A FinCEN Identifier is a unique identifying number issued by FinCEN to individuals and entities that file BOI reports. It simplifies reporting when the same beneficial owner appears across multiple entities.
By Alif Al Razi, Tax & Compliance Lead, Anonymousllc.co · Last updated 2026-05-21
Regulatory disclosure: Domestic reporting companies are currently exempt from BOI filing under the March 2025 interim final rule. FinCEN Identifiers are primarily relevant for foreign reporting companies that still must file. Track status at /boi/status-tracker/.
A FinCEN Identifier (FinCEN ID) is a unique number assigned by FinCEN to an individual or reporting company that has submitted information through the BOI E-Filing system. It is not an EIN, not a tax number, and not shared with the IRS. It exists solely within the FinCEN BOI reporting system.
Individuals receive a FinCEN ID after submitting their personal identifying information (name, date of birth, address, ID document) directly to FinCEN. Reporting companies receive one after filing their initial BOI report.
Without a FinCEN ID, a beneficial owner who controls five foreign reporting companies must provide their full personal information — legal name, date of birth, residential address, and a copy of their government-issued ID document — on every single BOI report. That means uploading the same passport photo five times and entering the same data five times.
With a FinCEN ID, the owner submits their information once to FinCEN, receives a unique number, and then uses that number on all subsequent BOI filings in place of the full personal details. If the owner’s address changes, they update it once with FinCEN rather than filing corrections on every entity.
Information submitted to obtain a FinCEN Identifier is stored in the same Beneficial Ownership Secure System (BOSS) database as BOI reports. It is not public. Access is limited to authorized government agencies (law enforcement, national security, regulators) and financial institutions with the reporting company’s consent, under strict protocols defined in 31 CFR 1010.380(g).
Unauthorized disclosure of BOI data by a government employee is a federal crime punishable by up to 5 years imprisonment under 31 USC 5336(h)(3)(B).
For owners of domestic US LLCs — currently exempt from BOI filing — there is no reason to obtain a FinCEN ID proactively. You are not filing BOI reports, so you have nothing to reference the ID on.
For owners of multiple foreign reporting companies, getting a FinCEN ID before filing BOI reports is strongly recommended. It saves time, reduces errors, and centralizes updates.
If FinCEN later reinstates BOI obligations for domestic companies, getting a FinCEN ID at that point would make sense for anyone with more than one entity. For single-entity owners, the time savings are minimal — you can provide your information directly on the BOI report.
| Number | Issued By | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| FinCEN ID | FinCEN | BOI reporting shortcut for repeat filers |
| EIN | IRS | Tax identification for business entities |
| ITIN | IRS | Tax identification for individuals without SSN |
Anonymousllc.co handles BOI filings and FinCEN ID setup for foreign reporting companies. Flat $150, no surprises.
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