EXAMINATION Q&A — NINE QUESTIONS, RULED IN ORDER · EVERY FIGURE SOURCED TO THE IRS
Questions
Q.01Can a foreign owner get an EIN with no SSN and no ITIN?
Yes. The IRS online application is closed to you, but Form SS-4 is not: complete it on paper, enter “Foreign” on line 7b as the SS-4 instructions direct for a responsible party with neither number who is not eligible for one, and file by fax, phone, or mail on the international route. Source: Instructions for Form SS-4.
Q.02Do I need to get an ITIN first?
No. The EIN route above exists independently of the ITIN. An ITIN serves other purposes (certain personal U.S. tax filings); it is not a prerequisite for the entity's EIN.
Q.03Is the EIN itself free?
Yes — the IRS does not charge for an EIN. Anyone may file SS-4 themselves using our free annotated form. EIN Complete's $249 is for the filing work, documentation handling, and timeline management around the free number.
Q.04How long will it take?
IRS-published windows: during the call for eligible phone applicants; generally 4 business days by fax with a return fax number; approximately 4 weeks by mail — with the IRS's own caveat that high inventory delays processing. We state those figures as the IRS's, promise nothing faster, and sell no express tier. See The Wait.
Q.05Why is checkout not open?
Because fulfillment is not live yet. EIN Complete is fulfilled through a wholesale fulfillment agreement that must be signed — and a test order walked end to end — before this desk sells anything. Until then the honest states are: full information, free guides, and a launch list. A checkout that takes money before the work can be done is exactly what this business refuses to be.
Q.06Will you form my LLC as well?
No — never. This business files EINs for already-formed entities only. If your entity is not formed yet, form it first (any provider), then come back; the Examination shows you the sequence.
Q.07Is this tax advice?
No. Everything here — including the Form 5472 orientation — is general education from IRS-published sources, expressly not tax preparation or advice. Your situation needs your own qualified tax professional.
Q.08What is a CP 575?
The IRS's EIN confirmation notice — the document banks ask for. EIN Complete delivers it to you as the closing document. If one is lost, the IRS's replacement path is Letter 147C, requested from the IRS Business & Specialty Tax Line.
Q.09I already applied and heard nothing. What now?
Do not re-file blindly — a duplicate application helps nothing, and an entity should have only one EIN. Establish the first application's status first; Returned shows the usual causes, and status chasing is part of EIN Complete's timeline management once this desk opens.