How Much Does It Cost to Obtain an EIN?
This post about the cost to obtain an EIN (Employer Identification Number) in the United States is an Advertisement under Rule of Professional Conduct 1-400, Standard 5 (now subject to Chapter 7 of the Rules of Professional Conduct that took effect on November 1, 2018).
Recently I have received many inquiries from foreign owners of new companies in the U.S. They want to know how much it will cost to obtain an EIN from the Internal Revenue Service. This post provides that information.
If the U.S. entity’s responsible party (principal officer of a corporation, manager of a limited liability company) has a U.S. social security number (SSN), then the process is quick and easy. That party can obtain an EIN online in about ten minutes. My help is not required.
If the responsible party does not have an SSN, then the process is much more complex. See Foreign Company Alert: Obtaining an EIN may be your Biggest Challenge in the U.S.
My fee to obtain an EIN is $500, which is wired to my attorney-client trust account. The process is as follows.
- I request information about the U.S. entity and its foreign owner.
- I prepare required documentation and email it to the client.
- The client signs and returns that documentation.
- I fax it to the Internal Revenue Service.
- The IRS typically provides the EIN in approximately one week (though this time has been extended unpredictably during the COVID pandemic).
Dana H. Shultz, Attorney at Law +1 510-547-0545 dana [at] danashultz [dot] com
This blog does not provide legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. If you need legal advice, please contact a lawyer directly.
