How to perform an EIN lookup for free

All businesses need an EIN, or Employer Identification Number. Your EIN is used for tax purposes by the government and tax agency, and is also important in providing valuable information about your company's assets, liabilities, and trading status. In order to complete your tax forms, you''ll need to know your business's EIN. If you don't have ready access to your EIN, you'll need to perform an EIN lookup. Obtaining information about your company's EIN, or another company's EIN, can often be costly, however. Fortunately there are a few steps that you can take to perform an EIN lookup for free.

Some EIN lookup databases, such as FreeERISA provide a limited number of free EIN lookup searches. Usually you will be allocated three free EIN lookup searches, which will often be enough to provide the EIN lookup data that you need. Other EIN lookup databases offer trial periods where you can perform EIN lookup searches for free. By making the most of these EIN lookup databases and their free trial periods, you'll most likely be able to complete the EIN lookup services that you need. Many not-for-profit organizations are able to use EIN lookup services for free.

If you prefer not to go online for your EIN lookup, you can also contact the company in question and ask for their EIN. Many companies will provide their EIN on request; alternatively you may be able to find a company's EIN by looking at their invoices or statements. If you are performing an EIN lookup for your own company, you'll typically be able to source your own EIN from the IRS, from your bank, or from your state office. Most official documents that are mailed out to you will also contain reference to your company's EIN, so if your EIN lookup isn't time critical, you can simply wait for the relevant documentation to arrive and note down the details then.

While finding your own EIN using an EIN lookup service is typically simple, and often free, finding another company's EIN can be more challenging, and costly. Undertaking a manual EIN lookup search is a time-consuming but affordable way to obtain a company's EIN for free. One way to perform an EIN lookup for another company is to search for the company's corporate lodgement reports or SEC filings online. Public companies will typically list their EIN on the first page of these filings, and you'll be able to complete your EIN lookup process quickly and easily by downloading these reports and retrieving the relevant number. Private companies' Dun & Bradstreet report will often contain their EIN, or you may be able to find a company's EIN on their invoices. Annual reports are often a good way to complete an EIN lookup for free—simply download or source the annual report and note down the EIN.

Performing an EIN lookup can be costly if you use the standard EIN lookup avenues, but there are many EIN lookup approaches that will provide the information you're looking for quickly and easily, and at no cost.