What is a CP 575 and who issues it?
The IRS issues the CP 575 automatically the moment it assigns an EIN. Nobody requests it. It records the 9-digit number, the legal name it belongs to, and the returns the IRS expects from that entity.
The notice exists because an EIN on its own proves nothing. Nine digits typed into an email carry no authority. The CP 575 is the record that ties those digits to one legal name, on one date, in IRS systems. Every later document that shows an EIN, from a Form W-9 to a payroll filing, copies a pairing the CP 575 established first.
That is also why the document sits at the top of the document cluster on this site. The broader ein confirmation letter page covers the whole family of proof documents. This page covers the original notice itself: what is printed on it, and what happens when it is gone.
One point removes most of the confusion around the document. The EIN is live from the assignment date printed on the notice, not from the date the envelope arrives. An entity signs a lease, opens a payroll account, and files a return using a number whose paper record is still in transit.
What is printed on a CP 575?
A CP 575 prints the notice number, the 9-digit EIN, the legal name, the mailing address, the assignment date, the required return types, the entity classification, and an IRS contact block. Form SS-4 line 1 supplies the legal name.
Most of what prints on the notice is your own Form SS-4 read back to you. Each block below names the line it came from, so a detail that looks wrong on the notice can be traced to the line that produced it. The IRS itself publishes no count of the fields on a CP 575, and this page asserts none.
The notice number, CP 575
The label CP 575 names the document. A suffix letter such as A, B, E, or G follows it and records the internal IRS channel that produced the notice. The suffix changes nothing about the content or the weight of the letter.
The employer identification number
The 9 digits print as 2 digits, a hyphen, then 7 digits. This is the only place the number appears in its assigned form, and it is what a bank keys into its verification screen.
The legal name of the entity
The IRS prints the name exactly as it read on line 1 of Form SS-4, in capitals and truncated to the width of the field. This pairing of number and name is what every later verification tests.
The trade name, where one was filed
A DBA entered on line 2 prints back on the notice. It carries no EIN of its own, so it never governs the name match. A notice with no line 2 entry prints no trade name at all.
The care-of name, where one was filed
Line 3 routes the envelope through a named person or agent. It changes the delivery path and nothing else. The EIN belongs to the entity on line 1, never to the care-of name.
The mailing address on file
The address comes from lines 4a and 4b of Form SS-4. It records where the IRS sends future notices, and it carries no requirement to sit inside the United States.
The date the EIN was assigned
The assignment date, not the mailing date. The EIN is live from that date, so the entity can sign contracts and file forms before the paper notice reaches the mailbox.
The forms the entity must file
The IRS lists the return types tied to the EIN, such as Form 1120, Form 1065, or Form 941, along with the first period each one is due for. This list records what the IRS expects, and it is amendable.
The entity classification on record
The notice states the classification the IRS recorded from line 9a of Form SS-4. A mismatch between this line and the formation document is the reason a share of applications get corrected after issue.
The accounting period the IRS recorded
Line 12 sets the closing month of the tax year, and the first return due date printed on the notice follows from it. A December entry and a June entry produce 2 different deadlines for the same entity.
The IRS contact block and tear-off stub
The foot carries the IRS service centre reference and a detachable stub. International filers reach the IRS at 267-941-1099, the line that handles entities outside the 50 states.
Source: IRS Form SS-4 and the Form SS-4 instructions, verified July 2026. Line references are to Form SS-4. The IRS publishes no field count for the CP 575.
What do CP 575 A, CP 575 B and CP 575 E mean?
The suffix letter records the internal IRS channel that produced the notice. A, B, E and G all appear. Each one assigns the EIN, prints the same content, and carries identical weight at a bank.
The IRS publishes no list of the suffixes it uses, so no page can tell you the set is closed, and this one does not. What holds regardless of which letter arrives is the ranking: there is none.
People notice the suffix because it looks like a grade. It is not. There is no premium variant and no provisional variant. A CP 575 E and a CP 575 A that carry the same 9 digits and the same legal name are the same proof of the same assignment.
A reviewer who insists on one specific suffix is applying a rule the IRS does not publish. The correct response is to point at the 2 fields that decide the question: the EIN and the legal name. Those 2 fields print identically on every suffix, and on the 147C as well.
Why do banks ask for the CP 575?
A bank must confirm that the EIN and the legal name match IRS records before it opens a business account. The CP 575 records that pairing at assignment, which makes it the primary document rather than a supporting one.
Customer identification rules require a financial institution to identify the entity behind an account, not the person carrying the paperwork. A formation certificate proves a state registered the company. It proves nothing about federal tax identity. The CP 575 is the federal half of that pair, which is why an account application asks for both documents together.
The same logic runs outside banking. Payment processors, payroll providers, marketplace verification teams, and wholesale suppliers all reconcile a name against a number before they release an account. Each of them is running a version of the same 2-field check, and each accepts the same 2 documents.
| Who asks | What they are confirming | Accepts a 147C instead |
|---|---|---|
| A business bank | Entity identity before account opening | Yes |
| A payment processor | Tax identity behind the payout account | Yes |
| A payroll provider | The employer EIN used on Form 941 | Yes |
| A marketplace verification team | Seller entity matches the tax record | Yes |
| A wholesale supplier | The buying entity is a registered business | Yes |
| An accountant at first filing | Classification and required return types | Yes |
Source: IRS documentation and standard account-opening practice, verified July 2026.
What does a bank actually check on a CP 575?
Two fields decide the review: the 9-digit EIN and the legal name printed beside it. The reviewer compares that name against the formation document, character for character, and rejects a mismatch.
The IRS derives a name control from the first 4 characters of the legal name and matches filings against it. A bank reviewer is running the human version of that test. This is why differences that look cosmetic decide the outcome. A name recorded as LLC on the CP 575 and L.L.C. on the state certificate reads as 2 different strings.
Punctuation differences in the legal name. A comma before LLC, a period inside L.L.C., or an ampersand where the certificate reads and. The IRS records the string that arrived on line 1 of Form SS-4 and prints it back unchanged.
A trading name instead of the legal name. A DBA carries no EIN of its own. The EIN belongs to the legal entity behind the trading name, so the CP 575 prints the entity, and an application filed under the DBA fails the match.
A truncated name on the notice. The IRS field has a fixed width, so a long legal name prints cut off. The truncation is the IRS record, and a reviewer who has seen it before accepts it against the full name on the certificate.
A screenshot rather than the document. A photographed number carries none of the surrounding blocks that make the notice a record. Banks reject screenshots because the pairing, not the number, is the thing being verified.
A name changed after assignment. The EIN survives a name change, so the number stays correct while the printed name goes stale. The IRS updates the name on request, and a 147C then prints the current pairing.
Read the wider recovery path on the lost ein number page, or work through the full set of retrieval routes on the ein number lookup page.
Can the IRS reprint a CP 575?
No. The IRS prints the CP 575 one time and does not reissue it. The replacement is the 147C verification letter, which the IRS releases to an authorized person at $0.
The single-print rule is the most consequential fact about the document, and it explains the shape of this entire cluster. Every recovery method that exists, and every substitute document a bank accepts, exists because the original cannot be reissued.
Authorized person has a specific meaning. It covers an owner, a partner, a corporate officer, a trustee, and a person holding a filed power of attorney. The IRS verifies that authority before it releases the number, which is why a 147C takes longer than reading a document you already hold.
Read the exact request procedure, including what the IRS asks on the call, on the 147c letter page.
CP 575 or 147C letter: which does a bank accept?
Both. A CP 575 proves the assignment, a 147C proves the current IRS record. Banks accept either, because both print the same 2 fields the review tests: the EIN and the legal name.
| Point of comparison | CP 575 | 147C letter |
|---|---|---|
| Issued | Automatically at assignment | On request, afterwards |
| Times available | 1 per EIN | Unlimited requests |
| Records | The pairing on the assignment date | The pairing as of today |
| IRS cost | $0 | $0 |
| Delivery | Fax or mail | |
| Speed | Arrives after assignment | Days to weeks |
| Released to | The address on Form SS-4 | An authorized person only |
| Reflects a name change | No | Yes, once the IRS updates the record |
Source: IRS, verified July 2026.
One asymmetry deserves attention. The CP 575 is frozen at the assignment date, so an entity that changed its legal name holds a document that no longer matches its certificate. In that single case the 147C is the stronger document, because it prints the record as the IRS holds it today.
How long does a CP 575 take to arrive?
The timing follows the application method. An online application produces the notice immediately, in 15 minutes. A fax application produces it after IRS processing. Mail delivery adds transit time on top of either route.
| Application route | Requires an SSN | Time to the EIN | IRS cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRS online tool at irs.gov | Yes | 15 minutes | $0 |
| Fax, 855-641-6935 | No | IRS processing time | $0 |
| Fax, 855-215-1627, international | No | IRS processing time | $0 |
| IRS mail | No | 4 weeks | $0 |
| ein-number.com | No | 7 business days, in writing | $99 service fee, $0 IRS fee |
Source: IRS Form SS-4 instructions, verified July 2026. The 4-week mail figure is the IRS published processing time. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays.
The number and the paper travel separately. The EIN is usable from its assignment date, so a bank appointment that is 3 weeks out is not blocked by an envelope in transit. Compare all 5 routes on the how long does it take to get an ein page.
What do you do if a detail on the CP 575 is wrong?
Correct the IRS record rather than the paper. An address or responsible party change goes on Form 8822-B. A legal name change goes to the IRS in writing. The EIN survives all 3 corrections.
A CP 575 is a printed snapshot, so it cannot be edited and it does not need to be. What matters is the record behind it. Once the IRS updates that record, a 147C prints the corrected pairing, and that letter becomes the document a bank reviews.
| What is wrong | The correction route | New EIN required |
|---|---|---|
| Mailing address | Form 8822-B | No |
| Responsible party | Form 8822-B, within 60 days of the change | No |
| Legal name spelling | Written notice to the IRS | No |
| Entity classification on record | Written notice, or the relevant election form | No |
| Required return types listed | Written notice to the IRS | No |
| The entity itself changed structure | A new Form SS-4 | Yes |
Source: IRS Form 8822-B instructions, verified July 2026.
Only the last row changes the number. A structural change creates a different legal entity, and a different entity holds a different EIN. Work through the address and responsible party filing on the Form 8822-B page.
How should you store a CP 575?
Keep the original for the life of the entity, and hold a scan in 2 separate places. The IRS prints the notice 1 time, so a scan removes the dependency on a single sheet of paper at $0 cost.
Store the scan with the formation certificate rather than apart from it. Those 2 documents are asked for together in every account opening, and a folder holding both answers the request in 1 step. Name the file with the legal name exactly as the notice prints it, so a future search finds the string a reviewer will be matching against.
Treat the EIN itself as a business identifier rather than a secret. It appears on every W-9 the business signs and on every W-2 it issues, so 2 categories of counterparty already hold it. The document is the thing worth protecting, because the document is the proof.
How do you get a CP 575 without a Social Security Number?
File Form SS-4 by fax. Line 7b accepts the entry Foreign for a responsible party who holds no SSN and no ITIN. The IRS assigns the EIN and issues the same CP 575, at $0.
The online tool is the only route that requires an SSN or ITIN, and it is a channel restriction rather than an eligibility rule. The fax route reaches the same IRS unit, produces an identical notice, and carries the same $0 IRS fee. No identity document is filed with Form SS-4, and no passport upload is required at any step.
The fax route, in numbers
The IRS fax line is 855-641-6935 for entities based in a US state and 855-215-1627 for international applicants. The international phone line is 267-941-1099. Line 7b takes the word Foreign. Line 4b accepts an address outside the United States, and the CP 575 mails to it.
Have an SSN? irs.gov is free, and the online tool issues the EIN in 15 minutes. No SSN? The fax route above works, or we file it for you.
The document arriving at the end is identical either way. A non-resident founder receives a CP 575 with the same notice number, the same printed blocks, and the same standing at a bank as a CP 575 issued through the online tool.
What do you do when you need a new EIN and a new CP 575?
File Form SS-4. A new legal entity receives a new EIN and a new CP 575. The IRS charges $0, and line 7b accepts the entry Foreign when the responsible party holds no SSN.
A missing CP 575 is a document problem, and a 147C solves it. A changed entity is a different problem entirely. A sole proprietorship that incorporates, a single-member LLC that adds a second member, and a partnership that converts to a corporation each become a new taxpayer, and each receives a new number and a new notice.
| Filed by | Price | Written deadline | Year 2+ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yourself, direct to the IRS | $0 | None | $0 |
| ein-number.com | $99 | 7 business days or 100% automatic refund | $0 |
| Northwest | $200 | None | $0 |
| ZenBusiness | $99 | None | $0 |
Competitor prices verified July 2026. Northwest reflects the no-SSN rate. Business days are Monday to Friday, excluding US federal holidays.
The IRS charges $0 for an EIN through every route on this page. The $99 covers preparation, filing within 1 business day of your completed details, 4 tracked stages, IRS monitoring, and a delivery date in writing for the EIN and the CP-575. You can get your EIN number in 7 business days or file it yourself for nothing.