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Form SS-4 · Application for Employer Identification Number (EIN)

How to apply for an EIN by fax with Form SS-4.

Form SS-4 applies for an Employer Identification Number. The IRS recommends applying online when you can, which gives you the EIN straight away, but the online application is not open to everyone. When it is not, fax is the fastest route: under the IRS Fax-TIN program you generally receive the EIN by fax within 4 business days.

Fax numbers checked against irs.gov on October 10, 2026.

The fax number

Which number to fax Form SS-4 to.

Find the row that matches you and use that number. These are the numbers in the official instructions, read on October 10, 2026. The IRS says they may change without notice, so open the official page and confirm before you send.

Fax-TIN
855-641-6935

Your legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency is in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia

Fax-TIN
855-215-1627 from within the United States
304-707-9471 from outside the United States

You have none of those in any state or the District of Columbia (for example, you are in a U.S. territory or abroad)

Official source: irs.gov, Instructions for Form SS-4, Apply by fax (Form SS-4, revision December 2025). Toll-free 855 numbers cost the same as any US or Canadian number on HelpMeFax.

Before you press send

What to check first.

  • Write a fax number that can receive in the "Applicant’s fax number" box. The IRS faxes the EIN back to the number you provide on the form.
  • Apply only one way for each business, so you do not end up with two EINs.
  • The Fax-TIN numbers are only for EIN applications; do not send other forms to them.
  • Sign and date the form.
If fax isn’t the best route

Other ways to file.

  • Online at IRS.gov/EIN, if your business is in the United States or a U.S. territory. The EIN is issued immediately, and the person responsible for the business needs an SSN, EIN or ITIN to use it.
  • By phone at 267-941-1099 (not toll-free, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday), for international applicants only.
  • By mail, at least 4 to 5 weeks before you need the EIN.

After you fax it

  • Fax-TIN works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and the IRS generally faxes the EIN back within 4 business days.

No fax machine to receive your EIN on?

A HelpMeFax dedicated number receives faxes as PDFs in your inbox, with an email the moment one arrives: $11.99 a month plus 5¢ per page received, and you can cancel it once the EIN is in.

Get a fax number
No fax machine needed

How to fax Form SS-4 with HelpMeFax.

From a phone or a computer, with no app to install. Form SS-4 is 2 pages, so with a cover page it is $2.99, and there is no subscription.

  1. 1

    Complete and sign Form SS-4

    Fill in the form and sign it. Save it as a PDF, or photograph every page.

  2. 2

    Find your fax number

    Use the chart on this page for your situation, and confirm it on the official IRS page linked below it.

  3. 3

    Upload and send

    Upload at helpmefax.com, enter the IRS fax number, add a cover page if you want one, and pay by card: $2.99 for this form with a cover page, no subscription.

  4. 4

    Keep the confirmation

    Save the delivery confirmation email with your copy of the form. It records when the IRS fax system accepted it.

Busy lines are retried automatically, and the delivery confirmation is emailed to you and kept in your fax history. Faxing from a phone? See faxing from an iPhone or an Android phone.

FAQ

Faxing Form SS-4.

Your legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency is in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia: 855-641-6935. You have none of those in any state or the District of Columbia (for example, you are in a U.S. territory or abroad): 855-215-1627 (from within the United States) or 304-707-9471 (from outside the United States). Read from irs.gov on October 10, 2026; the IRS says these numbers may change without notice, so confirm at the official page before you send.
Under the IRS Fax-TIN program you generally receive your EIN by fax within 4 business days. The IRS faxes it back to the fax number you write on the form, so give one that can receive.
Yes, if your legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency is in the United States or a U.S. territory, and the person responsible for the business has an SSN, EIN or ITIN. Online, the EIN is issued immediately. Everyone else applies by fax, by mail, or, for international applicants, by phone.
To the fax number you provide on the form, in the "Applicant’s fax number" box. If you do not have a fax machine, a HelpMeFax dedicated number receives it as a PDF in your inbox for $11.99 a month plus 5¢ per page received.
One flat price per fax: $2.99 for 1–5 pages, $4.99 for 6–10, $8.99 for 11–25, $14.99 for 26–50, $24.99 for 51–100, then $0.15 per page. Form SS-4 is 2 pages, so with a cover page it is $2.99 unless you attach more. No subscription; pay by card.
Your document is encrypted with TLS 1.2+ in transit and AES-256 at rest, and the fax is a direct call to the IRS fax line, with no email inbox in between. You get a delivery confirmation by email when the IRS fax system accepts it. Documents are stored encrypted for 365 days, then deleted automatically.
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HelpMeFax is an independent fax service, not affiliated with or endorsed by the Internal Revenue Service, and this page is not tax advice. It restates the official instructions for Form SS-4; when they differ, the IRS instructions win.

Fax Form SS-4 today, without a fax machine.

Upload it, enter the IRS number, and keep the delivery confirmation. $2.99 for this form with a cover page.