|
|
Employe Identification Number
source by:www.dol.gov
An Employer Identification Number (EIN), also called "Federal Employer Identification Number" (FEIN) and "Taxpayer Identification Numbers" (TIN), is a nine-digit unique number that the Internal Revenue Service assigns to businesses that are required to file tax returns including corporations, partnerships, nonprofit organizations, sole proprietors, government bodies, churches, trusts and estates.
If a company you are researching has an EIN, you know that the company is required to file tax returns which would include information about the company's assets as well as some if not all of the executives for the company.
If you do not have a company's Employer Identification Number and need to find it, there are several ways to try to locate the EIN. Public companies print the EIN on the first page of their 10-Ks, 20-Fs and other SEC filings.
Nonprofit organizations often include the EIN on the Form 990 which provides a nonprofit organization's financial information and executive names. GuideStar, which is a nonprofit organization Website, maintains a database with several organizations' Form 990. The basic GuideStar search is a free service that requires an ID (e-mail) and password to access the Form 990.
Comparison to Social Security Numbers
Similar in purpose to the Social Security Number assigned to individuals, EINs are used by employers, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations, trusts and estates, government agencies, certain individuals and other business entities.
The IRS uses this number to identify taxpayers that are required to file various business tax returns. Individuals who are employers may choose to either obtain an EIN or use their Social Security Number for the purpose of reporting taxes withheld on behalf of their employees. Contrary to some misconceptions, credit bureaus and credit issuers can tell the difference between SSN and EIN Numbers.
SSN Numbers can be validated as to origin and state / year of issuance. The credit bureaus and issuers are highly trained in fraud detection, and increasingly sophisticated algorithms and protections are used. This is why the EIN is not considered sensitive information, and is freely distributed by many businesses by way of publications and the internet.
|
|||||||||
Business Services
|
Business Structures |
Small Business
|