What Is an EIN Verification Letter for an LLC?
The 147C letter is the IRS confirmation of your LLC's 9-digit EIN and the legal name attached to it. The IRS issues it on request at $0, replacing the CP-575, which it prints exactly 1 time.
The CP-575 is the letter the IRS mails or emails at the moment the EIN is assigned. It is printed 1 time. Never reprinted. Not by any fee. When a bank asks for an EIN letter 6 months or 3 years later, the answer is the 147C. Both letters carry the same 9-digit EIN, both carry the same approved legal name, and both are accepted by every US bank. The 147C letter is 1 page, printed on IRS letterhead.
The name comes from the IRS notice number printed in the top-right corner: Letter 147C. A request for an EIN verification letter, an EIN confirmation letter or a replacement CP-575 all resolve to the same document. Asking for it by the 147C number is the fastest way past a phone agent.
What the letter proves is the pairing, not just the number. It states the 9-digit EIN and the exact legal name the IRS holds against it, which is what a bank, a payment processor or a state agency checks. An LLC that knows its EIN but cannot evidence the matching name still needs the 147C.
How Do You Request a 147C Letter for an LLC EIN?
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 from the US or 267-941-1099 from abroad. Ask for a 147C EIN verification letter by name. The IRS reads the 9-digit EIN aloud after 5 identity questions.
| Line | Who it fits | Hours | Fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| 800-829-4933 | US-based LLC filers | Mon-Fri, 7am-7pm local time | $0 |
| 267-941-1099 | Non-US owners of a US LLC | Mon-Fri, 6am-11pm ET | $0 |
| Form 8822-B | Change address or responsible party first | 60-day filing deadline | $0 |
| Form 2848 | Grant power of attorney to a rep | No fixed deadline | $0 |
| Form 8821 | Grant read-only access to tax info | No fixed deadline | $0 |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and Form 8822-B instructions, verified July 2026.
The phone is the only route. The IRS runs no online 147C request, no email address and no web form for it, and there is no paper application to mail. Any site offering to retrieve a 147C through a portal is reselling a phone call someone else places.
Call volume decides the wait more than anything the caller controls. Early morning local time on Wednesday through Friday clears faster than Monday, and the weeks around March 15 and April 15 run longest. Budget 30 to 60 minutes on hold, and have a fax number ready so the written letter ships before the call ends.
What Does the IRS Agent Ask on the 147C Verification Call?
5 identity questions match you against Form SS-4: exact legal name, formation state, formation date, mailing address on 4a and 4b, and the responsible party's legal name on line 7a. One mismatch ends the call.
The IRS reads the 9-digit EIN aloud only after all 5 answers match. That is why the whole call is 15 to 20 minutes for a prepared caller and 45 to 60 minutes for one who has to search folders mid-call. Write the 5 answers down before dialing, in a note beside the phone. Confirm the LLC's legal name character for character, including whether the state approved LLC or L.L.C. A single character of difference fails the match.
Full script and step-by-step walkthrough on lost LLC EIN. The 9-digit EIN is stated once, in the middle of the call, at minute 12 to 18 for prepared callers.
The address question fails more calls than the other 4 combined. The IRS tests against the address on Form SS-4 lines 4a and 4b as last updated, not the LLC's current address. An owner who moved without filing Form 8822-B answers with the new address and fails a check pointed at the old one.
Do US Banks Accept the 147C Letter for an LLC Account?
Yes. Mercury, Wise, Relay, Chase, and Bank of America each accept the 147C as the IRS document of record. Both the CP-575 and the 147C carry the same 9-digit EIN and the same approved legal name.
The 5 major US business banks verify the EIN and the legal name against the IRS letter. Either letter satisfies that check, because the 9-digit number is what they compare. The 147C is the only letter available once the CP-575 is gone, since the IRS issues the CP-575 exactly 1 time. Full bank onboarding detail sits on EIN for an LLC bank account.
A faxed 147C is accepted as readily as a mailed one. Banks check the IRS letterhead, the 9-digit EIN and the legal name, and none of the 5 requires an original. Uploading the fax as a PDF clears the same document check that a posted letter would.
The letter travels beyond banking. Stripe, PayPal and Mercury request it at onboarding, state agencies accept it for sales-tax registration, and lenders and landlords use it to confirm the entity exists. 1 document covers all of those requests for the life of the LLC.
How Fast Does the 147C Letter Reach an LLC Owner?
The agent states the 9-digit EIN during the call itself, so recovery of the number takes 1 call. The written letter goes out by fax the same day, or by mail to the address on Form SS-4 lines 4a and 4b.
Fax delivery arrives during the call, so the written 147C lands within 24 hours in every case where the caller has a fax number the IRS can reach. Mail runs 2 to 3 weeks to a US address and 4 to 6 weeks to a foreign one. Foreign owners without fax access wait 4 to 6 weeks for the written document, but hold the 9-digit number itself the moment the call ends.
The IRS faxes only to a number given during the call, and it does not email the letter under any circumstance. A message offering a 147C by email attachment did not come from the IRS. Mail goes to the address on lines 4a and 4b as the IRS holds it, so an unfiled Form 8822-B sends the letter to a former address. Confirm the fax number digit by digit before the agent sends, because a failed transmission puts the request back in the mail queue and adds 2 to 3 weeks.
Verification is free. No SSN needed.
Can a Foreign-Owned LLC Verify Its EIN Without an SSN?
Yes. Recovery never tests your SSN, because the IRS matches you against Form SS-4 line 7a, where the entry Foreign is valid. Call the international line at 267-941-1099, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern.
No SSN required, no passport upload required, no ITIN required. The identity check runs against the 5 facts the IRS already holds from Form SS-4. The written 147C ships by fax during the same call. Full foreign-owner mechanics on LLC EIN without SSN and EIN for a foreign-owned LLC.
The reason the SSN never enters the call is structural rather than a concession. The IRS authenticates a 147C request against the responsible party recorded on Form SS-4 line 7a, and line 7b accepts the entry Foreign in place of a taxpayer identification number. An LLC filed that way has no SSN or ITIN on record for the agent to check against, so the agent works from the 5 facts the IRS does hold: the legal name, the mailing address on lines 4a and 4b, the formation date, the member count, and the responsible party’s name. A non-US owner who answers those 5 correctly is verified on the same call as a US owner, and the written 147C ships by fax before the call ends.
What Else Do LLC Founders Ask About EIN Verification Letters?
The 147C letter is the IRS document that verifies your LLC's 9-digit EIN and the exact legal name attached to it. The IRS issues the CP-575 once when the EIN is assigned; the 147C is the replacement letter for every request after that. Both cost $0 at the IRS and both are accepted by every US bank.
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 from the US, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, or 267-941-1099 from outside the country, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern. Ask for a 147C EIN verification letter by name. The IRS charges $0 for the call and $0 for the letter.
The person on Form SS-4 line 7a, a member of record, or anyone holding a signed Form 2848 power of attorney or Form 8821 tax information authorization. 3 documents move that authority. Filing Form 8822-B moves the responsible party permanently and is due within 60 days of the change.
The agent reads the 9-digit EIN aloud during the call itself, so recovery of the number takes 1 phone call. The written 147C goes out by fax the same day, or by mail to the address on Form SS-4 lines 4a and 4b. Fax arrives within 24 hours; mail runs 2 to 3 weeks.
Yes. Mercury, Wise, Relay, Chase, and Bank of America each accept the 147C as the IRS document of record when the CP-575 is missing. Both letters carry the same 9-digit EIN and the same approved legal name. The IRS issues the CP-575 exactly 1 time and never reprints it.
Yes. Recovery never tests your SSN, because the IRS matches you against Form SS-4 line 7a, where the entry Foreign is valid. Call the international line at 267-941-1099 from outside the country, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern. The 147C letter is free at $0. No passport upload is required.
5 questions match you against Form SS-4: the LLC's exact legal name, the formation state, the formation date, the mailing address on lines 4a and 4b, and the responsible party's legal name on line 7a. One mismatch ends the call. Have those 5 answers written down before dialing.
File Form 8822-B, which updates the mailing address and the responsible party the IRS holds against your EIN. The IRS requires it within 60 days of a responsible-party change. Until it lands, every 147C letter goes to the address on Form SS-4 lines 4a and 4b, and the IRS charges $0 for the update.
No. The IRS only issues the 147C on a phone call. No mail request form and no email request exist. Fax delivery of the written letter is available during the same call, and mail delivery takes 2 to 3 weeks to the address on Form SS-4. The IRS charges $0 for either delivery.
No. The IRS charges $0 for the 147C call and $0 for the letter itself, in every one of the 50 states and from abroad. einforllc.co charges $97 only for filing a brand-new EIN on Form SS-4 within 7 business days, or $127 within 24 hours. We never charge for verification.
This page states federal tax rules current as of July 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Confirm your LLC's position with a licensed CPA or attorney before filing.