If you are getting ready to file your taxes, and have never done so before, then you need to ask yourself a few questions first. This article will help answer the question of how do I find your tax I.D. number. A tax I.D. number is also called an Employer Identification Number (EIN). Your EIN is important because it’s used as a form of identification for individuals that don’t have a social security number (SSN). If you make any type of money in the U.S. of over $1000 a year, you need an EIN number.
Tax ID Number
In order to get your own EIN number, you have to have a job in the United States. This can be as simple as working for yourself or as complex as working for an overseas company that has offices in the U.S. or even a U.S.-based subsidiary of an overseas company (like your own foreign branch). Even if you don’t have a job, but you or your spouse have a social security number, you still need an EIN number. You can get an EIN number that is solely for yourself, or the EIN can be associated with another person’s SSN (spouse’s social security number).
Since 1973, tax forms have only required that the taxpayer provide his/her SSN and/or his/her EIN. This helps the IRS to distinguish who is doing business as a sole proprietor and who is doing business through a business name. There are several types of tax I.D. numbers that can be issued to you by the IRS – check this list for your type of tax return.
The EIN is used for employment taxes, including payroll taxes that are collected by your employer. So how do you find your own tax I.D. number? If you are self-employed, then you need to fill out form SS-4 (Application for SSN). If you are working for an employer, you need to fill out the form SS-4, and then they will give you your EIN. The only exception is if you are working in one state with a single employer and no income, then the employer can fill out the SS-4 form for you.
Whether or not your company is incorporated, all companies that conduct business within the U.S., including company-owned branches in the U.S., need to apply for an EIN number with the IRS.
Find your Tax ID Number
Find your tax I.D. number at the IRS website http://www.irs.gov. You can apply for your own EIN online by filling out form SS-4 (Application for SSN/ITIN) and then downloading form SS-4PR (EIN Applicant’s Power of Attorney), filling it out, and then fax, scan, or mailing all three documents to:
Internal Revenue Service TE/GE P.O. Box 933240 Detroit, MI 48393-3240 USA 405 W. Lafayette Blvd. Detroit , MI 48226-6877 USA
Once you get your EIN number, it can be used anytime you need to apply for a new SSN or have any dealings with the IRS (for example, applying for a refund of taxes done by an employer or applying for federal benefits). Since 2003 most tax preparers will now ask people to provide an EIN number from their own tax return when they file with them. This helps the IRS and the taxpayer. There are some situations when you don’t need to provide an EIN. For example, if your employer is fully insured through the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEP), then you need only provide your social security number and your FEP ID number (info from the FEP website: http://www.fep.gov ).
If you don’t have an EIN yet and want to find out how to get one, then go to the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov. There, you can learn how to do everything through the website, from getting your EIN to filing your taxes.
Step by Step
Here are tips on filling out form SS-4 and form SS-4PR and instructions on how to mail them in for your EIN number:
1. Fill out form SS-4 with your name, address, city, state, and zip code.
2. Check number 1a or number 12a (if you are a nonresident alien).
3. List your EIN on line 2 of the form.
4. Enter the date that you were first hired by the employer or the date when you started work for yourself (whichever is later).
5. Check box 12a if you are a nonresident alien.
6. Enter your date of birth (not your SSN) and check box 2b if you are under age 18 (if you give an age that is less than 18, then write “N/A”).
7. Enter your SSN if you are not a nonresident alien and check box 2a.
8. If you checked box 6, enter the SSN for your spouse or a dependent as long as it is not an SSN that is used in another form (like a child’s).
Here are tips on filling out form SS-4PR:
1. Fill out form SS-4PR with your name, address, city, state, and zip code.
2. Check number 1a or number 12a (if you are a nonresident alien).
3. Enter your EIN on line 2 of the form.
4. Check box 9 if you have already applied for and received an SSN or ITIN or if you are not sure whether you need to fill out this form or not.
5. Check box 10 if the agent whose name, address, city, state, and zip code you list on line 5 is authorized to sign this form.
6. Enter the date that you were first hired by the employer or the date when you started work for yourself (whichever is later).
7. Check box 12a if you are a nonresident alien.
8. Enter your date of birth (not your SSN) and check box 2b if you are under age 18 (if you give an age that is less than 18, then write “N/A”).
9. Enter your SSN if you are not a nonresident alien and check box 2a.
10. If you checked box 6, enter the SSN for your spouse or a dependent as long as it is not an SSN that is used in another form (like a child’s).
Go to the IRS website: http://www.irs.gov.
