Everything You Wonder about IRS Form SS-4 and Instructions

A Form SS-4 – also called an Application for Employer Identification Number – is a single-page form provided by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the United States. Filling out the Form SS-4 is required in order to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN). It is generally used for tax reporting and filing purposes. An Employer ID Number is a nine-digit number in this format “xx-xxxxxxx” issued by the IRS and assigned to businesses, employers and certain individuals such as:

• Sole proprietorships
• Corporations
• Estates
• Trusts
• Partnerships
• Other businesses for tax filing and reporting purposes

During your EIN application process, submitting a complete Form SS-4 is quite important to reduce the risk of being turned down by the IRS.

Who needs a Form SS-4? #

Any business entity that needs an Employer Identification Number (EIN) is required to fill out Form SS-4. An EIN is required for numerous reasons:

• Applying for a Business License
• Tax Filing and Reporting
• Opening a business bank account

To be brief, your business identification is being ensured by the Internal Revenue Service through an EIN. At this point, Form SS-4 functions as a bridge between your EIN application and the IRS officials.

Situations that you might need an EIN: #

• Having employees
• Opening a bank account
• Applying for business license or loan
• Conducting a business other than a sole proprietorship (LLC, S-Corp, Non-Profit, etc.)
• Running a business as a partnership or corporation
• You can see other conditions on the bottom of the SS-4 Letter Application

Form SS-4 Instructions #

Form SS-4 is displayed on the IRS’s website. The form is one page long and very easy to fill out. In order to complete Form SS-4, you will need to provide the following information:

• The legal name of entity or individual
• Trade name of the business
• Executor, administrator, trustee, “care of” name
• Mailing address
• Name of the responsible party
• SSN, ITIN, EIN
• Whether this is an application for an LLC
• Number of LLC members
• Whether LLC was organized in the United States
• Type of entity: sole proprietorship, corporation, personal service corporation, church or church-controlled organization, other nonprofit organizations, estate, etc.
• Name of state or foreign country of incorporation
• Reason for applying
• Date business started
• Closing month of the accounting year
• The highest number of employees
• Indicate if you expect your employment tax to be $1,000 or less in a full calendar – year and want to file Form 944 annually instead of Forms 941 quarterly
• First date wages or annuities paid
• The principal activity of the business
• The principal line of merchandise sold, specific construction work done, products produced, services provided
• Whether the applicant has ever received an EIN
• Third-party designee information
• Signature

How Do I Get a Copy of My Form SS-4? #

Anytime, you might apply for a business loan. Most of the time, you will see “Form SS-4” in the list of the required documents provided by the banks. Do not be confused! This does not refer to the actual Form SS-4, it is meant only the copy of it: “SS-4 Notice”. If you were applying for a personal loan, your social security number card would be enough to be verified. However, there is no such thing as EIN cards. Therefore, lenders might still need verification and request a copy of your SS-4 which is called “Form SS-4 Notice”.

When you applied online for your EIN, this document was automatically issued as a PDF along with your EIN. Apart from this, receiving an EIN assignment letter right from the IRS is also possible. The phone number of Business and Specialty Tax Line and EIN Assignment is (800) 829-4933, and the line is open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., taxpayer local time, Monday through Friday.

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us, at einitin.com we are always ready to assist you via live chat or e-mail: [email protected]