Your US tax ID,
without an SSN, without a US trip.
An EIN is the nine-digit IRS tax ID for your US business, required for banking, Stripe, payroll, vendors and federal tax returns. IRS online blocks anyone without an SSN, but Form SS-4 by international fax works for every non-US founder. Monezzi files it for you.
Focus on your customers, we will handle the bureaucracy.
Sources: official IRS guidance on the Employer Identification Number, the Form SS-4 application, and the IRS instruction for applicants without an SSN or ITIN (Responsible Party rules).
Why an EIN is Important
Without an EIN, your US business cannot open a bank account, accept Stripe payments, hire contractors, or file federal taxes. It is the first US ID your company gets.
Tax compliance
Every US business must file federal returns under an EIN. Foreign-owned single-member LLCs also need it for Form 5472 and Pro-Forma 1120.
US banking and Stripe
Mercury, Relay, Chase, Stripe — every modern payments rail asks for your EIN at application. Without one, you cannot move money.
Hiring and contractors
Needed for payroll, 1099-NEC reporting to contractors, and W-2 reporting if you ever hire US employees.
Vendor contracts
Amazon Seller, Etsy, Shopify Payments, US suppliers — they all collect your EIN on W-9 before sending you funds.
The IRS process is built for US residents. Non-US founders hit dead-ends at every step.
The IRS website blocks you at the first field. We file the paper alternative — Form SS-4 by international fax — which is the route the IRS reserves for non-US founders. It actually works.
A multi-hour wait on a US-only number, expecting English fluency, during a window most non-US founders sleep through. We have a dedicated team that handles this for you.
A wrong Responsible Party name (must match the passport), a mismatched entity type, or an address format error means IRS rejection and the full clock restarts. We catch these before submission.
"The international fax route for Form SS-4 is a real thing — the IRS publishes the number. The problem is that one mismatched character on the Responsible Party line and the whole submission goes to the back of the queue. We treat every SS-4 like a legal filing because for the IRS, that is exactly what it is."
EIN Overview & Key Details
The EIN is a nine-digit number formatted XX-XXXXXXX issued by the IRS to identify your US business for tax purposes. It is required for all US entities — LLCs, corporations, partnerships, and some trusts.
Who needs it
Every US business entity, including foreign-owned LLCs and corporations. Even a single-member LLC with no employees needs one.
How to apply
IRS Form SS-4. For non-US founders the practical route is international fax — the online portal blocks anyone without an SSN.
Processing time
Fax submissions typically clear in 4 to 6 weeks; mail can take 6 to 8 weeks. The IRS controls the timeline — we do not.
Lifetime
An EIN is permanent. The IRS never reuses it. If your business closes, the EIN stays in the IRS records associated with that legal entity.
How we assist — step by step
We simplify every stage of obtaining an EIN, ensuring compliance and timely processing with the IRS.
Eligibility and intake
We confirm your business type, ownership structure, and Responsible Party. Identity exactly matches passport, addresses normalized, entity type chosen.
Form SS-4 prepared
We draft Form SS-4 from your intake, you review and e-sign in two minutes. Common typos and entity-type mismatches caught before they reach the IRS.
Submitted via IRS international fax route
We submit through the IRS fax channel reserved for non-US founders without an SSN — faster and more reliable than mail. The IRS controls processing from here; we cannot promise a date.
EIN delivered — CP 575
The IRS issues your CP 575 confirmation letter — the document banks and Stripe ask for. We store it in your Documents vault and pre-fill the EIN into every Monezzi form.
Use it everywhere
Open your US bank account, activate Stripe, register with Amazon or Etsy, hire contractors, file federal taxes. The EIN is the unlock code for the rest of your US operation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to common questions about EINs for non-US founders.
Every US business entity — LLC, corporation, partnership and some trusts — needs an EIN. Foreign-owned single-member LLCs need one too, even if they have no US employees and no US-source income.
Yes. The IRS online application requires an SSN and blocks non-US founders, but the IRS keeps a paper alternative — Form SS-4 by fax or mail — that does not require an SSN. This is the route Monezzi uses for every non-US client.
The IRS controls the timeline. The international fax route typically returns an EIN in 4 to 6 weeks from submission. Mail can take 6 to 8 weeks. Anyone promising a same-week EIN for a non-US founder without an SSN is misleading you.
Yes. Every major US business bank — Mercury, Relay, Chase, Bank of America — requires an EIN (or SSN) to open a business account. The EIN is also what Stripe asks for at activation.
An EIN identifies your business; an ITIN identifies you personally for US tax purposes. Most non-US LLC founders need an EIN to operate the company. An ITIN is only needed when you, the individual, must sign a US tax return or claim a treaty benefit.
No. Form SS-4 lets you list a non-US address and non-US phone. You do need a US business address for some downstream uses (bank applications, state filings) — Monezzi provides a unique US business address as part of every formation plan.
IRS rejections almost always come from one of three things: a wrong Responsible Party name (does not match the W-7 or passport), a mismatched entity type, or a duplicate-entity flag. We catch these on review before submission, and if a rejection still happens we re-file at no additional charge.