EIN assistance
Get your EIN without the hassle.
Your business has an identity. The IRS gives it a federal one — a nine-digit number banks, payment processors and clients ask for. We prepare and submit the application. No Social Security Number, no US visit.
$49 added to Starter · included with Growth and Complete · no SSN or ITIN required
What happens after you start
- 01Information
- 02Assistance
- 03Processing
- 04Documentation
The problem
Your business has an identity. Now it needs a federal tax identity.
A formed LLC with no EIN cannot open a business account, activate a payment processor or sign a W-9. For a founder without an SSN, the IRS online tool will not even open — the application goes by fax, and the form has a line most people get wrong.
Line 7b is where self-filed applications get rejected. The most common reason a foreign founder's SS-4 comes back is line 7b — the responsible party's tax ID. Founders either leave it blank, invent something, or assume they must obtain an ITIN first. The IRS instructions are explicit that you enter "foreign" or N/A when the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN and cannot obtain one. Getting this wrong costs weeks, because you find out by not hearing back.
- Company
- Acme Studios LLC
- State
- Wyoming
- Formed
- Articles approved
- Registered Agent
- Active
- EIN
- — — — — — — — — —
Ready for banking, payment processors and W-9s.
A nine-digit number the IRS assigns to a business. It is how banks, payment processors, marketplaces and clients identify your company — the way an SSN identifies a person.
Looking for a number for yourself rather than your company? Explore ITIN assistance →
- SSN required?
- No
- IRS Form SS-4 instructions: enter "foreign" or N/A on line 7b if the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN and is ineligible to obtain one.
- Online tool
- Not available
- The IRS online EIN application cannot be used if your principal place of business is outside the US.
- Fax processing
- ~4 business days
- The IRS's own stated figure. Foreign applications commonly run longer in practice.
- Mail processing
- ~4 weeks
- IRS stated figure.
Why it matters
One number. Everything downstream depends on it.
The formation certificate proves the company exists. The EIN is what Stripe, Mercury, Relay, Payoneer and every US bank actually ask for. A formed LLC with no EIN cannot open an account or activate a payment processor, which is why our Starter plan says plainly that it does not include one.
Banking — US banks and fintechs ask for the EIN before opening a business account.
Payments — Stripe and PayPal ask for a business tax ID to activate a US business account.
Marketplaces — Amazon and wholesale suppliers require a tax ID before a vendor agreement.
Contracts — a W-9 needs a taxpayer number. With an EIN it is the company’s, not yours.
Filings — payroll and federal filings run on the EIN once the business grows.
The process
EIN, without the runaround.
The IRS controls timing entirely. Anyone advertising a guaranteed EIN turnaround is making a promise about an agency they have no authority over. If your launch depends on a specific date, build in slack.
01About five minutes
Tell us about your business
Company name, formation state and date, business address, and the responsible party's name. No SSN, no ITIN — Form SS-4 has a line for exactly this case.
02Once your LLC is approved
EIN assistance
Your profile becomes a correctly completed SS-4 for a foreign responsible party — including line 7b, the field most self-filed applications get wrong.
03With the IRS
Processing
The online tool is closed to businesses without a US principal place of business, so it goes to the IRS fax line for foreign applicants. The IRS's published figure is about four business days; foreign applications often run longer.
04When the IRS issues it
Documentation
The nine-digit number and the IRS confirmation notice (CP 575) are saved to your RazorFile dashboard beside your formation documents.
05Complete
Ready for business
Banks, payment processors, marketplaces and clients can now identify your company by its own number, not yours.
Your documentation
Your EIN documentation, organized.
When the IRS issues your number, the confirmation notice is saved beside your Certificate of Organization and Operating Agreement in your RazorFile dashboard. One place, every time a bank or platform asks.
EIN confirmation
Acme Studios LLC
- Submitted by
- Fax
- Entity
- LLC
- State
- Wyoming
- Responsible party
- No SSN · foreign
EIN assistance
$49
One-time service
Added to the Starter plan. Already included with Growth and Complete. No renewal, no annual fee.
Start your EINWhat’s included
- Preparing Form SS-4 correctly for a foreign responsible party, including the line 7b entry that trips up most self-filers
- Submitting to the correct IRS fax line for applicants with no US principal place of business
- Following up and delivering the EIN confirmation when it is issued
- Status visible in your dashboard from submission to issue
Not included
- Any guarantee of a processing time — the IRS controls that, not us
- ITIN applications, which are a separate process for personal tax filing and are not required to form an LLC, get an EIN, or open a bank account
- US tax filing or advice
Who it’s for
Anyone whose US company has to do business.
- International founders
- Forming a US LLC from India, the UAE, Brazil or anywhere the IRS online tool will not accept — which is everywhere outside the US.
- E-commerce sellers
- Amazon, Shopify and wholesale accounts that need a tax ID on the vendor form before anything ships.
- SaaS and digital products
- Stripe activation for a US business, with the company's number on the account rather than a personal one.
- Agencies and consultants
- Clients who send a W-9 before the first invoice. The EIN is what goes on it.
- Anyone hiring later
- Payroll, contractors' 1099s and federal filings all run on the same nine digits.
Direct answers
Frequently asked questions.
Yes. The IRS instructions for Form SS-4 state: enter "foreign" or N/A on line 7b if the responsible party doesn't have and is ineligible to obtain an SSN or ITIN. This is documented IRS procedure, not a workaround.
The IRS online EIN application is not available if your principal place of business is outside the United States. Foreign applicants apply by fax or mail instead — fax to 304-707-9471 from outside the US, or 855-215-1627 from within it.
The IRS states roughly four business days by fax and about four weeks by mail. In practice foreign applications often run longer than the fax figure. We will keep you updated rather than quote you a date we cannot control.
Not to form the LLC, get the EIN, or open a business bank account. An ITIN is a personal taxpayer number relevant to personal US tax filing. Some founders eventually need one; most do not need it at formation.
It is the IRS notice confirming that an EIN has been assigned to your business. Banks, payment processors and marketplaces ask to see it. When the IRS issues yours, it is saved to your RazorFile dashboard as a PDF.
Your company name and formation state, the formation date, a business address, the responsible party's name and home address, and one line on what the business does. No Social Security Number and no ITIN.
No. An EIN is permanent for the entity it was issued to. There is no renewal, and no annual fee — from the IRS or from RazorFile.
Finish the setup
Get your US business moving.
This is the step that turns a registration into a business. Why leave it pending?
EIN assistance — $49
Get started