EIN Lookup: How to Find a Company's EIN (Free, Legal Ways)

What an EIN is, and why it is hard to look up

An Employer Identification Number (EIN), also called a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) or federal tax ID number, is a nine-digit number the IRS assigns to a business. It is written like 12-3456789. Corporations, partnerships, LLCs with employees and most nonprofits have one. Many single-owner businesses with no employees use the owner's Social Security number instead.

An EIN is tax information. The IRS treats it as confidential, and its own procedures say it will not disclose an EIN to a third party without a power of attorney (Form 2848), a tax information authorization (Form 8821) or similar authorization from the business. That is why searching "EIN lookup by company name" turns up no IRS tool. The free, legal routes below each cover one kind of business.

Six legal ways to find an EIN

Whose EIN?	Best route	Cost
A business you pay (vendor, contractor, landlord)	Request a completed, signed Form W-9	Free
A business you work for or with	Your W-2 (box b) or a 1099 you received from them	Free
A nonprofit or charity	IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search (TEOS)	Free
A publicly traded company	Cover page of a 10-K or 10-Q on SEC EDGAR	Free
A Florida-registered company	The "FEI/EIN Number" field on its Sunbiz record, if the company filed one	Free
Your own business	Old IRS notices, bank, past returns, or the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line	Free

1. Ask the business for a W-9

This is the normal, expected way. If you may need to file a 1099 for a vendor (for payments made in 2026, the 1099-NEC and 1099-MISC threshold rose from $600 to $2,000 under the 2025 tax law), collect a W-9 before you pay. The W-9 gives you the legal name, tax classification and taxpayer identification number (EIN or SSN), signed under penalty of perjury. A legitimate vendor will send one without fuss. If a company refuses to provide a W-9, that tells you something.

2. Check paperwork you already have

Your employer's EIN is in box b of your W-2. A payer's EIN is on any 1099 it sent you. Business loan papers, invoices from larger vendors and payroll reports often show it too.

3. Nonprofits: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search

The IRS runs a free search at apps.irs.gov/app/eos. You can search by organization name or EIN. Results show the EIN plus Publication 78 eligibility (can it receive tax-deductible gifts), 990-N e-Postcards, the automatic revocation list, determination letters issued since January 1, 2014, and images of Form 990, 990-EZ and 990-PF returns. Every Form 990 lists the organization's EIN at the top of page one. Churches and very small groups may not appear because many are not required to file.

4. Public companies: SEC EDGAR

Companies registered with the SEC print their "I.R.S. Employer Identification No." on the cover page of their annual report (Form 10-K) and quarterly reports (Form 10-Q). Search the company on EDGAR full-text search, open the latest 10-K, and look at the top of the first page. Note that EDGAR's company summary page shows a CIK number and SIC code, not the EIN; you need to open a filing. Large companies often have dozens of subsidiaries with separate EINs, so match the exact legal entity you are dealing with.

5. State business records (sometimes)

Most secretary of state business searches do not show EINs. Florida is a notable exception: entity detail pages on Sunbiz, run by the Florida Division of Corporations, include an "FEI/EIN Number" field, and you can even search by it. The field only shows what the company entered on its filings, so it may say "NONE" or "APPLIED FOR." For other states, use our business lookup guide to reach the right state search, but expect entity details rather than tax IDs.

Federal contractor databases such as SAM.gov identify companies by a Unique Entity ID, not an EIN, and do not publish tax IDs.

Lost your own EIN? Get it back from the IRS

The IRS suggests checking these first, in order:

• The EIN confirmation notice the IRS mailed or displayed when you applied (the CP 575 series).
• The bank where you opened your business account. Banks require the EIN to open one.
• Any state or local agency where you applied for a license, permit or sales tax account.
• Past federal business tax returns, which show the EIN on page one.

Still stuck? Call the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time). After verifying your identity, the IRS gives the number over the phone only if you are authorized to receive it, such as a sole proprietor, a partner, a corporate officer or an LLC member with authority.

If a bank or agency wants written proof, you have two options:

• Letter 147C ("EIN Previously Assigned"): ask for it on the same 800-829-4933 line. The IRS can fax or mail it.
• Digital CP575: eligible users of the IRS Business Tax Account can download an EIN Verification Notice, which the IRS says can substitute for the original notice and Letter 147C.

Never apply for a second EIN just because you misplaced the first. That creates a duplicate tax account that takes time to untangle.

A warning about paid "EIN lookup" websites

Search results for "fein lookup" and "federal tax id number search" are full of sites that charge a fee or require a subscription. They do not have access to IRS records. At best, they repackage the same public sources listed above (Form 990s, SEC filings, some state records, old government contract data). At worst, the data is stale, belongs to a different entity with a similar name, or the site is a bait page for a recurring charge. Before you pay anyone:

• Try the free official sources on this page first.
• If you need the number to file a 1099 or verify a vendor, a W-9 from the business is the only source that puts the business on the hook for accuracy.
• Applying for an EIN is also free on irs.gov. Sites that charge you to "get" an EIN are filing the same free IRS form for you.

Verifying an EIN you were given

If you file information returns, the IRS offers a TIN Matching program through its e-Services system. It lets authorized payers check that a name and TIN combination matches IRS records before filing 1099s. It confirms a match; it does not reveal a number. For everyone else, the practical check is that the legal name on the W-9 matches the state business registration exactly.

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