Getting an EIN number in PA is free, and if you apply online through the IRS, you’ll have your nine-digit number in about ten minutes. The catch most new Pennsylvania business owners miss: the federal EIN does not register you with the state. You still need to set up Pennsylvania tax accounts separately through the Department of Revenue once your EIN is in hand.
What to Have Ready Before You Start
The online application times out if you leave it idle, so gather these first.
- A responsible party with a Social Security Number or ITIN. The IRS defines this as the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity: the principal officer of a corporation, a general partner in a partnership, or the owner of a single-member LLC.
- Your exact legal name as it appears on your registration with the Pennsylvania Department of State. Small inconsistencies between your state filing and your EIN application cause problems later with tax filings and bank accounts.
- Your entity type: LLC, corporation, partnership, sole proprietorship, trust, or nonprofit. If you’re forming an LLC, know the member count, because that drives the IRS’s default tax classification.
- Your reason for applying. Common answers are starting a new business, hiring employees, or opening a bank account. You can only pick one.
- A Pennsylvania business address: the physical location where the business operates, not a mailing address or P.O. box.
Pick an Application Method
Online: Same-Day
The IRS online EIN tool is the fastest route and the right choice for almost every Pennsylvania applicant. You receive your EIN immediately upon completing the application. The tool is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. the next day, Saturdays from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sundays from 6:00 p.m. to midnight, all Eastern Time.
One rule to plan around: the IRS issues only one EIN per responsible party per day. If you’re setting up multiple entities, spread the applications across several days.
Fax: About Four Business Days
Fax a completed Form SS-4 to 855-641-6935. Under the Fax-TIN program, the IRS faxes your EIN back within about four business days.
Mail: About Four Weeks
Mail Form SS-4 to:
Internal Revenue Service
Attn: EIN Operation
Cincinnati, OH 45999
Expect roughly four weeks for the EIN to arrive. Skip this option if you need to open a bank account or hire anyone soon.
Filling Out Form SS-4 Without Causing a Delay
Even if you apply online, the system asks the same questions as the paper form. The IRS revised Form SS-4 in December 2025, so work from the current version.
Line 1 is the legal name of the entity exactly as it appears on your charter or organizing document. Lines 7a and 7b are the responsible party’s full name and SSN or ITIN. Errors in either of these cause most processing delays, because the IRS cross-references them against existing records.
Line 9a is where you pick your entity type. A single-member LLC is treated as a disregarded entity by default, so income and expenses flow to the owner’s personal return. A multi-member LLC defaults to partnership treatment. If you plan to elect corporate taxation (Form 8832) or S corporation status (Form 2553), check the “Corporation” box on Line 9a and write in the return number you’ll file, either 1120 or 1120-S.
On Line 10, if you’re both starting a new business and hiring employees, choose “Started new business.” “Hired employees” is only for an existing business that previously had none.
What You Get Back
Whichever method you use, the IRS mails a formal confirmation called Notice CP 575 to the address on your application. This notice is issued only once for your entity. Banks and lenders routinely ask for it when you open a commercial account or apply for credit, so keep it somewhere safe.
If you lose the CP 575, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 1-800-829-4933 (Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. your local time) and request a replacement verification called a 147C letter. After verifying your identity, the agent can fax or mail it. The 147C serves the same purpose as the original CP 575 for most banking and compliance needs.
Register for Pennsylvania State Taxes
Your federal EIN does not register you with Pennsylvania. The state has its own tax obligations, and you need to open accounts with the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue separately.
Use the Pennsylvania Online Business Tax Registration through the myPATH portal at mypath.pa.gov. You don’t need a myPATH account to register a new business. A single registration lets you sign up for the state tax accounts your business needs, including sales and use tax, employer withholding tax, corporation taxes, and unemployment compensation.
If you’re hiring employees, Pennsylvania also requires registration with the Department of Labor and Industry for unemployment compensation tax. New employers must register within 30 days of the first day covered services are performed. That registration runs through the myPATH portal as well.
Keep the fees straight. Pennsylvania charges $125 to file a Certificate of Organization for an LLC or Articles of Incorporation for a corporation with the Department of State. The EIN itself is free. State tax registration is free to complete. One filing never covers all three.
Don’t Pay a Third Party
The IRS charges nothing for an EIN. Not a dollar. Third-party websites nonetheless charge up to $300 to fill out the same free form on your behalf. In April 2025, the FTC issued warnings to operators of these sites for using IRS-like logos, color schemes, and even “IRS” in their domain names to make consumers believe they were on an official government page.
The real IRS application lives at irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/get-an-employer-identification-number, and you will never see a payment screen. A government-looking site with a .com domain, or a checkout page that appears before you’ve entered any business details, is a paid middleman.
If Something Changes Later
Address changes and responsible party changes are reported on Form 8822-B. Address updates are technically voluntary but practically necessary, because the IRS sends important notices (including a notice of deficiency) to the address on file. Responsible party changes are mandatory and must be reported within 60 days.
Pennsylvania businesses mail Form 8822-B to the IRS in Kansas City, MO 64999. Processing takes four to six weeks.
If you dissolve the business, the IRS does not automatically close the tax account tied to your EIN. Send a letter to the IRS in Cincinnati, OH 45999 with the business’s legal name, EIN, address, and reason for closing, and include a copy of the original CP 575 if you still have it. The IRS will not close the account until all required returns have been filed and all taxes paid.