A 147C letter is the IRS's official re-confirmation of an EIN your company already has. You ask for one when the original EIN notice, the CP 575, has been lost and a bank or payment processor wants proof of the number straight from the IRS. It is free, you request it from the IRS by phone, and it has nothing to do with applying for a new EIN.
A 147C verifies a number the IRS already issued to your business. It is not a second application and does not create a new EIN.
There is no online download. You, or someone you authorize, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line, and the IRS sends the letter by mail or fax.
The IRS prints the original EIN notice only once. If it is gone, the 147C is the replacement that banks and processors accept instead.
At some point a bank, a payment processor, or an accountant asks you to prove your company's EIN with a document straight from the IRS, and you realize the original letter is nowhere to be found. That document is the 147C letter: the IRS re-confirming, in writing, a number your business was already given. This page explains what a 147C is, when you actually need one, and the exact way a founder outside the United States requests it, since the usual online shortcuts are closed to non-residents. If you are not sure your company even has a number yet, that is a different starting point, covered in what an EIN is.
What a 147C letter is
A 147C letter, sometimes called an EIN verification letter, is the IRS's way of re-confirming an EIN that already belongs to your business. The name is simply the IRS notice number, 147C. It does not assign a new number or change anything about your company; it states, on IRS letterhead, that your business name is matched to your EIN. That is exactly what a third party wants when it needs official proof and you cannot produce the original notice.
The original notice is a different document. When the IRS first issues your EIN it sends a CP 575, the one-time confirmation. The 147C is what you request later if that CP 575 is lost, because the IRS states the original CP 575 cannot be duplicated or recreated. Both documents prove the same thing; you just cannot get the first one twice.
147C letter vs the CP 575
Document | When you get it | How many times | What it is |
|---|---|---|---|
CP 575 | Automatically, when your EIN is first issued | Once only, never reprinted | The original EIN confirmation notice |
147C | On request, any time afterwards | As often as you need it | A re-confirmation that replaces a lost CP 575 |
To a bank the two are interchangeable: either one proves your EIN. The only reason the 147C exists is that the CP 575 is printed a single time. You receive the CP 575 after the IRS processes your Form SS-4, and it is one of the documents you receive after forming an LLC. Keep it somewhere safe and you may never need a 147C at all.
When you need a 147C letter
You request a 147C whenever a third party needs official IRS confirmation of your EIN and you cannot produce the original CP 575. It is a general-purpose verification document: it is tied to no single institution, so the same letter works for whoever is asking. The usual triggers are:
A bank or payment processor asks for the IRS letter to verify the EIN on your account application.
A lender wants proof of the business's tax ID when you apply for a business loan or line of credit.
A payroll provider needs to confirm the EIN before it sets up payroll or files employment taxes for the company.
A licensing or permit office, or a software or platform vendor, asks for IRS confirmation of the EIN when you register or open a business account.
An accountant or filing service needs to confirm the exact number and registered name before filing on the company's behalf.
You are clearing up a mismatch, for example a bank holds a slightly different business name and you need the IRS's version in writing.
If you already have the EIN on a past tax filing or a bank record, you do not necessarily need a 147C to know your number. The 147C is specifically for when someone wants the confirmation to come from the IRS rather than from you.
Other ways to find your EIN first
Before you call the IRS, check whether you already have the number written down somewhere. You usually do, and a record you hold is enough for your own reference even when it is not IRS-issued proof. Your EIN typically appears in several places:
The original CP 575 notice, if you can still find it.
Any US tax return the company has filed, such as a Form 5472 with a pro forma 1120.
Your business bank account paperwork, where the EIN is kept on file.
Earlier IRS notices or letters addressed to the company.
The formation or welcome documents from whoever set the company up.
If you only need the number for your own records, any of these tells you what it is. You request a 147C specifically when a third party, such as a bank, wants the confirmation to come from the IRS rather than from a document you produced yourself.
The online option, and why it rarely helps a non-resident
It is worth knowing the IRS offers an online route, because most guides on this topic stop there and it is a common source of wasted time for founders abroad. Through a Business Tax Account, the IRS can produce a digital CP 575, which it says can be used as a substitute for the original CP 575 notice and Letter 147C and which banks accept as written confirmation of an EIN. On paper that sounds like the easy answer. In practice it is usually closed to a non-resident: opening a Business Tax Account requires identity verification through ID.me, which is built around US-issued identity documents and generally a US Social Security Number or ITIN. If you have neither, you typically cannot complete it, which is exactly why the phone 147C stays the realistic path for most non-resident founders. We flag the online option so you do not lose a week on it, not because it is likely to work for you.
How a non-resident requests a 147C letter
This is where founders abroad differ from US-based owners. The IRS offers no online retrieval of a 147C and no form to mail for it. You get it by calling the IRS and asking, and the same constraint that pushes non-residents to the paper SS-4 applies here: the self-service tools assume a US taxpayer ID, so the phone is your route. Here is how it works.
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line. Inside the US the number is 800-829-4933. From outside the US, where the toll-free line does not reach, the IRS international line is +1-267-941-1099, which is not toll-free. The lines are open on US business days, and waits are common.
Be the authorized person, or bring authorization. The IRS only releases a 147C to someone entitled to the company's information: normally a member or manager of the LLC, the responsible party, or a third party you have authorized with Form 2848 or Form 8821. The agent verifies who you are and your connection to the business first.
Have your details ready to match. The agent confirms the company against its record, so have the LLC's exact legal name, the EIN if you know it, and the address and responsible party on file. If you are unsure of the number, the legal name and address are usually enough for the agent to locate it.
Choose how it is sent. The IRS sends the 147C by mail to the address on record, or by fax. A fax can arrive during or shortly after the call; mail goes only to the address the IRS has on file.
What to have ready before you call
The LLC's exact legal name, as it appears on your formation documents.
Your EIN, if you have it on any past document. Helpful, but not essential.
The business address and responsible party the IRS has on file.
Your role in the company, or a completed Form 2848 or 8821 if you are calling on someone's behalf.
A fax number you can access, if you would rather not wait for mail.
After the 147C arrives
Once the letter reaches you, hand the copy to whoever asked for it, usually a bank or payment processor, and keep one for your own records. The 147C confirms a fact that does not change, your EIN, so the same letter works the next time a provider needs proof. If you ever misplace it, you can ask the IRS for a fresh copy for free, as many times as you need.
If you have lost the EIN itself, not just the letter
It is worth separating two situations. If your company was issued an EIN and you have simply misplaced the paperwork, a 147C is the fix and the steps above apply. If your company never had an EIN in the first place, there is nothing to confirm, and what you need is a first-time application, not a 147C. That is the Form SS-4 process, and for a founder with no Social Security Number it runs a specific way set out in how to get an EIN without an SSN. A 147C only ever retrieves a number that already exists.
The same applies if you have applied for an EIN and are still waiting for it to arrive. There is no assigned number to confirm yet, so a 147C does not come into play until the IRS has actually issued the EIN.
Common problems for non-residents
The address on file is old. A mailed 147C goes there, not to your current address. Update it with Form 8822-B before relying on mail, or ask for a fax.
You are not the authorized person. If the EIN is tied to a co-founder or a prior responsible party, the IRS will not hand the letter to you without Form 2848 or 8821 on file.
The IRS cannot match your details. A legal name that differs from the record, even slightly, can stall the call. Use the name exactly as it was registered.
You actually need a change, not a confirmation. If the address or responsible party on file is wrong, a 147C will not fix it; that is a Form 8822-B update. And if the company's ownership or structure has changed, the IRS may want a brand-new EIN rather than a copy of the old one. You keep the same EIN to change your name, address, or responsible party, but you generally need a new one when ownership or entity type changes.
You cannot get through by phone. The international line can be busy, so calling early in the US business day, with your company details already in front of you, is the most reliable way to reach an agent and keep the call short.
Frequently asked questions
What is a 147C letter?
It is an IRS letter that re-confirms an EIN your business already has. Banks, payment processors, and accountants accept it as official proof of your number when you cannot produce the original CP 575 confirmation.
Is a 147C the same as a CP 575?
They prove the same thing, but the CP 575 is the original notice the IRS issues once when your EIN is assigned, while the 147C is the replacement you request later if the CP 575 is lost. The IRS does not reprint the CP 575.
How do I get a 147C from outside the US?
You call the IRS and ask for it; there is no online option. Use the Business and Specialty Tax Line on 800-829-4933 inside the US, or the international line on +1-267-941-1099 from abroad, and have your LLC's legal name and EIN ready. The IRS sends the letter by mail or fax.
Is a 147C letter free?
Yes. The IRS does not charge for a 147C, the same way it does not charge for the EIN itself. If a service requests one for you, you are paying for their time, not for the letter.
Will a bank accept a 147C instead of the original EIN letter?
Generally yes. Banks and payment processors treat the 147C as equivalent to the CP 575 because both come from the IRS and confirm the same EIN. Each provider sets its own document rules, so confirm what they accept.
Can someone request a 147C for me?
Only if they are authorized. A member or manager of the LLC can request it directly; anyone else needs a Form 2848 or 8821 on file authorizing them to receive the company's information.
I have lost my EIN entirely. Do I need a 147C?
If the EIN was issued and you have just lost the record, yes, a 147C retrieves it. If your company never had an EIN, you need a first-time application on Form SS-4 instead, covered in how to get an EIN without an SSN.
Can I find my EIN without calling the IRS?
Often, yes. Your EIN usually appears on the original CP 575 notice, a tax return the company has filed, your business bank records, or an earlier IRS letter. You request a 147C specifically when a bank or other third party needs the confirmation to come from the IRS rather than from your own records.
Do I need a new EIN instead of a 147C?
Only if the company itself has changed. You keep the same EIN, and can confirm it with a 147C, when your name, address, or responsible party changes. A change in the company's ownership or entity structure is different and usually requires a brand-new EIN.
How this article was prepared
CORPBOLT prepared this guide for non-US founders who need to confirm an EIN their company already holds. The role of the CP 575 as the one-time original notice, the 147C as the re-issued confirmation, the phone-only request process, and the authorization rules are drawn from the IRS Employer Identification Number page, which covers retrieving a lost EIN and Letter 147C, and the Instructions for Form SS-4, linked below, together with how CORPBOLT handles EIN paperwork when it forms LLCs for founders abroad. Phone waits and how the IRS delivers the letter are controlled by the IRS, not by any formation service, and we do not promise a turnaround. Banking and payment-processor approval is decided by each provider; CORPBOLT prepares your documents but does not open accounts for you. This is general information, not legal or tax advice, and we update it when the IRS changes the process. Last reviewed June 2026.
EIN paperwork with CORPBOLT: CORPBOLT forms your Wyoming LLC with a registered agent and US business address from $349/year (Foundation) and prepares your EIN application; the EIN is included from $599/year (Launch) or as a $199 add-on. The IRS never charges for the EIN or a 147C, so you pay for the formation and the prepared paperwork, never the number. Form your Wyoming LLC →
Official references
IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 (international applicants: 267-941-1099)
IRS: Employer Identification Number (lost or forgot EIN; Letter 147C)
Approval note: Eligibility and approval decisions are made by each bank, fintech, and payment processor. Requirements can vary by provider, country, business model, and account history.
