Which Kind of LLC EIN Loss Do You Have?
There are 5 losses, and they take 5 different routes. Losing the paper, losing the number, losing the address, losing contact with the responsible party, and never having been assigned an EIN at all.
Reading the row that matches your situation saves the wasted call. Four of the 5 rows resolve at $0. Only the last row costs anything, because the LLC has no number to recover. That last row is $97 on Standard, faxed within 7 business days and 16–19 business days in total, or $127 on Fast, filed within 24 hours with the IRS call included and 6 to 8 business days in total.
| What you lost | The route out | Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| The CP-575 letter, number known | Request a 147C letter | 1 phone call | $0 |
| The 9-digit number itself | IRS releases it on the call | 1 phone call | $0 |
| The address the IRS mails to | File Form 8822-B, then request 147C | 60-day rule applies | $0 |
| Contact with the responsible party | Form 2848 or Form 8821, then 147C | 1 phone call | $0 |
| Nothing: no EIN was ever issued | File Form SS-4 for a new EIN | 16–19 business days | $97 |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 instructions and IRS Form 8822-B instructions, verified July 2026.
Is the LLC EIN Number You Half-Remember Actually Correct?
An EIN is exactly 9 digits, written as 2 digits, a hyphen, then 7 digits. A number with 8 or 10 digits is wrong. Confirm the remembered number against a filed return before using it anywhere.
Half-remembered EINs cause more damage than forgotten ones, because a transposed pair of digits passes a casual glance and fails at the bank once an account application is already in review. Three checks settle it. First, count the digits: 9, never 8, never 10. Second, compare the number against a document the IRS or a bank already accepted, such as a filed Form 1065 or a prior W-9. Third, if 2 documents disagree, treat both as unverified and request the 147C letter.
The IRS assigns one EIN per entity for the lifetime of the LLC, and it never reissues a retired number to a different company. That permanence is what makes the 147C authoritative: whatever the IRS reads on the call is the number, and every other copy is a transcription. Search-side methods for tracking down a number you have no records for sit on the llc ein number lookup page, and the written document the IRS issues at the end of that call is covered on the EIN verification letter page.
How Do You Get a 147C Letter for a Lost LLC EIN?
Call 800-829-4933 inside the United States or 267-941-1099 from abroad, ask for a 147C EIN verification letter, clear the identity questions, and take the 9-digit number down on the call. Cost: $0.
The 147C call in 6 steps
The whole recovery is one call. Each step below states the IRS rule behind it, and none of the 6 steps carries a fee.
Step 1: Dial the right IRS line
US-based callers use the Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, open Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Callers outside the United States use 267-941-1099, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern. Neither number carries a fee, and neither is a premium line.
Step 2: Ask for a 147C letter by name
The phrase that ends the call fastest is a request for a 147C EIN verification letter. Agents recognise 147C as the replacement document for a lost CP-575. Asking instead to reprint the CP-575 gets a refusal, because the IRS issues that letter exactly once per EIN.
Step 3: Answer the identity questions
The agent matches you against Form SS-4 line 7a, the responsible party of record. Expect questions on the LLC's exact legal name, its formation state, its formation date, and the mailing address on lines 4a and 4b. One mismatch stops the release of the 9-digit number.
Step 4: Write the EIN down on the call
The agent reads the 9-digit EIN aloud once identity clears. Read it back digit by digit in the IRS format, 2 digits, a hyphen, then 7 digits. This single step recovers the number in 1 call, before any letter travels anywhere.
Step 5: Choose fax or mail for the letter
The IRS sends the written 147C by fax during the same call, or by mail to the address it holds on file. Fax delivers the document while you are still on the line. Mail follows the address on Form SS-4 lines 4a and 4b, which is why a stale address costs weeks.
Step 6: Store the 147C where the CP-575 should have been
A 147C carries the same 9-digit EIN and the same approved legal name as the CP-575. Banks accept it as the IRS document of record. Save one PDF, one printed copy, and one copy outside the country the LLC banks in, before the next account application.
What the agent asks, in order
The identity check runs against what the IRS already holds from Form SS-4. Have these 5 items open before dialling, because one mismatch ends the call without the number.
The LLC's exact legal name. Character for character, including whether the state approved LLC or L.L.C. One character of difference fails the match.
The formation state and formation date. Any of the 50 states. The date is the one the state recorded, which Form SS-4 line 11 carried.
The responsible party's legal name. Form SS-4 line 7a. A company name here fails, because the IRS requires a human being on that line.
The mailing address the IRS holds. Form SS-4 lines 4a and 4b. This is where a mailed 147C goes, and where a missing CP-575 went.
The member count and classification. Line 8b set 1 member or 2 or more, and line 9a set disregarded entity, partnership, or corporation.
Source: IRS Form SS-4 line references, verified July 2026.
Can the IRS Reprint a Lost CP-575 Letter?
No. The IRS issues the CP-575 exactly once per EIN and never reprints it. The 147C letter is the official replacement, it carries the same 9-digit EIN, and it costs $0.
A bank that asks for an EIN confirmation is asking for an IRS-issued letter, and the 147C is one. The 2 documents differ only in origin: the CP-575 is generated when the EIN is assigned, and the 147C is generated on request afterwards.
One practical difference matters for a foreign-owned LLC. The CP-575 shows the legal name exactly as the state approved it at formation. If the LLC has since changed its name, a 147C requested under the old name still returns the EIN, and the letter reflects what the IRS currently holds. Full detail on the document itself sits on the LLC CP-575 letter page, and what banks verify sits on EIN for an LLC bank account.
The CP-575 prints exactly 1 time, at the moment the EIN is assigned, and the IRS reprints it for no fee and under no circumstance. That is not a policy an agent can waive on a call, which is why asking for a replacement CP-575 gets a refusal and asking for a 147C gets a document.
The 147C carries the same 9-digit EIN and the same approved legal name as the original, and every US bank accepts it in place of the CP-575. It costs $0, arrives by fax during the call or by mail in 7 to 10 business days, and can be requested as many times as the LLC needs it.
How Do You Recover a Lost LLC EIN Without an SSN?
Call the IRS international line at 267-941-1099, open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, and request a 147C letter. Recovery never tests your SSN, because Form SS-4 line 7b accepts the entry Foreign.
Have an SSN? Everything on this page is free at irs.gov, and a brand-new EIN takes 15 minutes in the IRS online assistant at $0. Do not pay anyone, including us.
No SSN? Recovery is still $0 by phone. A new EIN goes the fax route: 855-641-6935 for entities based in a US state, 855-215-1627 for international applicants, where the IRS publishes no processing deadline and returns no tracking number. Or we file it for you: $97 faxed within 7 business days, 16–19 business days in total, or $127 filed within 24 hours with the IRS call included, 6 to 8 business days in total.
Three details trip up owners abroad. The international line does not run the same hours as the domestic line, so 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern is the window. A fax delivery of the 147C needs a fax number the IRS can reach, and most non-US owners use an online fax service for this single document. And the mailed fallback goes to the address on Form SS-4 lines 4a and 4b, which for many foreign-owned LLCs is a registered-agent address the owner stopped monitoring. See LLC EIN without SSN and EIN for a foreign-owned LLC.
Should You Apply for a Second EIN Instead of Recovering the First?
No. A second EIN opens a second IRS tax account for one LLC, and returns filed across 2 accounts generate mismatch notices. Recovering the original 9-digit number costs $0 and takes 1 call.
The temptation is real, because a new application feels faster than an IRS phone queue. The cost lands later. Once 2 EINs exist for one entity, the IRS holds 2 separate accounts under the same legal name. Filings land in one account, notices are issued from the other, and a bank that verified the first number will not recognise the second.
The fix is a written request to the IRS naming both 9-digit numbers, stating which one the LLC actually uses, and asking to close the unused account. The IRS charges $0 to close it, and the original EIN stays with the LLC for its lifetime. A genuinely new EIN is required only when the structure changes, such as a single-member LLC adding a second member and becoming a partnership that files Form 1065. That boundary is mapped on the new EIN for an LLC page, and the classification election behind it on form 8832 llc.
Filing a fresh SS-4 because the queue is long. Creates the duplicate. The original EIN never disappears, and both stay attached to the same legal name.
Using a number a formation agency emailed you. Verify it against a 147C first. An unverified 9-digit number in an old email is a transcription, not a record.
Guessing the number on a W-9. A wrong EIN on a W-9 triggers backup withholding on payments the LLC receives.
Waiting until a bank asks. Account applications stall on the spot, and a mailed 147C runs on the IRS timetable, not yours.
What Breaks While Your LLC EIN Is Missing?
Banking, payment processing, and hiring stall immediately. Federal filing deadlines do not pause: a foreign-owned single-member LLC still owes Form 5472, and the penalty stays $25,000 per year.
| What stalls | Why the EIN is required | Exposure |
|---|---|---|
| US business bank account | The bank verifies the EIN against the CP-575 or 147C | Application held |
| Stripe and PayPal business accounts | Both require the 9-digit EIN at onboarding | Payouts held |
| Form 5472 + pro-forma Form 1120 | The return is filed under the EIN | $25,000 per year |
| Form 1065 for a multi-member LLC | Partnership return and every Schedule K-1 | Late-filing penalties |
| Payroll and Form W-2 filings | Employment tax accounts run on the EIN | Hiring blocked |
| Form W-9 to a US client | Wrong or missing EIN triggers backup withholding | Withheld payments |
Source: Internal Revenue Code section 6038A and IRS Form 5472 instructions, verified July 2026.
The $25,000 figure is the one that turns a filing-cabinet problem into a money problem. A foreign-owned single-member LLC files Form 5472 with a pro-forma Form 1120 every year, even with $0 of income, and the obligation attaches from year one. Losing the EIN does not pause it. Read Form 5472 and LLC tax classification for the full obligation.
No SSN. No passport upload.
What Does Recovering a Lost LLC EIN Cost?
Recovery costs $0. The IRS charges nothing for the phone call and nothing for the 147C letter. Only a brand-new EIN carries a price, and the IRS charges $0 for that too.
| Item | einforllc.co | DIY at IRS | Northwest | ZenBusiness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recovering an existing EIN by 147C | $0, we never charge | $0 | N/A | N/A |
| Filing a brand-new EIN without an SSN | $97, or $127 on Fast | $0 | $200 | $99 |
| Time to a new EIN | 16–19 business days, or 6 to 8 on Fast | No published IRS deadline | N/A | N/A |
| Filing deadline in writing | 7 business days, or 24 hours on Fast | None | N/A | N/A |
| Classification check on 8a, 8b, 9a | Yes, every order | You decide | N/A | N/A |
| Refund if the filing deadline is missed | That fee refunded | Not applicable | N/A | N/A |
| Year 2 and beyond for the EIN | $0 | $0 | N/A | N/A |
Competitor columns carry reference prices only, verified July 2026: Northwest $200 at the no-SSN rate, ZenBusiness $99. Rocket Lawyer lists $59.99 for an EIN filing, also verified July 2026. A dash means we make no claim about that provider.
The EIN is priced on its own, and this is not it. einforllc.co files EINs at $97 faxed within 7 business days, or $127 filed within 24 hours with the IRS call included. A lost EIN is a $0 problem, and the honest answer is the phone number at the top of this page. The $97 exists for the reader who finishes step 2 and discovers the LLC was never assigned an EIN at all. If your LLC already exists, that EIN fee is the whole invoice, and we will tell you to skip the optional $197 formation add-on rather than sell it to you. That add-on covers the state filing, a first-year registered agent that renews at $99 a year, and an operating agreement, plus state fees at cost. Full pricing sits on the LLC EIN cost page, and you can get started when the recovery turns out to be a new filing.
How Do You Make Sure You Never Lose the LLC EIN Again?
Store the EIN in 3 places the day it arrives, keep Form 8822-B current within 60 days of any change, and photograph the CP-575 before it leaves your hand. An EIN never expires.
An EIN lasts the lifetime of the LLC and costs $0 in year 2 and every year after, which is exactly why it goes missing: nothing ever renews it, so nothing ever reminds you it exists. Four habits close the gap permanently.
Scan the CP-575 within 24 hours. The IRS issues it once. A photograph taken the day it arrives is worth more than every later request.
Keep 3 copies in 3 places. One PDF in cloud storage, one printed copy, and one copy held outside the country the LLC banks in.
File Form 8822-B within 60 days of any change. It moves the responsible party and the mailing address. Skipping it is the single most common cause of a failed 147C call.
Record the EIN beside the legal name and formation date. The 3 facts the IRS asks for on every call belong in the same note as the 9-digit number.
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.