It’s been a while since I applied for an EIN. Where is it?

People who apply for an EIN by fax, either on their own or through Clerky, have a longer wait than people who apply online. In our experience, it can take weeks to months for the IRS to assign the EIN when people apply by fax due to the IRS backlog. After the IRS assigns the EIN, they’ll mail you a physical letter with your startup’s new EIN. If you include a fax number on your application, they’ll usually also send you a fax, which may come sooner than the physical letter.

If it’s been over a month and you’re still waiting for your fax, you could try calling the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 to see if your EIN has been assigned yet. There’s frequently a delay between when the IRS assigns the EIN and when it’s actually faxed back. If the responsible party calls the IRS during this window and the EIN has actually been assigned, the agent will tell them the EIN over the phone. Whether or not your EIN has been assigned is the extent of the information you’ll receive, though. See How can I check on the status of my EIN application? for more details.

If you’ve been waiting a long time, it’s also possible that there was an issue with your application. In that case, the IRS will mail you a letter indicating what the issue is. If you included a fax number in your application, then you may get a fax about the issue as well. You’ll need to correct the issue and submit another application.