How to Find a Lost or Misplaced EIN

Fact-checked by the LegalGlass editorial team against primary sources · Published Aug 6, 2026 · Last updated Aug 6, 2026

To find a lost or misplaced EIN, the IRS says to check the confirmation notice (CP 575) issued when you applied, a prior business tax return, or your bank; if those fail, call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Do not reapply - an EIN is permanent.

Where to Look First

A lost EIN is almost always recoverable from records you or a third party already hold, so start with documents before calling the IRS. An Employer Identification Number is the 9-digit federal tax ID the IRS assigns to a business or other entity, written 12-3456789, and once issued it appears on a trail of paperwork. The IRS Employer Identification Number page lists the exact places to check: "Look for it on the notice we issued when you applied for an EIN. Contact the bank that has your business account. Check with agencies where you've applied for state or local licenses. Look on past business tax returns."

Those four sources resolve most cases without a phone call. The confirmation notice is the fastest if you filed it away; a prior return is next, since every business return carries the EIN; and your bank and licensing agencies hold it because you gave it to them when you opened the account or applied for a permit. For the number's definition, see what is an EIN and the EIN glossary entry. This page focuses specifically on recovering a number you already have; to find any business's EIN more broadly, see EIN lookup.

How to Recover a Lost EIN (Step by Step)

To recover a lost EIN, work the sources in order of speed, then call the IRS only if the documents fail. Each step is free.

1. Check your CP 575 confirmation notice. When the IRS assigned the EIN, it issued a one-time computer-generated notice - the CP 575 - showing the 9-digit number and the legal name on file. It is the quickest source if you kept it.
2. Look at a past business tax return. Any previously filed business return is annotated with the EIN. Check the top of a prior Form 1120, 1120-S, 1065, or 941, or the Schedule C filed with a personal Form 1040.
3. Contact your bank. The bank that holds your business account kept the EIN from account opening under its Customer Identification Program records, and can confirm it for an authorized signer.
4. Check state or local licensing agencies. Any agency where you applied for a license or permit using the EIN holds it in your file.
5. Call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line. If the records fail, call 800-829-4933, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. An assistor verifies your identity and provides the EIN - but only to an authorized person.

These are the same sources the IRS itself directs taxpayers to, in the same order of practicality. Exhaust the documents you can access instantly before spending time on a call.

Beyond the IRS's four listed sources, the EIN often survives in places you may not think of first. Old business loan or credit applications, a merchant-services or payment-processor account, a state sales-tax or payroll-tax registration, a prior year's 1099 you issued or received, and your bookkeeping software's company profile all commonly carry the number. Your accountant or the bookkeeper who prepared a past return will also have it on file. Checking two or three of these in parallel is usually faster than waiting on a phone line, and any of them confirms the same 9-digit number.

Calling the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line

The IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line is the authoritative fallback when your own records do not surface the EIN. According to the IRS telephone assistance page, business callers reach the line at 800-829-4933, with hours of 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, Monday through Friday (callers in Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time). The assistor confirms your identity and your authority before reading the number.

The IRS releases the EIN only to a person authorized to receive it - a sole proprietor, a partner in a partnership, a corporate officer, a trustee of a trust, or a similar responsible party. Have your identifying details and your role in the entity ready so the assistor can verify you quickly. The call is free; the only cost is the wait time, which the IRS notes is generally shorter later in the week.

Before you dial, decide what you actually need from the call. If you only need the number itself, the assistor can read it to you once you are verified. If you need documentary proof of the EIN - for a bank, a lender, or a payroll provider - ask the assistor to issue a Letter 147C, the IRS's EIN verification letter, which re-confirms an existing EIN in writing when the original CP 575 is gone. Knowing which of the two you want avoids a second call.

What the CP 575 Notice Is

The CP 575 is the confirmation notice that proves your EIN and is the single best document to keep. When the IRS assigns an EIN, it generates the CP 575 automatically, showing the 9-digit number and the exact legal name the IRS has on file for the entity. It functions as the entity's "birth certificate" for tax purposes and is what banks, lenders, and payroll providers often ask to see.

The catch is that the IRS issues the CP 575 only once and does not send duplicates. If you lose it, you can request a substitute confirmation - the IRS can provide a Letter 147C, which re-confirms an existing EIN - but you cannot get another original CP 575. That is why storing the CP 575 with your permanent records at the moment you receive it saves the most trouble later. Scanning it to a secure digital file, in addition to keeping the paper copy, means a single misplaced document never leaves you without proof of the number.

Why You Should Not Reapply

You should not apply for a new EIN just because you cannot find the old one, because an EIN is permanent. IRS Publication 1635, Understanding Your EIN, states that an EIN "is a permanent number" and that "once an EIN is assigned to an entity, it is never reused or reassigned to another entity." The number does not lapse and is not cancelled, so the one you were issued still exists and still belongs to your business.

Reapplying creates a second EIN tied to one entity, which causes exactly the matching and filing errors the number is meant to prevent - returns and deposits under one EIN, information reports under another. A change of business name or address does not require a new EIN either; the IRS Do you need a new EIN? page reserves a new number for changes in ownership or legal structure, not for a lost document. Recover the original instead of duplicating it.

If you have already been issued a second EIN by mistake, do not simply abandon it - contact the IRS to explain the situation so the agency can note which number is the active one for the entity. Consolidating on a single EIN prevents your returns, deposits, and information reports from being split across two identifiers, which is the practical harm a duplicate creates. The safest habit is never to reapply in the first place: treat a lost EIN as a retrieval task, not a re-registration.

Recovery Methods Compared

The table compares the recovery methods by what they require and how fast they are. All are free; they differ in access and speed.

If You Never Actually Had an EIN

If a careful search turns up nothing anywhere, it is worth confirming you were ever issued an EIN at all, because you cannot "recover" a number that was never assigned. A business that has only ever operated as a sole proprietorship using the owner's Social Security number, with no employees and no excise tax, may simply never have obtained one. In that case the task is not recovery but application.

If that describes you, apply once through how to get an EIN on Form SS-4, which is free and, online, immediate. Forming a company? See how to form an LLC, what is an LLC, and single-member LLC. Owners without a Social Security number should read can you get an EIN without an SSN?

After You Recover It

Once you have the EIN again, record it so this does not recur, and use it consistently. The EIN is how the IRS matches your entity's returns and information reports under 26 U.S. Code § 6109, so a single, consistent number across your bank account, payroll, and business tax filings keeps your federal records clean.

Store the EIN with your permanent business records, ideally alongside the CP 575 or a Letter 147C, and note it in more than one place so a single lost document never leaves you stuck again. This page is general information, not legal or tax advice; it explains how to recover an existing EIN and points to the primary IRS sources so you can confirm your own situation.

Related Guides

• How to get an EIN - apply if you never had one.
• What is an EIN? - definition and legal basis.
• EIN lookup - find any business's EIN.
• Single-member LLC - when an EIN is optional.
• How to form an LLC - the formation sequence.
• Can you get an EIN without an SSN?
• EIN (glossary) - the one-line definition.
• Business tax - filing obligations tied to your EIN.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I find my lost EIN fastest?

On the CP 575 confirmation notice the IRS issued when you applied, if you kept it. If not, the EIN is printed on any prior business tax return and is on file with the bank that holds your business account. Those self-service sources beat calling the IRS.

What number do I call to get my EIN from the IRS?

Call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. After verifying your identity, an assistor provides the EIN if you are a sole proprietor, partner, corporate officer, trustee, or other authorized party.

Should I apply for a new EIN if I lost mine?

No. An EIN is permanent and, once assigned, is never reused or reassigned, so you recover the existing number rather than apply again. Reapplying creates a second EIN for one entity and causes filing and matching errors. Retrieve the original instead.

What is a CP 575 notice?

CP 575 is the computer-generated confirmation notice the IRS issues once when it assigns your EIN. It shows the 9-digit number and the legal name on file. The IRS issues it only once and does not send duplicates, so store it with your permanent records.

Can the IRS give my EIN to anyone who calls?

No. The IRS releases the EIN only to a person authorized to receive it, such as a sole proprietor, partner, corporate officer, or trustee. The assistor verifies your identity and authority before providing the number.

Sources

1. IRS - Employer Identification Number (lost EIN: check the notice, bank, licensing agencies, and past returns).
2. IRS - Telephone assistance (Business & Specialty Tax Line 800-829-4933; 7 a.m.–7 p.m. local time, Mon–Fri).
3. IRS - Publication 1635, Understanding Your EIN (an EIN is permanent; once assigned, never reused or reassigned).
4. IRS - About Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number, for applicants who never had one).
5. IRS - Do you need a new EIN? (a new EIN is for ownership/structure changes, not a lost document).
6. IRS - Get an Employer Identification Number (free application; issued immediately online).
7. IRS - Responsible parties and nominees (who is authorized to receive the EIN).
8. IRS - Single Member Limited Liability Companies (when a sole owner may not have needed an EIN).
9. IRS - Taxpayer Identification Numbers (TIN) (EIN as the entity's federal tax ID).
10. IRS - Instructions for Form SS-4 (application detail if you must obtain a first EIN).
11. IRS - About Form W-9 (where a business supplies its EIN to payers).
12. Cornell Legal Information Institute - 26 U.S. Code § 6109, Identifying numbers (identifying number required on returns).

LegalGlass provides general information for educational purposes and is not a law firm or a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or tax professional. This page is information, not advice. Laws, forms, and processing times change; verify current requirements with the IRS before acting.