In Short: The EIN Confirmation Letter
The EIN confirmation letter is IRS notice CP 575, the notice the IRS issues when it assigns an Employer Identification Number to your business. Banks, payment platforms and state agencies ask for it as proof that the EIN belongs to your LLC. The original CP 575 cannot be reissued. If you lose it, you request a replacement letter instead.
- CP 575: the original EIN assignment notice. Keep it in your permanent records.
- Letter 147C: the “EIN Previously Assigned” letter. It is the replacement banks and platforms accept when the CP 575 is lost.
- How to get a 147C: call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. The IRS verifies your identity and can fax or mail the letter.
- Digital CP 575: since June 2026, eligible users can download one from an IRS Business Tax Account. Access requires a Social Security number or ITIN, so most non-resident owners call for a 147C instead.
- The IRS cannot duplicate the original: it confirms that the CP 575A-J notice series cannot be duplicated or recreated.
You open a US business bank account, connect Stripe or verify a seller account on Amazon, and the form asks for one thing you cannot find: the letter from the IRS that confirms your EIN. This guide explains what the EIN confirmation letter is, what it looks like, and the exact steps to get a replacement when the original is lost, including the steps that work for owners who live outside the United States.
What Is an EIN Confirmation Letter?
An EIN confirmation letter is the IRS notice that assigns an Employer Identification Number to your business. The IRS calls it the CP 575, and it comes in a series of versions labeled CP 575A through CP 575J for different entity types. It is the only document the IRS issues at the moment of assignment, which is why banks and platforms treat it as the primary proof of your EIN.
The IRS page Understanding your CP575 notice tells you to keep the notice in your permanent records, use the EIN on every IRS and Social Security Administration document for the business, and make copies because you need it whenever a third party asks to verify the number. If you do not have an EIN yet, start with our EIN application guide for foreigners and US citizens.
What the CP 575 Shows
A CP 575 is a printed IRS notice on IRS letterhead. When a bank asks for it, they check these items against your application:
- The EIN assigned to the business, in the format 12-3456789.
- The legal name of the entity exactly as the IRS recorded it from your Form SS-4.
- The mailing address the IRS has on file for the business.
- The notice date, which is the date the IRS assigned the number.
- The federal returns the IRS expects the entity to file, based on the entity type you chose on the SS-4.
Check the legal name on the notice before you send it anywhere. If it does not match your state formation documents character for character, banks and payment platforms reject the verification, and the name has to be corrected with the IRS first.
CP 575 vs Letter 147C
| CP 575 | Letter 147C | Digital CP 575 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Original EIN assignment notice | “EIN Previously Assigned” verification letter | Downloadable EIN verification notice |
| When you get it | Once, when the EIN is assigned | Any time, on request | Any time, from a Business Tax Account |
| Can it be replaced? | No. The IRS cannot duplicate it | Yes, on request | Yes, download again |
| How to get it | Online download, fax or mail at assignment | Call 800-829-4933 | Sign in to a Business Tax Account |
| Who can use it | Every new EIN holder | Anyone the IRS verifies as authorized for the business | Eligible users with an SSN or ITIN |
The IRS states that the digital CP 575 is a substitute for the original CP 575A-J series and for Letter 147C, and that banks and other institutions accept it as written confirmation of an entity’s EIN.
How You Receive the Original CP 575
How the notice reaches you depends on how you applied. The IRS instructions for Form SS-4 set out each route:
- Online: you receive the EIN at the end of the application and can use it immediately. Download and save the confirmation notice on that screen. The online application requires a principal officer or owner with a valid SSN, EIN or ITIN, so most non-resident founders cannot use it.
- Fax: fax Form SS-4 to 855-641-6935 and include your own fax number. The IRS faxes the EIN back within 4 business days.
- Mail: the EIN arrives by post in approximately 4 weeks. Apply at least 4 to 5 weeks before you need the number.
- Phone, international applicants only: applicants with no US legal residence, principal place of business or principal office can call 267-941-1099. It is not a toll-free number. The EIN is assigned during the call, and the IRS mails the CP 575 to the address on the application.
For a non-resident who used a US registered agent or a mail forwarding address on the SS-4, the paper notice goes to that address. This is where most CP 575s go missing. A virtual mailbox for your business address scans incoming mail so you can read IRS notices from abroad.
Lost Your EIN Confirmation Letter? How to Get a 147C
The IRS cannot send you another copy of the original CP 575. What it can send is Letter 147C, which confirms the EIN already assigned to your business. Follow these steps.
Step 1: Confirm the EIN number itself
If you need only the number, the IRS EIN page lists four places to find it: the notice the IRS sent when you applied, the bank that holds your business account, any state or local agency where you applied for a license, and any federal tax return the business has filed. For a foreign-owned single-member LLC, that last one includes the Form 5472 and pro forma Form 1120 covered in our guide to how to file Form 5472 as a non-US resident.
Step 2: Prepare before you call
- The LLC’s exact legal name and the EIN, if you have it.
- The business mailing address the IRS has on file.
- The name and taxpayer details of the responsible party listed on the SS-4. The IRS defines the responsible party as the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity.
- A fax number that can receive documents, if you want the letter by fax rather than by post. An online fax service with a US number works.
Step 3: Call the Business and Specialty Tax Line
Call 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Residents of Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time. Ask for a Letter 147C, EIN verification. The IRS says it verifies your identity and provides the number over the phone if you are authorized to receive it. From outside the United States, the IRS lists 267-941-1000 for international callers and overseas taxpayers. That number is not toll-free.
Step 4: Choose fax or mail
Once the assistor locates the EIN, the IRS can give the verification verbally, in writing by fax, by mail, or a combination of these. Fax avoids postal delays, which matters when the letter has to cross borders. A mailed letter goes to the address of record, so if that is a US address, make sure someone there can forward or scan it.
Step 5: Check the letter and save it
Check that the legal name and EIN on the 147C match your formation documents exactly. Save it as a PDF next to your Articles of Organization and operating agreement. You will need it again for banks, payment processors, marketplaces and tax preparers.
The Digital CP 575 and Who Can Use It
Since June 25, 2026, the IRS offers a digital CP 575 that you download from a Business Tax Account under Tax Records. It replaces the phone call for owners who qualify, but eligibility is narrow:
- The individual signing in needs a Social Security number or an ITIN.
- Supported filers are sole proprietors filing Schedule C or F, partnerships, S corporations, C corporations, and single-member LLCs that file Form 1120-S or Form 1065.
- The IRS states that LLCs filing as sole proprietors on Schedule C or F are not yet supported.
A non-resident who owns a single-member LLC and has no SSN or ITIN cannot sign in, so Letter 147C by phone remains the route for most BusinessAnywhere customers.
When You Need the Letter
- Opening a business bank account. US banks and fintech accounts ask for the CP 575 or 147C to match the EIN to the LLC. See our business banking for non-residents page.
- Payment processors and marketplaces. Stripe, PayPal and Amazon verify the EIN against the legal name, covered in our guide to Stripe and PayPal for non-resident US LLCs.
- Tax forms for payers. A multi-member LLC gives payers Form W-9 with the EIN, and a foreign company that owns a US LLC enters its own EIN on its W-8BEN-E. Our guide to Form W-8BEN-E for foreign-owned LLCs shows which form applies.
- State registrations and licenses. Sales tax permits, payroll accounts and business licenses ask for the EIN and accept the IRS letter as proof.
Common Mistakes
- Not saving the PDF at the end of an online application. The download screen is the moment to save the CP 575. Close it and the only path left is a 147C request.
- Sending a screenshot or a third-party summary. Banks want the IRS notice or letter itself, not a confirmation email from a filing service.
- A name mismatch. A missing “LLC”, an extra comma or a different spelling between the letter and the Articles of Organization stops bank and platform verification.
- Calling the wrong line from abroad. The IRS lists a separate number for international callers and overseas taxpayers. Use it when you call from outside the United States.
- Letting the notice sit at a US address. Paper IRS mail to a registered agent or forwarding address that nobody opens is how most original notices are lost.
Let BusinessAnywhere Get Your EIN
BusinessAnywhere obtains the EIN for non-resident founders without a Social Security number for $97 and delivers the IRS confirmation to you. Forming the LLC with us costs $0 plus the state filing fee and includes a free first year of registered agent service, so the formation documents and the EIN letter match from the start.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the EIN confirmation letter called?
The original is IRS notice CP 575, issued when the EIN is assigned. The replacement is Letter 147C, “EIN Previously Assigned,” which the IRS sends on request.
Can the IRS send me a copy of my CP 575?
No. The IRS states that the original CP 575A-J notices cannot be duplicated or recreated. Request Letter 147C instead, or download a digital CP 575 from a Business Tax Account if you are eligible.
How do I request a 147C letter?
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time, and ask for EIN verification. After the IRS verifies you are authorized, it can fax or mail the letter.
Do banks accept a 147C instead of a CP 575?
Yes. Letter 147C is the IRS written confirmation of an EIN already assigned, and the IRS states that banks and other institutions accept the digital CP 575 in place of both documents.
Can a non-resident download the digital CP 575?
Only with a Social Security number or ITIN, because Business Tax Account sign-in requires one. A non-resident LLC owner without either requests Letter 147C by phone.
What number do I call from outside the US?
The IRS lists 267-941-1000 for international callers and overseas taxpayers. To apply for a new EIN by phone from abroad, international applicants call 267-941-1099. Neither number is toll-free.
This guide summarizes IRS guidance on the CP 575 notice, Letter 147C and Form SS-4 as of October 2026. It is general information, not tax or legal advice. IRS phone numbers and hours change, so confirm them on irs.gov before you call.
