IRS Letter 147C: How to Get Your EIN Confirmation Letter
Quick answer
IRS Letter 147C is the letter the IRS sends to confirm an Employer Identification Number (EIN) it has already assigned to your business, and you request it by calling the Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. After checking that you are authorized, the assistor can read you the number on the call and send the letter by fax or by mail to the address the IRS has on file. IRS staff are told to quote 10 to 14 business days for the mailed copy.
At FreelanceAtlas, we help freelancers handle the paperwork that stands between them and getting paid. This guide covers the phone request step by step, who may call, the online options that can replace the letter, and how to answer a bank or payment platform that wants proof of your EIN. For the basics, see EIN for Sole Proprietors: When Freelancers Need One and How to Apply and W-9 for Freelancers: How to Fill It Out and When a Client Can Ask.
This article is general information, not tax or legal advice. IRS phone procedures and online account eligibility change, so check the linked IRS pages before you call, and confirm anything specific to your business with a CPA, enrolled agent or attorney.
What IRS Letter 147C Is
The IRS calls it “Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned.” It states your business’s legal name and the EIN on IRS records, on IRS letterhead. It does not create a new number or change anything about your account. It is proof of a number you already have.
You need it when the original EIN notice is gone and someone wants the number in writing from the IRS. That original is the CP 575, which the IRS sends when it first assigns an EIN. The IRS CP575 page says the paper “CP575A-J series, Notice of New Employer Identification Number, cannot be duplicated or recreated.” So if you lose it, a 147C or one of the online options below takes its place.
How to Request a 147C Letter by Phone
The IRS EIN page tells you to call the business and specialty tax line and “Request Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned.” The steps:
- Gather the details first. Have the business’s exact legal name, the address the IRS has on file, your Social Security number if you are a sole proprietor, and the EIN if you know it. If you have lost the number, the Taxpayer Advocate Service says you can ask the IRS to search for it on the same line.
- Call 800-829-4933. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. The IRS says residents of Alaska and Hawaii should follow Pacific time.
- Pass the identity check. The assistor will ask your position with the business and verify who you are.
- Ask for the letter by fax or mail. The IRS manual for phone staff, IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, says to “provide the EIN verification verbally and/or in writing via fax and/or mail to the address of record.” Fax is faster, so have a fax number ready. An online fax service works if you do not own a machine.
- Wait for the mail copy if you chose mail. The same section tells staff: “If mailed, advise the caller to expect the letter in 10 to 14 business days.”
A mailed letter goes only to the address of record. If you have moved, file Form 8822-B to update the business mailing address first, or choose fax.
Who May Call for a 147C
The IRS will only give the EIN to someone it may legally share business tax information with. IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1 tells staff to “establish the caller’s relationship with the entity to determine if they are authorized to receive the EIN.” The IRS does not publish a simple list, so this is our reading of that section:
- Sole proprietors call for their own EIN.
- Partners, corporate officers and LLC members can generally call for their entity, and the assistor will ask for their title.
- Accountants and bookkeepers need Form 2848 or Form 8821 on file with the IRS. The manual also accepts a copy of either form with box 4 checked and marked “SS-4” or “147C.”
- Anyone else must bring the owner onto the call or have the owner call personally.
One trap: if a formation service applied for your EIN as the third party designee on Form SS-4, that permission is over. The Form SS-4 instructions say “The designee’s authority terminates at the time the EIN is assigned and released to the designee.”
Getting EIN Proof Online Instead of a 147C
The IRS EIN page lists “3 ways to confirm your EIN”: an entity transcript, a digital CP575 and the 147C. The first two can be done online through Business Tax Account, with no hold time.
Digital CP575 in Business Tax Account
The IRS says the new digital CP575 “is a substitute for the CP575A-J notice series and Letter 147C.” Eligibility is the catch. Sole proprietors can register with a Social Security number or ITIN if they also have an EIN and file Schedule C or Schedule F. The IRS adds that “Business Tax Account isn’t yet available for LLCs that file as sole proprietors with Schedule C or Schedule F (Form 1040).” Partnerships and corporations use it through a designated official.
Entity Transcript
The IRS business transcript page says the entity transcript shows the EIN, business name and address, and the IRS offers business transcripts “at no cost.” Eligible owners can get one through Business Tax Account or by calling 800-829-4933. If a bank or platform asked for a “147C or CP 575” by name, check that it will take a transcript before you send one.
Letter 147C vs CP 575
| CP 575 | Letter 147C | |
|---|---|---|
| When the IRS issues it | Once, when the EIN is first assigned | On request, any time after |
| How you get it | Mailed after an SS-4, or shown at the end of an online application. Eligible users can download a digital version in Business Tax Account | Phone call to 800-829-4933, then fax or mail |
| Replacement | The paper original “cannot be duplicated or recreated” | Request a new one whenever you need it |
| Accepted as EIN proof | Yes | Yes |
Both show the same facts. The IRS CP575 page adds that banks and other institutions accept the digital CP575 as written confirmation of an EIN.
What to Do When a Bank or Platform Asks for EIN Proof
Most requests come from a bank opening a business account or a payment processor whose automatic check against IRS records failed. Stripe’s support page says “the legal name and tax ID must exactly match the information on an IRS-issued document,” and if it still cannot verify you, to “request a Letter 147C from the IRS and upload” it in the dashboard.
- Check the name the IRS has. Compare the name on your CP 575, 147C or transcript with what you typed, including punctuation and “LLC.”
- Fix the form before calling the IRS. A typo, or a DBA typed where the legal name belongs, fails the match.
- Request the 147C by fax if the name and number match and the check still fails.
- Upload the full letter as one PDF and keep a copy with your business records.
If a person rather than a dashboard asked, a short reply works:
Hello,
Attached is IRS Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned, dated [date], confirming EIN [XX-XXXXXXX] for [legal name exactly as on the letter].
Please let me know if you need anything else to finish the verification.
[Your name], [title]
Opening the account is covered in Business Bank Account for Freelancers: When You Need One and How to Open It. Once your EIN is confirmed, use the same legal name and number on every W-9 and invoice, which our invoice generator keeps on file for you.
Conclusion
Letter 147C confirms an EIN the IRS has already assigned. Call 800-829-4933 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time on a weekday, pass the identity check, and ask for the letter by fax, or by mail if you can wait 10 to 14 business days. Only someone the IRS may share the business’s tax information with can ask, and a third party needs Form 2848 or 8821.
Before you call, see whether Business Tax Account lets you download a digital CP575, which the IRS treats as a substitute for the 147C. When a bank or platform rejects your EIN, check that the legal name matches IRS records character for character, then send the letter as one PDF.
Key Takeaways
- Letter 147C, “EIN Previously Assigned,” is requested at 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time.
- The IRS can fax the letter or mail it to the address of record, and staff quote 10 to 14 business days for mail.
- The caller must be authorized to receive the EIN, and third parties need Form 2848 or Form 8821.
- A Form SS-4 third party designee’s authority ends once the EIN is assigned.
- Eligible Business Tax Account users can download a digital CP575 that substitutes for the 147C, but LLCs filing Schedule C cannot use the account yet.
- The paper CP 575 cannot be reissued, and platforms such as Stripe require the legal name and EIN to match an IRS document exactly.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I request a 147C letter from the IRS?
Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. After the assistor verifies your identity and your role in the business, ask for “Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned” by fax or by mail. Have the legal name, the address on file and a fax number ready.
How long does it take to get a 147C letter from the IRS?
The assistor can give you the EIN verbally during the call, and a faxed letter avoids postal delays. By mail, the IRS manual tells staff to advise callers to expect the letter in 10 to 14 business days. Hold times on 800-829-4933 come on top of that.
Can I access an IRS EIN letter online?
Partly. Eligible Business Tax Account users can download a digital CP575, which the IRS says substitutes for Letter 147C, and owners can pull a free entity transcript there. Sole proprietors with an EIN who file Schedule C qualify, but the IRS says the account is not yet available for LLCs that file as sole proprietors.
Who can request a 147C?
Someone the IRS may share the business’s tax information with. Our reading of the IRS manual is that this generally includes the sole proprietor, a partner or a corporate officer. An accountant needs Form 2848 or Form 8821 on file, or a copy with box 4 checked and marked “SS-4” or “147C.” Anyone else must have the owner join the call.
Is a 147C letter the same as an EIN verification letter?
It is one of them. “EIN verification letter” usually means either the CP 575 the IRS sent when it assigned the number or Letter 147C, which confirms the number later. The IRS calls the digital CP575 an “Employer Identification Number Verification Notice” and treats it as a substitute for the 147C.
Written by Samir Badawy
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