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Chapter 6 - Making Your Business Legitimate
15 Simple Steps To Obtaining a Federal Tax ID Number

how to get a federal tax id number

The IRS Wants To Know Your Business:
15 Simple Steps To obtaining a Federal Tax ID number

How Obtain A Federal tax Id Number also called an Employer Identification Number, or EIN

As a business entity, you will need to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). To do so, you need to prepare and submit an IRS form called the SS-4.

Fortunately, filling out an SS-4 is easy and can even be done online.

Get Your Federal Tax Id Number Online

The first thing you will need to do is go to https://sa1.www4.irs.gov/sa_vign/newFormSS4.do At this site, you can either fill out the online form, or download the paper version.

Next you will need to fill out the form following these directions.

1. Identify the legal name of your new company. You enter the new full legal name you company into box 1.

2. Identify the trade name if that name differs from the legal name and enter it into box 2.

3. Provide the firm’s address in boxes 4a and 4b.

If the business’s street address differs from the mailing address, you also need to enter the street address into boxes 5a and 5b.

4. Identify the county and state of the new business into box 6.

5. Enter your full name into box 7a. Then, enter your social security number, individual taxpayer identification number, or EIN, into box 7b.

6. Identify the entity. If you choose an LLC, in box 8a, mark the “Other” box and then enter specify LLC.”

What You Do and Why You Do It

7. Explain why you need an EIN. You mark one of the buttons in box 9 to indicate the reason you are requesting the EIN.

For example, if you have just set up an LLC for a new business, you can mark the “Started New Business” button.

8. Indicate when business activity started in box 10 of the SS-4, indicating the month, day, and year from drop-down list boxes

The Nitty Gritty

9. Identify the last month of the accounting year using box 11. In most cases, an accounting year ends in December.

10. Indicate when you first paid or will first pay wages using the drop down list boxes in box 12.

11. Use box 13 to indicate how many employees you plan to have.

12. Describe (at least in a general way) the principal activity of your new business using box 14.

13. Describe the principal product or service you will provide using box 15.

14. Indicate whether you have previously applied for an EIN. You can do this by marking either the Yes or No box in box 16a.

If you indicate that you have applied for an EIN before, fill in the blanks in box 16b with the old entity’s legal and trade name.

Sending It On

15. Submit the SS-4 form to the IRS. If you are using the online version of the SS-4 form, you simply click the Next button to submit the SS-4 to the IRS.

The IRS server then validates the SS-4 form you have filled out.

If you have prepared a paper version of the SS-4 form, you mail or fax the completed SS-4 to the following address or fax number:

Attn: EIN Operation
Philadelphia, PA 19255
Fax-TIN: 859-669-5760

Once the application is completed, the information is validated during the online session, and an EIN is issued immediately.

The processing timeframe for an EIN application received by mail is four weeks.

More On Obtaining a Federal Tax Id Number

Net Page:

Starting A Business Book Cover

You're on Chapter 6:

Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About Starting a Business But Were Afraid To Ask

Simple, No Nonsense Steps For Getting Your Small Business Off The Ground

Chapter 1:

Steps to Starting a Small Business

Chapter 2:

Finding the Business and Products That Suit You AND Your Customer

Chapter 3:

Four Ways To Form Your Company

Chapter 4:

Failing to Plan Is Planning To Fail

Chapter 5:

Financing Your Business

Chapter 6:

Making Your Business Legitimate

Six Tips for Determining a Good Business Name

Business Name Registration - A Must for a Serious Entity

Opening a Business Bank Account

Creating a Business Logo That Grabs Attention

Creating Business Cards That Are Effective

Federal, State, and Local Rules and Business Regulations

15 Simple Steps To Establishing a Federal Tax ID Number

Small Business Taxes You Will Need To Be Aware Of

Tax Tips For Small Businesses

Chapter 7:

Business Insurance

Chapter 8:

Marketing Strategies For Small Businesses

Chapter 9:

Business Location

Chapter 10:

Technology And your Small Business

Chapter 11:

Your Business And Employees

Summary:

Business Success Checklist