How to Get an EIN or 147C Letter by Fax From the IRS
⚡ QUICK ANSWER
If you lost your EIN confirmation or a bank asks you to prove your business tax ID, the IRS can fax you a 147C letter while you are on the phone. Get a US fax number at GetAFax.com for $5 in about 60 seconds, read it to the IRS agent, and the letter lands in your email as a PDF.
Your EIN is your business tax ID, like a Social Security number for your company. The IRS only mails the original confirmation (the CP575) once, so when it is lost, the replacement is the 147C letter, and the IRS will fax that to you the same call. Banks, payroll providers, and vendors often demand a 147C before they will open an account or pay you.
How it works
- Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line. This is the line that handles EIN questions. Have your business details ready so they can verify you.
- Get your number while you wait. GetAFax.com, email, $5. Your US number appears in about 60 seconds, which is handy during the hold.
- Ask the agent for a 147C letter by fax. After they verify you, read your number back carefully so your tax ID does not go to the wrong line.
- Open your email. The 147C arrives as a PDF, usually within minutes, with your EIN and legal business name on it.
- Send it on to whoever asked. Forward the PDF to your bank, payroll provider, or vendor, or print it for your files.
What the IRS will and will not fax about your EIN
| Document | Can you get it by fax? |
|---|---|
| 147C letter (EIN verification) | Yes, after the agent verifies you on the call |
| Original EIN confirmation (CP575) | No, that is only mailed once when the EIN is issued |
| Proof of EIN for a bank or vendor | Yes, the 147C is what they accept in place of the CP575 |
| EIN for a new business | Issued online or by fax, not covered here; this is for an existing EIN |
| Name or address change confirmation | Sometimes, ask the agent working your case |
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Get a fax number for $5What goes wrong (and how to avoid it)
Asking for the CP575 instead of the 147C
The IRS will not reissue the original CP575. The 147C is the official replacement and does the same job, so ask for that by name.
Not being ready to verify the business
The agent must confirm you are authorized before faxing your tax ID. Have your legal name, address, and the responsible party's details ready.
Buying your number after you reach an agent
Hold times on the business tax line can be long. Buy your number while you wait so it is ready the moment they offer to fax.
Reading the number back wrong
A 147C carries your business tax ID. Confirm every digit with the agent before they send.
Letting it land in a dead or shared inbox
Save the PDF the moment it arrives, and use a personal or business inbox you control, not a shared one.
Frequently asked questions
Yes. After the agent on the Business and Specialty Tax Line verifies that you are authorized for the business, they can fax a 147C letter to a number you give them, usually while you are still on the call.
It is the IRS letter that confirms your existing EIN and legal business name. It is the official replacement for the original CP575 confirmation, which the IRS only mails once, so a 147C is what you request when the CP575 is lost.
No. The CP575 is mailed only once, at the time the EIN is issued, and the IRS will not reissue it. When you need proof later, you request a 147C instead, which the IRS will fax.
Yes. Banks, payroll companies, and vendors accept the 147C letter as proof of your EIN in place of the lost CP575. That is exactly what it is for.
The IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line handles EIN questions and 147C requests. The current number is printed on IRS.gov; always use the number from the IRS site, not a third party.
Yes. Because the 147C carries your business tax ID, the agent confirms you are the responsible party or an authorized person first. Have your legal business name, address, and responsible-party details ready.
Yes. It is a standard US fax number and nothing about it looks short-term, so the IRS faxes it like any other line.
It will, which is why the delivery route matters. It lands in your inbox rather than a shared machine, our server keeps no copy, and anything arriving after your window is permanently deleted unseen.
Usually within minutes of the agent sending it. The long part is the hold time to reach the agent, not the fax itself.
Yes. The number is American and delivery is email, so if you run a US business from abroad, the 147C reaches your inbox the same way. Our guide on getting a US fax number from outside the US covers the rest.
If they are authorized on your account, the IRS can fax it to a number they provide. Otherwise the agent will only release it to the responsible party.
No. This page is for proving or recovering an EIN you already have. Applying for a brand-new EIN is a separate process done online or by fax with Form SS-4.
Your number is yours for 24 hours and up to 30 pages for $5. A 147C is one or two pages, so a single rental is plenty.
Receiving is what GetAFax does. To fax a form to the IRS, use our sister site FaxForADollar.com, which sends up to 10 pages to any US number for $1.
For tax reporting, a payer often must confirm your legal name and EIN match IRS records before they pay you or issue a 1099. The 147C is the document that proves it.
The letter goes straight to your private inbox rather than printing on a shared machine, and nothing is stored on our server. The weak point is your own email, so use an address you control.
Yes. Any entity that has an EIN can request a 147C, whether it is an LLC, corporation, partnership, or a sole proprietor who obtained an EIN.
Call the Business and Specialty Tax Line and ask for a 147C. As long as the EIN exists in IRS records and you can verify you are authorized, they can fax the letter.
The business tax line has set weekday hours, so plan to call during them. Once an agent sends the fax, it reaches your inbox within minutes.
Yes. Your number is yours for 24 hours, so the IRS can fax the 147C and, if needed, your bank can fax something too, all into your inbox sharing the same 30-page allowance.
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