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Exactly what to do

  1. Once the state approves your articles (the application’s legal name and formation date must match the stamped copy from step 2.3 letter for letter), go to the IRS online EIN application (limited hours, posted on that page) and choose “View additional types” → nonprofit organization. Finish in one sitting: the session can’t be saved and times out after 15 minutes, so have the mailing address and the responsible party (usually the founding president) with their SSN or ITIN ready. The EIN issues on the final screen with a printable CP 575 letter; save that PDF right then, the bank will ask for it and the IRS does not re-issue it.

    Saved to your account; the 1023, bank, and registrations all ask for it.

    EIN confirmation letter (CP 575)

    Upload it here the moment you download it.

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What trips people up

  • Googling “EIN application” and landing on a look-alike site that charges $100-$300. The IRS one is free and ends in irs.gov. As the IRS itself puts it: you never have to pay for an EIN.

Questions people actually ask

Is getting the EIN the same as being tax-exempt?

No, and this is the classic mix-up. The EIN is just an ID number, the organization's version of a Social Security number; every business gets one, taxable or not. Tax-exempt status comes from the separate 501(c)(3) application in step 6. The bank needs the EIN; your donors' deductions need the 501(c)(3).

Why does the IRS want someone's personal SSN?

The “responsible party” must be a real human who controls the organization, usually the founding president; it's how the IRS prevents anonymous shell entities. It does not make that person personally liable for the organization's taxes or debts, it identifies who the IRS calls with questions.

A website charged me $250 for my EIN. Was I scammed?

You paid a middleman for a free government form; the EIN itself is real and works. Chalk it up, and from here on trust only URLs ending in irs.gov for federal filings. (Card charges can sometimes be disputed if the site posed as the government.)

Primary sources: IRS online EIN application