The EIN without an SSN: how to apply and what to expect
How to apply for an LLC's EIN when the owner has no SSN: Form SS-4, line 7b, the application routes the IRS publishes with their times, and what the CP 575 letter is.
KodiakBase Team
What the EIN is and why no SSN is needed
The EIN (Employer Identification Number) is the tax identification number the IRS assigns to a company. It is to the company what the SSN is to a person: the number it files under, and the one banks, payment processors and platforms use to identify it.
You do not need an SSN or an ITIN to request one. The form is the same for everyone — Form SS-4 — and its instructions expressly cover the foreign responsible party with no number. What changes without an SSN is the route: the IRS online tool requires one, so the application travels by telephone, fax or postal mail.
Form SS-4 and the SSN line
Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number) collects the company's details and its responsible party's: the person who controls it, which in a single-member LLC is the member. Line 7b asks for that person's SSN, ITIN or EIN.
The form's instructions say what to write when there is none: a responsible party who has no SSN or ITIN and cannot obtain one writes "Foreign" on line 7b. It is not a shortcut or an industry habit: it is the instruction the IRS publishes for that exact case.
The application routes and the times the IRS publishes
The IRS publishes four routes. The online tool requires the responsible party to have an SSN or ITIN, so without them three remain: the telephone line for international applicants, fax, and postal mail. The times in the table are the ones the IRS itself publishes — its own "about" included: they are its estimate, not a commitment, neither the IRS's nor anyone's who files for you.
The IRS also publishes a limit: it assigns one EIN per responsible party per day, whatever the route.
| Route | Who can use it | Time the IRS publishes |
|---|---|---|
| Online | Only if the responsible party has an SSN or ITIN | On the spot |
| Telephone (+1 267-941-1099) | International applicants, Monday to Friday, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time | On the call |
| Fax | Any applicant, with the paper SS-4 | About 4 business days, if a return fax number is provided |
| Postal mail | Any applicant, with the paper SS-4 | About 4 weeks |
The CP 575 letter
When the IRS assigns the number, it issues a confirmation letter: the CP 575. It is the document that certifies the EIN on IRS letterhead, which is why it shows up on bank verification checklists: they ask for the letter, not just the number.
The IRS issues it once, when the EIN is assigned, and from then on it travels with the company's file: it is one of the pieces the bank account is later applied for with.
What KodiakBase does with the EIN
At KodiakBase the EIN application is included in the fee: we prepare your company's Form SS-4, file it with the IRS through the route that applies to an owner without an SSN, and hand you the CP 575 letter when the IRS issues it. The times are the IRS's — the ones in the table above — and we neither shorten nor promise them.
The rest of the company's pieces — what an LLC is, which figure represents it in the state, and what each state charges — is covered in the related articles below.
This article informs: it collects the routes and times published by the IRS, with the sources at the foot, and it is not tax or legal advice. How the EIN fits your case is assessed by a licensed US CPA for the US side and by a licensed tax adviser in your country of residence for yours.