What documents do I need to apply for an EIN?

To apply for an EIN, you need your entity's legal name exactly as it appears on your formation documents, the entity type (LLC, corporation, partnership), the date your entity was legally formed, your principal business address, the responsible party's name and SSN/ITIN (or foreign passport for international applicants), and a description of your primary business activity.

For the online application, you need an SSN or ITIN. For Form SS-4 (fax/mail), you need the completed form itself. No supporting documents like articles of organization or certificates of incorporation need to be submitted with the EIN application. The IRS does not verify your formation documents during EIN processing. However, you must have already formed your entity before applying since the EIN is assigned to the entity, not to you personally.