an EIN include filing a tobacco and firearms tax return or setting up a Keogh plan through your business.

Applying for a Federal ID

You can apply online through the IRS website between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern time. You can't save your application mid-process, so be sure to finish in one online session. If you complete it properly, you'll get your EIN immediately. Alternatively, you can submit the SS-4 application form by fax or by mail to request an EIN. Like other IRS forms, the SS-4 is available online.

Mail and fax applications take longer to process. The IRS can fax back an EIN within one to two weeks. Mail takes four to five weeks. It's your responsibility to apply soon enough that you'll have your number back before you have to submit tax returns or other forms that require an EIN.

Change Your Business, Change Your EIN

Even if you start your business without an EIN, you might need to apply for one later. For example, if you're a one-person show at the beginning but later add employees, you'll need to take out an EIN. You must apply for a replacement EIN after taking out your first one in the following circumstances:

  • You change your business structure, for example, incorporating or becoming a partnership.
  • Your sole proprietorship files for bankruptcy.
  • You buy an existing business, even if you run it as a sole proprietorship.
  • Your corporation merges to create a new corporation.
  • You end a partnership and start a new one.

You can make many other business changes without applying for a new EIN. Changing your business name doesn't require a new EIN, neither does opening more than one sole proprietorship. Changing your business address doesn't require a new EIN either.

Finding a Lost EIN

Career Step Tax Id Number

Paperwork does go missing on occasion, even important paperwork. If you can't locate your EIN, there are ways to recover it:

Lookup
  • Call the IRS at 800-829-4933.
  • Look at any past business tax returns you filed since you received your EIN. It has to be on them.
  • Check any bank account or licensing paperwork that you wrote your EIN on.

Finding Another Business's EIN

If you need another company's EIN, there are several ways to get the information. The simplest, if you have a valid business reason for asking, is to contact the company. The second simplest is tax forms. If, for instance, the company sends you a 1099 form, that will include the EIN.

If it's a publicly traded corporation, you can use the Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR search engine to see paperwork, such as the 10-K or 10-Q forms, that contain the EIN.

Tax Id Number For Business

References (7)

About the Author

Fraser Sherman has written about every aspect of business: how to start one, how to keep one in the black, the best business structure, the details of financial statements. He's also run a couple of small businesses of his own. He lives in Durham NC with his awesome wife and two wonderful dogs.

Photo Credits

Career Step Tax Id Number Free

  • tax forms image by Chad McDermott from Fotolia.com
Cite this Article
Choose Citation Style
Sherman, Fraser. 'How to Find a Business Federal ID Number.' Small Business - Chron.com, http://smallbusiness.chron.com/business-federal-id-number-4107.html. 04 March 2019.
Sherman, Fraser. (2019, March 04). How to Find a Business Federal ID Number. Small Business - Chron.com. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/business-federal-id-number-4107.html
Sherman, Fraser. 'How to Find a Business Federal ID Number' last modified March 04, 2019. http://smallbusiness.chron.com/business-federal-id-number-4107.html
Note: Depending on which text editor you're pasting into, you might have to add the italics to the site name.