Hire your first W-2 employee without a compliance gap

  1. Obtain or confirm your Federal EIN for payroll use
    15 min

    What you produce: a CP 575 confirmation letter (or the online-equivalent PDF) from the IRS that shows your EIN is registered for employment-tax filing.

    If your business already has an EIN, check the letter you received when it was assigned. The IRS Form SS-4 asks what the EIN is for. If you selected “Started a new business” or “Hiring employees,” that EIN already covers employment taxes. If you filed for a trust, estate, or a non-employee purpose, you may need a separate EIN for payroll.

    To apply for a new EIN or confirm your existing one:

    1. Go to irs.gov/ein and click “Apply for an EIN Online” or “View Existing EIN.”
    2. For a new application, select your entity type (Sole Proprietor, LLC, Corporation, Partnership).
    3. Under “Reason for applying,” choose “Started a new business” or “Hiring employees.”
    4. Enter the responsible party’s name and SSN or ITIN.
    5. Submit — the system issues the EIN immediately on-screen.
    6. Download, print, and save the confirmation PDF.