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CP 575 is the confirmation letter the IRS sends once, when it first assigns an EIN. Letter 147C is the replacement verification letter, available any time at no cost by calling 800-829-4933. The IRS never reprints a CP 575. Banks, payroll providers and payment processors accept either document as proof of the EIN.
Almost every LLC owner meets these 2 letters in the same order: the CP 575 arrives, gets filed somewhere safe, and cannot be found on the morning a bank asks for it. The good news is that the second letter exists precisely for that morning, costs nothing, and is accepted everywhere the first one is. What each letter contains, and how to read the fields on it, is covered on cp 575 for llc, and the request process itself is set out on ein verification letter.
What is the difference between CP 575 and 147C?
CP 575 is issued once, automatically, when the IRS first assigns an EIN. Letter 147C is issued on request, any number of times, to confirm an EIN that already exists. Both prove the same number.
The distinction is origin rather than authority. A CP 575 is generated by the assignment itself and mailed without anyone asking for it. A 147C is generated by a request from someone the IRS can authenticate as authorised to receive it. Neither is more official than the other, and neither expires.
The IRS prints a CP 575 exactly once. There is no reprint process, no duplicate request, and no fee that unlocks one. That single-print rule is the whole reason Letter 147C exists, and it is why the IRS itself points callers who have lost a CP 575 toward the 147C route rather than toward a replacement of the original.
The 2 letters look different on the page. A CP 575 is a notice, laid out with the EIN in the upper block beside the legal name and the assignment date. A 147C is a letter addressed to the requester, restating the EIN and the name the IRS holds against it. Both carry the number, the legal name, and an IRS identifier.
For every practical purpose that matters to a business, they are interchangeable. Banks opening an LLC account, payroll providers registering an employer, and payment processors verifying a merchant all accept either. Where a form asks specifically for a CP 575, a 147C satisfies it, and any institution refusing one is applying its own policy rather than an IRS rule.
What is a CP 575 letter?
CP 575 is the IRS notice confirming a newly assigned EIN. It prints the LLC's legal name, mailing address, the 9-digit EIN, and the tax forms the IRS expects that number to file.
The notice arrives by mail 4 to 6 weeks after the IRS approves an application. An LLC that applied online sees its EIN on screen immediately and still waits for the paper notice, which is why the number is usable long before the letter that confirms it lands.
The most valuable field on the notice is not the EIN. It is the legal name, printed exactly as the IRS holds it. Every future filing is matched against that string, so a name on the CP 575 that differs from the Articles of Organization by a comma or an abbreviation is a problem worth fixing before it appears on a return.
The notice also lists the returns the IRS expects. A single-member LLC sees no partnership return listed; a multi-member LLC sees Form 1065. Where that list does not match the structure the owners believe they have, the classification was set wrong on Form SS-4, and it is far cheaper to correct in month 1 than in year 3.
Store the original somewhere the business can find it, and store a scan somewhere else. The single-print rule makes the paper copy genuinely irreplaceable in a way that almost no other business document is. A scanned PDF satisfies most institutions and costs nothing to make on the day the notice arrives.
What is a 147C letter?
Letter 147C is an EIN verification letter the IRS issues on request. It confirms the EIN and the exact legal name attached to it, and the IRS provides it at no cost as many times as needed.
The name is an internal IRS reference rather than a description, which is why it sounds obscure. Asking a bank for an EIN verification letter and asking the IRS for a 147C are the same request, and using the number on the phone shortens the call considerably.
A 147C is delivered by fax during the call or by mail afterwards. Fax is immediate and is the reason to have a working fax destination before dialling; mail takes 2 to 4 weeks. The IRS does not email the letter and does not deliver it through an online account, so those 2 routes are the only options.
The letter is available only to someone the IRS can authenticate as authorised for the entity. That means a member, an officer, or a person holding a filed Form 2848 power of attorney. A bookkeeper without one is refused, which is the most common reason a first attempt fails.
Nothing limits how many times a 147C can be requested. An LLC that needs 1 for a bank, 1 for a payroll provider and 1 for a state registration requests 3, at $0 each. That is the practical difference from CP 575 in a sentence: 1 is a keepsake, the other is a supply.
How do you request a 147C letter from the IRS?
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line on 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm local time. Verify your authority for the LLC, then ask for the letter by fax or by mail.
Have 4 things ready before dialling: the LLC's legal name as filed, the EIN if it is known, the business address the IRS holds, and your own position in the company. The agent authenticates against those, and a mismatch on the address is the most frequent point at which a call stalls.
Ask explicitly for Letter 147C rather than for a copy of the CP 575. The second request has no answer, because no reprint exists, and callers who phrase it that way sometimes leave the call believing nothing is available. The correct phrase is short: an EIN verification letter, Letter 147C.
Choose fax if a fax destination is available, including any of the online fax services that deliver to email. The agent sends the letter during the call, which turns a 4-week wait into a 20-minute one. Choose mail only where no fax route exists, and expect 2 to 4 weeks.
Callers outside the United States use 267-941-1099, which is not toll-free and runs 6am to 11pm Eastern. Wait times on both lines are worst at the start of the week and in the weeks before the March 15 and April 15 deadlines, and shortest early in the morning.
Which letter do banks and lenders accept?
Banks accept both. Institutions ask for EIN confirmation rather than for a specific document, and Letter 147C satisfies the request everywhere a CP 575 does, including at every major US business bank.
The question arises because account-opening checklists name the CP 575 by name, which reads as a requirement for that exact document. It is shorthand for proof of your EIN, and front-line staff who have only ever seen a CP 575 sometimes read it literally. Asking for the branch's business banking team resolves it quickly.
The document matters less than the match. Whichever letter is produced, the bank compares the legal name on it against the name on the Articles of Organization, and a difference of 1 character stops the application. That is the failure worth pre-empting, and it is checked in 30 seconds by reading the 2 documents side by side.
Fintech platforms are the most flexible. Mercury, Relay and similar providers accept an uploaded scan of either letter, and their automated review matches the name and number against IRS records directly. Traditional branch banking is where a literal CP 575 request is still occasionally met.
Payroll providers, state tax registrations and payment processors follow the same pattern. All 3 ask for EIN confirmation, all 3 accept a 147C, and all 3 fail on a name mismatch rather than on which letter arrived. What each institution asks for is listed on the LLC bank account page.
What happens if you lost both letters?
The EIN itself is recoverable even with no paperwork. Check a previously filed return, an old bank application or a state registration first, then request a 147C to obtain the number in writing.
Search in a sensible order, because the free sources are also the fastest. A previously filed federal return carries the EIN on page 1. So does any Form W-2 or Form 1099 the LLC issued, its business bank account application, its state tax registration, and any business licence application it has filed.
The IRS will confirm a lost EIN over the phone to an authorised person on 800-829-4933, which is the same call as the 147C request. The agent can read the number back after authentication and send the letter, so a single call solves both the not knowing and the not having it in writing.
A brand-new EIN is the wrong fix and creates a lasting problem. An LLC holding 2 EINs has 2 filing histories, and the IRS expects returns against both until one is formally closed. The recovery route exists precisely so that no LLC needs to apply twice.
Where the number is genuinely unrecoverable because the entity records are gone, the recovery sequence and the 7 places an EIN survives are set out on the lost LLC EIN page. That page also covers what changes when the person who applied has left the business.
Does a name change affect either letter?
A name change makes the CP 575 stale, because it prints the old name and cannot be reissued. Request a 147C after the IRS records the new name, and it prints the updated one.
Changing an LLC's legal name does not change its EIN. The number stays with the entity, which continues to exist, so the only thing that moves is the string the IRS matches returns against. That is the point at which the 2 letters stop being interchangeable in practice.
The IRS learns of the new name from a return or from a signed letter to the service center, not from the state filing. An LLC that amends its Articles and tells nobody at the IRS keeps the old name in IRS records indefinitely, and a 147C requested in that state prints the old name.
Once the change is recorded, a fresh 147C is the cleanest proof of the current position, showing the new legal name against the unchanged EIN. Banks re-papering an account after a rename ask for exactly that pairing, and the stale CP 575 no longer provides it.
The sequence that avoids trouble is short: amend at the state, notify the IRS in writing, wait for confirmation, then request the 147C. Reversing the order produces a letter that contradicts the state record, which is worse than having no letter at all. The full process is covered on the LLC name change page.
How do foreign owners get an EIN letter?
The process is identical, with 1 change: international callers use 267-941-1099 instead of the toll-free line. A foreign owner needs no SSN or ITIN to request a 147C for an LLC they control.
A foreign-owned LLC receives a CP 575 in the same way as any other, mailed to the address on Form SS-4. Where that address is outside the United States, delivery adds several weeks, and an LLC using a US registered agent address receives it faster and more reliably.
The international line runs 6am to 11pm Eastern and is not toll-free. Authentication works the same way, against the legal name, the address the IRS holds, and the caller's role in the LLC. A responsible party entered on line 7a of Form SS-4 is authorised regardless of nationality.
Fax delivery is worth more to a foreign owner than to a domestic one, because international mail from the IRS is slow and untracked. An online fax service that delivers to email costs a few dollars and turns an unpredictable multi-week wait into a same-call result.
A foreign-owned single-member LLC has a second reason to keep the letter accessible: it files Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year, at a $25,000 penalty for a missed filing, and the EIN goes on both. The mechanics of applying without an SSN are covered on the EIN without SSN page.
How do the 2 EIN letters compare?
CP 575 is automatic, one-time and unreplaceable. Letter 147C is on request, unlimited and free. Both carry the same EIN and the same legal name, and both are accepted as proof.
| Feature | CP 575 | Letter 147C |
|---|---|---|
| Issued | Automatically, with a new EIN | On request, any time |
| Cost | $0 | $0 |
| Reprints | None: printed once | Unlimited |
| How to get it | Arrives by mail | Call 800-829-4933 |
| Delivery | Mail, 4 to 6 weeks | Fax same call, or mail 2 to 4 weeks |
| Who can request | Not applicable | Member, officer or Form 2848 holder |
| Shows current name | Name at assignment | Name the IRS holds today |
| Accepted by banks | Yes | Yes |
| International line | Not applicable | 267-941-1099 |
Source: IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line guidance and the Instructions for Form SS-4, verified August 2026.
What else do LLC owners ask about CP 575 and 147C?
+Is a 147C letter the same as a CP 575?
They are different documents proving the same thing. CP 575 is issued once when the EIN is assigned; Letter 147C is issued on request at any time. Both print the 9-digit EIN and the legal name the IRS holds, and banks accept either as proof of the number.
+Can the IRS reissue a CP 575?
No. The IRS prints CP 575 exactly once and operates no reprint process at any price. Letter 147C exists for this reason and is the document the IRS directs callers to instead. Request it on 800-829-4933, at $0, as many times as the business needs it.
+How long does a 147C letter take to arrive?
By fax it arrives during the call, so the whole process takes about 20 minutes including hold time. By mail it takes 2 to 4 weeks. The IRS does not send Letter 147C by email and does not make it downloadable from an online account, so those are the only 2 delivery routes.
+Who can request a 147C letter for an LLC?
A member, an officer, or a person holding a filed Form 2848 power of attorney. The IRS authenticates the caller against the legal name, the address it holds, and the caller's role before releasing anything. A bookkeeper without a Form 2848 on file is refused.
+Will a bank accept a 147C instead of a CP 575?
Yes. Every major US bank and fintech accepts Letter 147C as EIN confirmation. Checklists name CP 575 because it is the document most new LLCs hold, not because the alternative is unacceptable. What stops an application is a name mismatch of even 1 character, not which letter is produced.
+How much does a 147C letter cost?
$0. The IRS charges nothing for Letter 147C and places no limit on how many times an LLC requests one. Any service charging a fee to obtain a 147C is charging for making the phone call on 800-829-4933, which an authorised person can make in about 20 minutes.
+What if the name on my CP 575 is wrong?
Correct it with the IRS in writing to the service center where the LLC files, because every future return is matched against that exact string. A 1-character difference from the Articles of Organization stops bank applications and delays returns. Once corrected, request a 147C to get the right name in writing.
+Do I need a 147C after changing my LLC's name?
Yes, once the IRS has recorded the new name. The EIN does not change, but the CP 575 prints the old name and cannot be reissued, so a fresh 147C is the only document showing the current name against the number. Notify the IRS first, then request the letter.
+Can a foreign owner request a 147C without an SSN?
Yes. No SSN or ITIN is required. International callers use 267-941-1099, open 6am to 11pm Eastern, rather than the toll-free line. The responsible party named on line 7a of Form SS-4 is authorised to request the letter regardless of nationality or country of residence.
+What if I lost both letters and forgot the EIN?
The number survives on any previously filed return, any W-2 or 1099 the LLC issued, its bank application, and its state registrations. Failing all of those, call 800-829-4933 and an agent reads it back after authentication, then sends Letter 147C. Applying for a second EIN creates 2 filing histories and is the wrong fix.
This page states federal tax rules current as of August 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Confirm your LLC’s position with a licensed CPA or attorney before filing.
Do you still need the EIN itself?
Both letters confirm a number the IRS has already assigned. If your LLC has not applied yet, that is the step before either letter exists. We review your Articles, set the classification on Form SS-4 correctly, and file for $97, faxed within 7 business days, or that fee is refunded. The $127 Fast tier files within 24 hours with the IRS call included. Start with an EIN for your LLC, filed right and keep the CP 575 the day it lands.
No SSN required · The EIN never renews, so year 2 and beyond is $0 · get your LLC’s EIN