The IRS issues Employer Identification Numbers through two channels: online (irs.gov for US residents with SSN/ITIN) and fax SS-4 (for non-residents and edge cases). This Anonymousllc.co reference covers the portal mechanics, the right channel for each buyer, the responsible-party rule, common rejection reasons, and how Anonymousllc.co's $99 EIN service works.
An Employer Identification Number is the IRS's 9-digit tax ID for a business entity. Format: XX-XXXXXXX. The EIN is required to: open a US business bank account, hire employees, file federal tax returns, set up Stripe/PayPal Business, apply for business credit, and (where applicable) file BOI with FinCEN. The EIN is issued by the IRS regardless of state of formation - Wyoming, NM, Delaware, Nevada, and all other states use the same federal EIN. The IRS does not charge a fee for an EIN; Anonymousllc.co's $99 EIN service is a fulfillment fee for handling the application and dealing with the IRS, not a pass-through of any IRS charge.
The online portal is at irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-number-ein-online. Requirements: a responsible party with a valid US SSN or ITIN. The portal is open Monday-Friday 7 AM - 10 PM ET. Completion time is 10-15 minutes. The EIN is issued IMMEDIATELY at the end of the session - the CP-575 confirmation is downloadable as PDF. Key portal limits: • One EIN per responsible party per day. If you applied for an EIN earlier today, you must wait until tomorrow. • The session times out after 15 minutes of inactivity. The session cannot be saved and resumed - restart if it times out. • The portal only works from a US IP address. Non-residents using the online portal from outside the US will fail at the verification step. Anonymousllc.co's $99 EIN service uses the online portal for all US-resident customers. Turnaround: same business day after intake.
Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number) is faxed to the IRS at (855) 641-6935 (domestic) or (304) 707-9471 (international). The IRS processes faxed SS-4s and issues the EIN by mail or fax response in 4-6 weeks. There is no expedited option. The fax channel is the ONLY option for: • Non-resident responsible parties (no SSN or ITIN) • Online-rejected cases (e.g., responsible party already has multiple EINs) • Specific edge cases (LLCs taxed as S-Corp electing differently from default, etc.) Anonymousllc.co's $99 EIN service uses the fax channel for non-resident customers. Turnaround: 4-6 weeks, occasionally extending to 8 weeks during IRS backlogs. Mercury and Relay accept the formation documents and provisionally open the bank account before EIN delivery in most cases.
Form SS-4 Line 7a requires the 'responsible party' - the individual with effective control over the entity. The IRS rule (Rev. Proc. 2014-24) is that the responsible party must be a real human, must have a valid SSN/ITIN/foreign tax ID, and must be the person who actually controls the LLC. What the rule prohibits: a nominee, a registered agent acting as nominee, or a corporate entity in the responsible-party field. The IRS validates the SSN/ITIN against its records during online application and rejects mismatches. What the rule allows: any real human owner, including non-US residents using a passport-based foreign tax ID. The Anonymousllc.co fax SS-4 workflow lists the non-resident customer as responsible party with their passport number on Line 7b. Misrepresenting the responsible party is a federal violation. Anonymousllc.co's intake collects the actual responsible-party identity and uses it on the SS-4. State-records anonymity (Wyoming, NM, DE, NV) is preserved; IRS-records identity is required.
1. Responsible party already obtained an EIN today (one-EIN-per-day rule). Fix: wait until tomorrow. 2. Responsible party's SSN/ITIN doesn't match IRS records. Fix: check the SSN/ITIN spelling, confirm with the IRS by phone, or switch to fax SS-4. 3. LLC name conflicts with an existing IRS record. Fix: check that the LLC was actually filed and approved at the state SOS first. The IRS pulls from state SOS records; if the state hasn't transmitted approval yet, the IRS won't recognize the LLC. 4. Session timeout (15 minutes inactive). Fix: restart from the beginning. 5. Non-US IP address. Fix: use a US-based connection or switch to fax SS-4. 6. Address mismatch between SS-4 Line 4a/b and the registered agent's state. Fix: use the LLC's mailing address (not necessarily in the formation state) and the registered-agent address separately on the correct lines.
The choice is decided by whether the responsible party holds a US SSN or ITIN. With one, the online portal is the fast path - same business day from a US IP address. Without one, the fax SS-4 to (304) 707-9471 is the only route, taking 4-6 weeks. The online portal cannot be forced for a non-resident with no US taxpayer number; verification fails. The fax channel accepts a passport-based foreign tax ID and needs no US visit. Anonymousllc.co routes each customer to the correct channel at intake based on their taxpayer status.
An EIN identifies the LLC to the IRS; an ITIN identifies an individual who cannot get an SSN. They are separate numbers with separate applications - the EIN on Form SS-4, the ITIN on Form W-7. An LLC uses its EIN for banking, tax filing, and payment processing. A non-resident owner may also need a personal ITIN, for example when PayPal requires the responsible party's individual tax ID or for personal US tax filings. Anonymousllc.co's EIN service is $99 and its standalone ITIN service is $299; the two are ordered together when both are needed.
A third-party designee is the person the LLC authorizes on Form SS-4 to receive the EIN and answer IRS questions about the application. Anonymousllc.co acts as third-party designee for its EIN customers, which lets it run the online portal or fax the SS-4 and receive the CP-575 on the customer's behalf. The designee authorization is limited to the EIN application itself and ends once the number issues. It does not give ongoing access to the LLC's tax account. Naming Anonymousllc.co as designee is what allows the same-business-day online turnaround for US-resident customers.
If the EIN confirmation is lost, request a 147C letter from the IRS - a reissuance of the existing EIN, not a new number. The 147C is obtained by calling the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line; the IRS confirms the caller's authority and sends the letter by mail or fax. The EIN itself never changes and is never reused or reassigned, so a lost CP-575 does not require a new application. Anonymousllc.co delivers the original CP-575 as a PDF over WhatsApp so customers keep a copy, and helps arrange a 147C reissuance if the confirmation is later misplaced.
Anonymousllc.co's EIN Acquisition (SVC_006) is $99 standalone. It is also bundled into every formation package - Anonymous LLC $397 all-in, Wyoming $397, NM $347, DE $407, NV $722 - at no additional cost. For US-resident responsible parties, Anonymousllc.co uses the online portal as third-party designee. Turnaround: same business day. EIN delivered to the customer via WhatsApp as a CP-575 PDF. For non-resident responsible parties, Anonymousllc.co uses fax SS-4. Turnaround: 4-6 weeks (occasionally 8 during IRS backlogs). Anonymousllc.co tracks the IRS response window and follows up if no response by week 5. The service includes one re-submission if the first application is rejected. Beyond one re-submission, additional applications are $50 each (which we rarely need - almost every rejection is fixable on the first re-submit).
Government, regulator, and primary-source documents underpinning this page.
5-minute WhatsApp intake. 5-10 day turnaround.