Canadian Startup and Video Game Law Blog

How to Apply for an EIN as a Canadian or Foreign Company

An EIN is a unique nine-digit number assigned to your company by the IRS and used for bank account opening, tax filing, hiring and reporting purposes. There are four main methods to obtain an EIN, each one posing its own complications for Canadian and foreign companies.

1. Online

The easiest approach, online, is unfortunately not available to most Canadian and foreign companies as it requires a personal US taxpayer ID number and a US-based address. If you use this method, we suggest you screenshot or print out the confirmation page as you will not receive any additional confirmation from the IRS of your EIN until they mail the EIN confirmation letter 3-6 weeks later.

2. Fax

This is sometimes the best method to use for Canadian and foreign based EIN filers. Simply fill out the SS-4 form and fax it to the correct number (depends on the state of incorporation). The processing time for fax applications can be anywhere from 4 business days to 3 weeks and sometimes requires a follow-up phone call in order to receive confirmation of the EIN. This is typically the preferred method as it does not require a US taxpayer ID number or US address for the filer.

3. Mail

This method is the simplest method, if you have the time. Simply fill out the SS-4 form and mail it in, taking 4-6 weeks before receiving the EIN in the mail. The biggest problem we see with our clients using this method is that, if there is a mistake in the filing, this method takes the longest to receive notice of the mistake and to subsequently correct.

4. Telephone

The IRS currently has a special EIN phone number for international businesses. While this method often results in the shortest processing time (sometimes the EIN is provided on the call), it usually doesn’t work for US-domiciled companies as this number is not meant for US-domiciled companies. US-domiciled companies are meant to call the US-domiciled business number, but this number doesn’t work outside the US.

There are ways to speed this process up, in addition to the above. If you need help applying for an EIN, please feel free to reach out to Voyer Law and we would be glad to assist with the speedy issuance of an EIN for your company.