You’re sitting at your desk, probably staring at a loan application or a new vendor contract, and there it is. The form is asking for your FEIN. You know you have one. You remember the day the IRS letter arrived in the mail years ago, but now? That paper is buried in a filing cabinet—or maybe it's living in a box in your garage next to an old treadmill.
It's frustrating.
Federal Employer Identification Numbers (FEIN), also just called EINs, are basically social security numbers for your business. You can't really do much without them. Whether you're trying to open a business bank account at Chase, applying for a local business license, or just filing your 1040 Schedule C, that nine-digit string of numbers is your golden ticket.
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Honestly, people lose these all the time. You aren't the first person to forget where they put a piece of government stationery from five years ago. Finding your FEIN number doesn't have to be a multi-day odyssey involving hours on hold with a government robot.
Start With the Paper Trail You Already Have
Before you call the IRS and deal with their hold music, check your digital "junk drawer." Most of us have a trail of breadcrumbs we don't even think about.
Think back to when you first started the business. The IRS sends a confirmation notice—specifically Form CP 575—when they issue your number. If you applied online, you probably got a PDF version of this. Search your email inbox for "CP 575," "EIN Confirmation," or even just "IRS." You might be surprised.
If the digital search fails, look at your previous tax returns. If you’ve filed a federal tax return for your business in the past, your FEIN will be right there at the top. Check Form 1120 (for corporations) or Form 1065 (for partnerships). Even if you're a solo freelancer who hasn't filed a "business" return yet, look at any old 1099-NEC or 1099-MISC forms you’ve sent to contractors. Your number is sitting in the "Payer's TIN" box.
The Bank Knows Everything
Banks are sticklers for paperwork. When you opened your business checking account, the banker definitely required your FEIN. They won't just give it to you over the phone usually—security and all that—but it’s on your original account opening documents.
If you have online banking, log in and look for your "Account Profile" or "Tax Documents" section. Sometimes it's masked (like XXX-XX-1234), but often the full number is tucked away in the "Business Details" tab. If that fails, a quick trip to your local branch with your ID will solve the problem in five minutes.
How to Find My FEIN Number Using Government Resources
Sometimes the internal search comes up dry. That's okay. There are external ways to pull this data, depending on how your business is structured.
If you are a publicly traded company, this is incredibly easy. You just head over to the SEC’s EDGAR database. Every filing, from 10-Ks to 8-Ks, lists the FEIN prominently on the front page. But let's be real: if you were a CFO of a public company, you probably wouldn't be reading this. You’re likely a small business owner or an office manager.
For the rest of us, the Secretary of State is a hit-or-miss option. Some states, like Florida or California, have robust online search tools where you can look up your entity. While many states don't display the FEIN publicly for privacy reasons, they might show your state-specific tax ID or entity number, which sometimes helps you cross-reference other records.
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Calling the IRS (The "Nuclear" Option)
If you’ve looked everywhere and still can't find it, you have to call the source. Specifically, the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line.
The number is 800-829-4933.
They are open from 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday. Here is the catch: you have to be an "authorized person." That means the owner, a partner, or a corporate officer. They will grill you. Be ready to provide your Social Security number, your birth date, and the legal address you used when you registered the business.
Don't call at 10:00 a.m. on a Monday. You will wait forever. Try calling right when they open or late on a Thursday. Once you verify your identity, the agent will read the number to you. Grab a pen. Write it down. Put it in your phone contacts under "IRS EIN" so you never have to do this again.
Why People Get This Confused With Other Numbers
It's easy to mix up the alphabet soup of business IDs. You might be looking at a document and see a number, thinking "Is this it?" but it's actually something else entirely.
- Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN): This is an umbrella term. An FEIN is a type of TIN, but so is your Social Security Number (SSN).
- State Tax ID: This is issued by your state's Department of Revenue. It is usually a different length and format than the federal nine-digit FEIN.
- DUNS Number: This is for credit reporting via Dun & Bradstreet. It has nothing to do with the IRS.
- NPI Number: If you’re in healthcare, you have a National Provider Identifier. Not the same thing.
If the number you found isn't nine digits long and formatted as XX-XXXXXXX, it isn't your FEIN.
What If I Never Had One?
Believe it or not, some people spend hours trying to find a number that doesn't exist. If you’re a sole proprietor with no employees and no "excise" tax liabilities, you might just be using your Social Security Number.
The IRS only requires an FEIN if you:
- Have employees.
- Operate as a corporation or partnership.
- File employment, excise, or alcohol/tobacco/firearms tax returns.
- Withhold taxes on income paid to a non-resident alien.
- Have a Keogh plan.
- Are involved with certain types of organizations like trusts, estates, or non-profits.
If you realize you actually need one and don't have it, don't panic. Applying is free on the IRS website. It takes about 15 minutes. Just make sure you do it during their operating hours (Monday–Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. ET) because their website actually "closes" at night.
Real-World Scenarios Where Your FEIN Pops Up
Still stuck? Think about these specific business interactions you might have had recently. Your FEIN is almost certainly recorded in these places:
- Business Insurance Policies: Check your General Liability or Workers' Comp declarations page.
- Payroll Service Providers: If you use Gusto, ADP, or Paychex, your FEIN is the backbone of that account. Log in to the admin dashboard.
- Vendor Credit Applications: Did you apply for a line of credit at Staples or Home Depot? They have it on file.
- Professional Licenses: If you are a licensed contractor, barber, or CPA, your state board likely has your business tax ID linked to your professional record.
A Note on Third-Party "Look-Up" Services
You might see websites promising to find any company's EIN for a fee. Be careful. While services like Cortera or Experian Business can sometimes pull this data for B2B purposes, they aren't always up to date. Also, there’s no reason to pay $50 to a random website when you can get the information for free from the IRS or your bank.
If you are trying to find the FEIN for someone else's company—perhaps to issue them a 1099—the best way is simply to send them a Form W-9. It's the standard, professional way to ask. If they refuse to give it, the IRS has specific "backup withholding" rules you'll need to follow, but that’s a whole different headache.
Practical Steps to Take Right Now
Stop scrolling and do these three things in order.
- Check your email for "CP 575." This is the fastest win. If you find that PDF, you're done.
- Open your last filed tax return. Look at the very first page, top right or left corner.
- Call your bank. Ask them for the "Tax ID associated with the business checking account."
Once you find it, do your future self a favor. Create a digital folder named "Vital Business Docs." Save a screenshot of the number there. Then, print a copy and put it in a physical folder labeled "Taxes - Do Not Throw Away."
Having this number handy is about more than just filling out forms; it's about being ready when an opportunity—like a grant, a big contract, or a prime loan—comes knocking. You don't want to lose a deal because you were stuck on hold with the IRS.
If you've followed these steps and confirmed the number doesn't exist, go to the IRS.gov "Apply for an EIN" page. It’s a straightforward process. Just remember that once you get it, that number is permanent. Even if you close the business, that FEIN stays attached to that entity's history forever. Keep it safe.