How to check an EIN

If you're an employee of a given company, or you've made a donation to a particular organization this financial year, you'll need to know the EIN of these companies or organizations in order to complete your taxes. An EIN, an Employer Identification Number, is a unique identification number provided to all businesses, trading conglomerates, and organizations. A company's EIN is used for tax and reporting purposes. There are several ways that you can check a company's EIN.

The simplest way of checking your employer's EIN is to check through any documentation your company has sent you throughout the year. Forms such as your W2 or even your pay statements typically include your company's EIN, making it simple to check their EIN without performing an EIN lookup. However, if you don't have access to these documents, then you may need to provide an EIN lookup.

To perform an EIN lookup for a publicly listed company, you can visit the EDGAR database on the SEC website and perform a search for the company or companies you've worked for throughout the year. You'll be able to find the company's EIN under the “IRS No.” heading. This nine-digit number is the company's EIN, and is what you'll need to fill in for your tax report. Many EINs are also readily available online: a company's EIN is often printed at the top of any formal documents, many of which will be available online on the SEC website.

If you're trying to perform an EIN lookup for a private company, you'll have more success using private databases. You'll often be able to sign up for a free trial enabling you to search for the EIN of a private company. Calling up the company and requesting their EIN can also be a quick and easy way to perform an EIN lookup quickly and easily.

If you've made a donation to a company or organization, you'll also need to source this EIN. In many cases, if you've been issued a receipt for your donation, you'll be able to find the company's EIN on this receipt. There are also several websites that will allow you to perform an EIN lookup for free. Usually you'll be limited to a select number of free searches, or you'll have to sign up to the EIN lookup database. Membership of these sites is usually free.

Other ways of checking a company's EIN include visiting your local library to check databases such as ReferenceUSA, a vast repository of company-related information that will typically include, among other information, a company's EIN. Another simple way to find a company's EIN without performing a manual EIN lookup is to check their website. Many companies will provide their EIN on their website. If the EIN is on a company's website, it will often be in the top left of the site, or in the footer of the website. You may also find EIN information in the “about us” page. The EIN is a nine-digit number.