Is an EIN number genuinely free from the IRS?
Yes, on every route. The IRS sells no EIN and offers no paid or expedited version. The number costs $0 online, $0 by fax, $0 by mail, and $0 by phone, and it stays $0 for the life of the entity.
The confusion comes from paid preparation services that appear above the IRS in search results. Those sites charge a fee and deliver a real EIN, yet the number underneath is the same free one the IRS issues. The fee buys a filled and checked Form SS-4, not the identifier.
See the full price picture, including competitor fees, on the EIN cost page.
How do you get a free EIN, step by step?
Five steps on the free online route. Open the IRS EIN Assistant, confirm eligibility, enter the entity and responsible party, state the reason on line 10, and receive the 9-digit EIN in the same session.
Open the IRS EIN Assistant
Go to the IRS EIN application on irs.gov. It runs Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eastern Time, and costs $0.
Confirm eligibility
The responsible party needs an SSN or ITIN and a US address. Without an SSN, skip to the free fax route below.
Enter the entity and responsible party
Name the legal entity from your formation document on line 1, and the responsible party on line 7a, exactly as they read.
State the reason on line 10
Pick 1 reason: started a business, hired employees, banking, or a change of structure. The reason does not change the $0 cost.
Receive the EIN and CP-575
The tool issues the 9-digit EIN in the same session, and the IRS mails the CP-575 confirmation letter within about 2 weeks, or 14 calendar days.
Source: IRS EIN Assistant and Form SS-4 instructions, verified July 2026.
Read the full line-by-line application on the how to apply for an ein page, or fill Form SS-4 with the SS-4 form helper.
Which free route is fastest?
The online route, at 15 minutes, for anyone with an SSN or ITIN. Fax is next at 4 business days, then mail at 4 weeks. All 3 cost $0, so the choice is speed and eligibility, never price.
Speed depends on 1 fact: whether the responsible party holds an SSN. With one, the online tool wins every time. Without one, the fax route is the fastest free option, because the online tool closes and mail runs about 20 business days against 4 by fax on the identical form.
Turn any start date into a delivery date across all routes on the EIN timeline estimator.
Is the free online EIN from irs.gov legit?
Yes. The IRS EIN Assistant on irs.gov is the official issuer and the only source of the number itself. It costs $0 and delivers a real, usable EIN in 15 minutes, with a CP-575 letter to follow within 14 calendar days.
No other website issues the number. A paid service prepares and submits Form SS-4 on your behalf, and the IRS still assigns the EIN behind the scenes. The number a $200 service delivers is identical to the one the free tool delivers, because both come from the same IRS system.
Confirm what the IRS mails you against the CP-575 page, the single confirmation letter the IRS issues when it assigns the number.
Can you get a free EIN without an SSN?
Yes. Form SS-4 line 7b accepts the entry Foreign, so the IRS issues a free EIN to a responsible party holding no SSN and no ITIN. The application goes by fax at $0 and returns in 4 business days.
The online tool is the 1 route that closes without an SSN, because it asks the responsible party for an SSN, an ITIN, or an existing EIN. The other 3 free routes stay open, and the fax route is the fastest of them. No identity document and no passport upload is filed with Form SS-4.
The IRS fax line is 855-641-6935 for entities based in a US state and 855-215-1627 for international applicants. Read the full no-SSN chapter on the EIN without an SSN page.
What do paid EIN services charge for?
For preparation, not the number. A paid filing fills Form SS-4, checks the name control and line 7b, submits it, and tracks the result. ein-number.com charges $69 or $99; the IRS fee stays $0.
| EIN filed by | Price | What the price buys |
|---|---|---|
| Yourself, IRS online | $0 | The number, in 15 minutes, if a line does not reject |
| ein-number.com, Standard | $69 | Prepared, senior-reviewed, filed by fax in 8 business days |
| ein-number.com, Fast | $99 | Same, filed within 24 hours, 7 business days total |
| Rocket Lawyer | $59.99 | Preparation, bundled with a membership |
| Northwest | $200 | Preparation, at the no-SSN rate |
Competitor prices verified July 2026. The IRS fee is $0 on every route, in all 50 states.
The honest line: with an SSN and a clean entity name, the free online route is the right choice, and paying for it is paying for nothing. The paid route earns its price when a line rejects, when there is no SSN, or when a wrong filing would delay a bank account.
Does a free EIN cost anything later?
No. An EIN never renews and carries no annual fee, so year 2 and every year after cost $0. The IRS keeps the number attached to the entity permanently, with no bill to keep it active.
The number outlives the paperwork. It survives an address change, a name change, and an owner change at no cost, and it appears on every federal filing that follows: Form 941 for payroll, the 1099 forms a business issues, and the 147C letter that reprints it. The only events that require a new EIN are a change of entity type or specific ownership changes, and even that new number is free.
See which events force a new number on the do I need a new EIN page, and how to update an address at no cost on the Form 8822-B page.
What free-EIN scams should you avoid?
Three. A site claiming the IRS charges a fee, a site charging a recurring or renewal cost, and a site asking for a passport upload to issue the number. The IRS charges $0, never renews, and needs no passport.
A claimed IRS fee. The IRS charges $0 on all 4 routes. Any page stating the government charges for the EIN itself is misrepresenting the cost.
A renewal or annual charge. An EIN never renews. A subscription or yearly fee tied to keeping the number active has nothing behind it.
A passport upload to get the number. No identity document is filed with Form SS-4. A page requiring a passport scan to issue an EIN is collecting more than the IRS asks for.
A legitimate paid service states the IRS fee is $0 and charges only for preparation. That is the line between a filing service and a scam, and it is the line this page holds to.