Is there a free EIN lookup?
Not for any company. The IRS treats EINs as tax information and does not publish a searchable list, and state business records do not include them. A site that promises any company's EIN from its name alone is guessing, reselling documents it collected elsewhere, or charging for one of the free routes below. The two exceptions are public companies and tax-exempt organizations, whose EINs are on public filings.
How to find your own business's EIN
- The IRS confirmation. When the EIN was assigned, the IRS sent a notice (CP 575) or showed a confirmation letter at the end of the online application.
- A federal tax return the business filed: the EIN is printed on the first page.
- Accounts opened for the business: its bank, loans, payroll provider, state tax accounts and the agencies that issued its licenses all asked for the EIN.
- The IRS itself. An authorized person can ask the IRS by phone; it verifies your identity first. The number and steps are under "Lost or forgot EIN" on the IRS Employer ID Numbers page.
How to find another company's EIN
| Whose EIN | Where to find it | Free? |
|---|---|---|
| A business you pay | Ask for Form W-9, the standard way to get a payee's taxpayer ID for your own tax reporting | Yes |
| Your employer | Box b of the Form W-2 it gives you, or the payer box on a 1099 | Yes |
| A public company | The cover page of its SEC reports, as "IRS Employer Identification No."; search them on SEC EDGAR | Yes |
| A nonprofit | The IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, which lists tax-exempt organizations with their EIN, and their Form 990 returns | Yes |
| A private company you do not pay | Ask the company. It is not on public record | Only if they agree |
Tax ID lookup: which number do you need?
"Tax ID" covers several different numbers, and each is looked up in a different place:
- Federal EIN: the IRS number above. Not searchable by the public.
- State tax or sales tax permit numbers: issued by each state's tax agency. Some states let anyone check whether a seller's permit is valid: California's tax agency, for example, offers a permit verification. Look on the state tax department's site.
- State business entity ID: the number the state filing office uses to identify an LLC or corporation (Texas calls it an SOS file number, North Carolina an SOSID, Washington a UBI). This one is public, and a state business lookup shows it.
Checking an EIN someone gave you
If you pay contractors and file information returns, the IRS TIN Matching program lets you check that a name and taxpayer ID belong together before you file. It is open only to payers and their agents who file information returns such as Forms 1099, and it confirms a pair you already have; it does not hand out numbers.
What a state lookup gives you instead
A state business lookup confirms the legal name, the state's entity ID, the status, the formation date and the registered agent. That is often what a contract, an invoice or a W-9 check needs: the exact legal name and proof the business exists and is active. Pick a state to run one, and see what each status means.
Getting an EIN for your own business
Apply directly with the IRS; it is free and the online application gives you the number at once. The steps are in how to get an EIN, and the basics in what an EIN number is.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Facts checked 2026-10-26 against the official sources linked above; confirm with the state or the IRS before you file. How we check our facts · Report an error