How to Fill Out Form SS-4 Line by Line (Non-Resident)

This is a line-by-line guide to Form SS-4, the one-page application your Wyoming LLC uses to request its own EIN. It assumes the LLC is already formed and that you, the owner, have no US Social Security number. If you want the bigger picture first, our overview of what Form SS-4 is and the EIN and ITIN guide for non-US founders set the stage.

A few details make the form quick to complete. Gather these before you write anything:

• The LLC's exact legal name and formation date from the Wyoming Articles of Organization.

• Your own name and home address, as the responsible party.

• A mailing address for the LLC, which can be a non-US address.

• A short description of what the business actually does.

You do not need a US Social Security number, an ITIN, or a US address to complete the form. Those gaps are handled on specific lines below.

Work from the current form as you go. Open the IRS About Form SS-4 page, download the fillable Form SS-4 and its separate line-by-line instructions, and check that the revision date reads December 2025 before you file. The IRS refreshes the form periodically, so an older copy can carry different line numbers.

Line 1 is the legal name of the entity. Enter the LLC's legal name exactly as it appears on the Articles of Organization, matching the spelling, spacing, and designator. The instructions ask for the name as it appears on the charter or other applicable legal document. For a foreign-owned single-member LLC getting its own EIN, that is the company name, not the owner's name.

Line 2 is the trade name, or DBA. Fill it in only if the LLC does business under a name different from line 1, and otherwise leave it blank. Line 3 is for an executor, administrator, trustee, or a genuine care-of recipient. A registered agent or formation service does not belong on line 3 unless it truly receives the LLC's mail on your behalf.

Lines 4a and 4b are the mailing address, and a non-US address is expressly allowed. Write the full country name unabbreviated, along with the province or state and the postal code. Lines 5a and 5b are the street address, needed only when the physical location differs from the mailing address, and you should not use a post office box for that street line.

Line 6 asks for the county and state where the principal business is located, which the instructions describe as the entity's primary physical location. A Wyoming LLC with no US office typically enters the county and state of its registered-agent address, which is usually a Wyoming county.

Line 7a names the responsible party, the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity. For a single-member LLC, that person is you. Line 7b then asks for that person's SSN, ITIN, or EIN.

If the responsible party has no SSN or ITIN and is ineligible to obtain one, the instructions are explicit. They read: "Enter 'foreign' or N/A on line 7b if the responsible party doesn't have and is ineligible to obtain an SSN or ITIN." The instructions print it in lowercase, but case does not matter on the paper form. You can confirm this wording in the IRS instructions for line 7b.

Line 8a asks whether the application is for an LLC, and a Wyoming LLC answers Yes. Line 8b then asks for the number of LLC members, and the instructions say to enter that count when line 8a is Yes. For a single-member LLC, enter 1. Line 8c asks whether the LLC was organized in the United States, and a Wyoming LLC answers Yes.

A single-member LLC is treated by default as a disregarded entity for federal tax, and that classification shapes the next line.

Line 9a asks for the type of entity, and there is no plain LLC checkbox. A foreign-owned single-member LLC that needs the EIN to file the Form 5472 a foreign-owned LLC must submit checks the Other box and writes a specific phrase.

Other classifications differ. A single-member LLC that is disregarded but is not filing Form 5472 checks Other and writes disregarded entity. A multi-member LLC taxed as a partnership checks the Partnership box instead. The IRS line 9a instruction sets out each of these entries.

Line 9b reads: "If a corporation, name the state or foreign country (if applicable) where incorporated." It applies only to corporations, so an LLC leaves line 9b blank. Do not write Wyoming there, because your state is already captured by line 6 and the address lines.

Line 10 asks why you are applying, and a selection is required. The instructions are firm: "Check only one box. Don't enter 'N/A.' A selection is required." A newly formed LLC most often checks Started new business and specifies the activity, while some check Banking purpose.

The form also carries a compliance-related reason box that some foreign-owned LLCs use when the EIN is purely for reporting rather than employees. Confirm the exact wording of that box on the current form before you choose it.

Line 11 is the date the business started or was acquired, which for a new LLC is its formation or effective date. Line 12 is the closing month of the accounting year, and most LLCs use a calendar year, so December.

Lines 13 to 15 cover employees. Line 13 is the highest number of employees you expect in the next 12 months, and you enter 0 if none. Line 14 is an optional annual-filing election that you leave blank with no employees, and line 15 is the first date wages were paid, which stays blank or N/A when there is no US payroll.

Line 16 is a checkbox list of principal activity, where you tick the closest category or Other. Line 17 asks you to describe that activity in more detail, and an entry there is required. Line 18 asks whether the entity was ever issued an EIN before, and a brand-new LLC answers No.

Before you send the form, walk through these five checks:

• Line 1 shows the LLC's exact legal name from the Articles of Organization, not your personal name.

• Line 7a names you as a real responsible party, and line 7b reads foreign because you have no SSN or ITIN.

• Line 9a has the Other box checked with Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity-Form 5472 written in.

• Line 10 has exactly one reason box selected, never N/A.

• The signature block is dated and signed by you personally, with your title and phone or fax.

Above the signature sits the Third Party Designee block. You can authorize a named person to receive the EIN and answer questions about the application, which many non-residents use for a US-based helper. Below it, you sign with your name, title, and phone or fax number, and a non-resident owner signs personally.

The online EIN tool is open only to applicants with a US legal residence or office whose responsible party holds a US taxpayer ID, so it is closed to most non-residents. That eligibility limit is set out in the IRS online-application instructions. Instead you send the finished SS-4 by fax or phone, or mail the paper form to the IRS address listed for your location in the current instructions. Our guide to getting an EIN without an SSN compares those channels. Timing depends on the method and current IRS conditions, so for realistic ranges see how long it takes to get an EIN. Once the number is assigned, the IRS issues a CP-575 confirmation letter that you keep in your records. If that letter is ever lost, the same guide covers how to request a replacement from the IRS.

What do I write on line 7b if I don't have an SSN or ITIN?

Write foreign. The IRS instructions say to enter foreign or N/A on line 7b when the responsible party doesn't have and can't get an SSN or ITIN. Don't leave it blank and don't invent a number.

What entity type do I check on line 9a for a foreign-owned single-member LLC?

Check the Other box and write Foreign-owned U.S. disregarded entity-Form 5472, exactly as the IRS instructions direct for a US disregarded entity wholly owned by a foreign person that needs an EIN to file Form 5472.

Whose name goes on line 1?

Your LLC's own legal name, entered exactly as it appears on your Wyoming Articles of Organization. The LLC applies for its own EIN, so line 1 is the company name, not your personal name.

Do I fill in line 9b with my state of formation?

No. Line 9b names the state or country where a corporation is incorporated, so it is for corporations only. An LLC leaves it blank and does not write Wyoming there.

How many members do I enter on line 8b?

Enter the number of LLC members. For a single-member LLC, that is 1. On line 8c, a Wyoming LLC answers Yes, because it was organized in the United States.

What reason should I check on line 10?

You must check exactly one box and cannot enter N/A. A newly formed LLC usually checks Started new business and specifies the activity, while some check Banking purpose. A selection is required.

The line-by-line entries here come from the IRS Instructions for Form SS-4 and Form SS-4 itself, both current as of the December 2025 revision. The responsible-party rule and the entity-type entries draw on the same instructions and the IRS About Form SS-4 page. Last reviewed July 2026. This is general information and not legal or tax advice, and CORPBOLT is a formation service, not a law or accounting firm. The IRS updates form revisions, line labels, and instructions over time, so confirm the current version on IRS.gov before you file.

A quick note on CORPBOLT: CORPBOLT forms and maintains Wyoming LLCs for non-residents from $349/year (Foundation). The EIN is included from $599/year (Launch) or as a $199 add-on, prepared and filed for you while you stay the responsible party. The number itself is free from the IRS, so that fee covers the filing work, not the EIN. Start your US LLC.

• IRS: Instructions for Form SS-4 (line 1, line 7b, line 9a, line 10)

• IRS: Form SS-4, the fillable form (Rev. December 2025)

• IRS: About Form SS-4 (Application for Employer Identification Number)

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.