IRS Letter 147C: How to Get Your EIN Verification Letter

A bank asks for proof of your EIN. You go looking for the letter the IRS sent when the number was issued, and it is gone. Letter 147C is the document that solves this, and it is the only one the IRS will send you, because the original confirmation notice is never reprinted.

What Letter 147C Is

Letter 147C is an EIN verification letter. It is issued by the IRS on request and confirms two things: the Employer Identification Number assigned to your business, and the exact legal name the IRS holds against that number. Those two details together are what a bank, a payment processor, or a payroll provider is actually trying to verify when they ask for "proof of EIN".

The name matters as much as the number. If your bank application says Acme Holdings LLC and the IRS record says Acme Holdings, L.L.C., the mismatch is what causes the account to stall. Letter 147C shows you exactly how the IRS has recorded it, which is often the fastest way to diagnose a rejected application.

Letter 147C vs Notice CP 575

These two documents confirm the same information and are equally valid. The difference is purely when and how they are issued.

If a checklist names the CP 575 specifically, say up front that the IRS does not reissue it and that Letter 147C is the standard substitute. Institutions that handle business accounts regularly already know this. Read more on Notice CP 575.

Can You Request It Online?

No. This is the single most common misunderstanding about the 147C, and it is worth being blunt: there is no online request, no downloadable form, and no email option. The IRS does not have a self-service portal for EIN verification letters, and it will not send tax documents by email under any circumstances.

The only route is a phone call. Everything below describes that call.

How to Request It by Phone

Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line on 800 829 4933, open 7am to 7pm local time, Monday to Friday. Wait times are usually shortest early in the morning and worst on Mondays and around filing deadlines.

1. Ask the agent for an EIN verification letter, Letter 147C. Using the letter number gets you to the right place faster than describing it.
2. Verify your identity and your authority to act for the business. Have the EIN, the legal name, and the business address ready.
3. Choose delivery. Fax is dramatically faster than mail and the agent can often send it while you are still on the call.
4. Check the letter when it arrives. Confirm the legal name is spelled exactly as you expect before you send it to a bank.

Requesting It From Outside the US

The 800 number is toll free within the United States and cannot be dialed from most other countries. International callers use the IRS international line instead:

• +1 267 941 1099, roughly 6am to 11pm US Eastern Time, Monday to Friday.
• This line is not toll free. Calling over an internet calling service is usually far cheaper than a mobile network.
• Ask for fax delivery. Mail to a non-US address can take several weeks and sometimes does not arrive at all.

Work out the time difference before you dial. The line follows US Eastern Time, which for founders in South Asia, the Gulf, or East Africa usually means calling in the late afternoon or evening.

What the Letter Contains

Letter 147C is short, typically a single page on IRS letterhead. It sets out:

• The Employer Identification Number in the standard XX-XXXXXXX format
• The legal name of the entity exactly as the IRS records it
• The address the IRS holds for the business
• The date the letter was generated
• Where applicable, the trade name or "doing business as" name on file

It does not contain a balance, a filing history, or anything about your tax position. It exists only to confirm identity.

Who Is Allowed to Request It

The IRS will only release the letter to somebody connected to the business:

• The responsible party named on the EIN record
• A member or manager of the LLC, or a corporate officer
• Somebody holding a valid Form 2848 power of attorney
• Somebody holding a Form 8821 tax information authorization

An accountant or formation agent without one of those authorizations on file cannot obtain the letter for you, however well they know your business.

Why a Request Gets Refused

• The caller is not on record. If the responsible party was changed and never updated with the IRS using Form 8822-B, the person calling may not match the file.
• The details do not match. A legal name given slightly differently from the IRS record will stop verification.
• The EIN was never actually issued. Occasionally an application was rejected without the applicant realizing, so there is no record to verify.
• The business address is stale. If you have moved and not filed Form 8822-B, expect extra questions.

How StartGlobal Helps

Every LLC we form includes the EIN, obtained without an SSN, and we keep a copy of your confirmation documents in your dashboard so a lost letter never becomes an emergency. If you are still deciding how to get the number in the first place, start with Form SS-4 or getting an EIN without a Social Security Number. To see how it fits into formation, see EIN and Tax Registration.

Frequently Asked Questions