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How you can replace an employer identification number

The federal government is always working hard to make sure that you don’t misplace your federal tax ID number. This is after signing up for a federal Employer Identification Number (EIN). So the government takes the responsibility of reminding you to take care of your number.

However, in real life maybe due to a lot of responsibilities you may forget your EIN number. In such cases what do you do to obtain back your Tax ID number as an assigned Employment Identification Number?

Reasons for an EIN

As a business person, you need an EIN number like any other social security number that a company needs in order to run. This is so important that you will have to own an EIN for you to file your tax, business license application, open a bank account for your business, business loan application while obtaining and accessing new credit lines, and also in filling up different forms like 1099-MISCs for any contracted work.

In some circumstances like if your business is running as a sole proprietor, then you may wish to register for a federal Employment Identification Number so as to avoid using social security numbers instead. Note that both two numbers can be used for business purposes.

There are a number of cases where a bank or a vendor lending you money may need a confirmation of your EIN from the IRS before completing the process of loan application for trust purposes.

In such a case if you cannot find your number, you can as well go ahead and request from the assigned Employment Identification Number since the process of requesting is easier than tearing down your office while looking for your EIN.

Make a call to the IRS

It is always advisable to reach out to IRS in case of misplacement of EIN. The first step is by making a phone call to them. You can always do this by dialing (800)829-4933 if your location is in the US. If you are abroad you can do this by dialing (267) 941-1099. The purpose of the call should be to ask the IRS for a replacement of the 147C letter. This is the letter that contained all the information you need concerning your EIN.

In a scenario where you still recall your number, the IRS can let you have the form by directly faxing it to you. However, if you don’t remember anything, then you should not worry much but be patient as you need to wait for the letter to be sent to your email. This is because the EIN number cannot be provided through a phone call.

Be bold enough to answer questions

You should be assured that IRS can never provide you with a 147C letter without questioning you. This is to be sure that you are authorized to own an EIN. In this case, they might be asked you about your profile in relation to the business you are obtaining a letter for.

The IRS is subjected not to give or send 147C to anyone, it is either you are an authorized individual like a corporate officer or a partner as the policy state.

Can you obtain back your Employment Identification Number without consulting IRS?

As a boss, you may be wondering what will happen to you if you lost your EIN and yet you find it difficult and process to reach out to IRS. The answer here is yes you can obtain back your number with some conditions. One you must have filed tax before. This will mean in other words that you already possess an old tax form. It is obvious that your EIN is found in an old record of tax form. So you have a responsibility of digging deep into your company’s record by reaching out to these old forms.

The second option is in case you have ever applied for a loan from a bank. The bank will always ask you for your company’s Employment Identification Number before processing your loan where this number can be obtained from their record concerning your loan. This is a point where you can visit the bank office or you may consider calling them to help you check your record and obtain your Employment Identification Number. You can as well obtain your EIN from the bank you already have an account with them remember this is it is mandatory to provide your EIN for you to open a bank account for your business.

Finally, your Employment Identification Number may also be found in the records of authorities you applied for your company’s license from. The best way is to visit their offices so as to explain yourself very well. This is because physical appearance may be more effective than making a phone call. However, before taking either of these options, you may consider perusing over your office records like library, files e.tc.