What to send Put an optional one-page cover sheet first, followed by one complete, signed and dated Form SS-4. The IRS instructions tell applicants to complete and fax Form SS-4; they do not list a separate applicant cover sheet as a filing requirement.

Copy this cover-sheet structure

FORM SS-4 — EIN APPLICATION

To: Internal Revenue Service, [EIN Operation for a domestic route / EIN International Operation for an international route]

IRS fax: [insert the routing number selected below]

From: [responsible party or authorized designee]

Entity legal name: [exactly as shown on Form SS-4 line 1]

Return fax: +[country code] [number]

Voice phone: +[country code] [number]

Total pages: [cover sheet + Form SS-4 pages]

Message: Please process the attached Form SS-4 and return the EIN to the fax number above.

Do not place an SSN or ITIN on the optional cover sheet. Sensitive taxpayer identifiers belong only in the required fields of the official form.

Select the fax number using the IRS test

International route, sent outside U.S.+1-304-707-9471

For an applicant with no U.S. legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency, when the fax is sent from outside the U.S.

International route, sent within U.S.+1-855-215-1627

For the same international applicant when the fax is transmitted from within the United States.

Domestic route+1-855-641-6935

For an applicant with a legal residence, principal place of business, or principal office or agency in a state or Washington, D.C.

Verify the numbers immediately before sending on the IRS Form SS-4 filing page or in the current fax instructions. The IRS warns that Fax-TIN numbers may change without notice.

Formation state is not the fax-routing test A Wyoming or Delaware formation does not automatically send every foreign-owned LLC to the domestic number. Apply the residence, principal-place-of-business and principal-office conditions in the official SS-4 instructions, then use the sender’s physical location to choose between the two international-route numbers.

Make the return fax usable

  • Use full international format, including country code.
  • Confirm the service can receive a U.S. fax and that the number will remain active.
  • Make the return number legible on the cover sheet and Form SS-4.
  • Do not use a public or uncontrolled fax inbox for sensitive tax information.
  • Keep the sent file and transmission confirmation in secure records.

The IRS says that when you apply by fax and provide a fax number, it sends back a cover sheet containing the EIN in about four business days. It no longer returns Form SS-4 with the EIN written on it. See the current IRS EIN application page.

Final page-order checklist

  1. Optional cover sheet with correct destination and return fax.
  2. Completed Form SS-4 using the entity’s exact legal name.
  3. Signature and date in the official signature area.
  4. Third Party Designee section and valid authorization only when applicable.
  5. No unrelated formation documents unless the IRS specifically requests them.

After sending

Save the date, time, destination, page count and delivery result. When a return fax number is provided, the published target is generally four business days, but inventory can delay processing. Do not submit the same entity through a second method just because the answer is late: the IRS tells applicants to use only one method so they do not receive more than one EIN.

Official IRS sources Routing and response details were verified using the Instructions for Form SS-4, Where to file Form SS-4, and the IRS Employer identification number page.