SS4 Form (What It Is And Why It’s Important: All You Need To Know)

What is an SS4 Form?

Why do you need to complete this IRS form?

What are the essential elements you should know!

Keep reading as I have gathered exactly the information that you need!

Let’s look at what an IRS form SS4 means and why it’s important!

Are you ready?

Let’s get started!

What Is An SS4 Form

The SS4 form (or the EIN application form) is a short document that is used to apply for an Employer Identification Number for a company or business.

The Form SS4 is entitled “Application for Employer Identification Number” and it is available on the IRS website.

Different types of entities may need an EIN to do business in the United States, such as:

• Employers
• Corporations
• Partnerships 
• Trusts 
• Estates
• Churches
• Nonprofit organizations 
• Government agencies
• Indian tribal entities
• Certain individuals (including sole proprietors)
• Plan administrator
• Farmers cooperative
• Personal service corporation 
• National Guard 

Or others.

An EIN is a 9-digit number assigned to businesses for tax filing purposes and to allow the authorities to better identify the company in question.

The EIN number is equivalent to a Social Security Number issued to individuals for tax purposes.

Why Do You Need An IRS SS4 Form

Certain individuals and companies looking to operate a business and pay taxes or hire employees in their business will need to get an Employer Identification Number.

Here are different examples of why you will need to complete an SS 4 form with the IRS:

• Startups starting a new company and looking to hire employees
• A small business that will hire an employee 
• To open a business bank account
• To perform a company reorganization 
• To purchase a new company without an EIN
• To manage an estate for certain estate functions 
• To file company taxes with the federal government 
• To build a credit history for your company 
• To apply for business licenses
• To apply for business permits

In certain cases, your bank, financial institution, lender, or other companies may ask for your SS4 tax form.

In essence, they are asking that you provide the confirmation that the IRS has issued an EIN to your company.

The objective is to prove that your company has been assigned the specific EIN number that you are using to identify it.

Form SS4 Information Required

When applying for an EIN, you are required to provide the IRS with the information specifically required in the IRS form SS4.

In summary, the information you are required to provide in the Form SS 4 is the following:

• Your legal name 
• Your trade name (if any)
• Your business mailing address
• The type of business you operate (example, sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, trust, or other)
• The person responsible for the business
• The responsible person’s Social Security Number
• The reason why you need an EIN
• Your business’ main activity
• Date your business was started 
• The highest number of expected employees in the next year
• The type of products or services sold or rendered 

To get an EIN, you will be eligible if:

• Your principal business is located in the United States (or in any U.S. Territories)
• As the person applying, you have a valid Taxpayer Identification Number (such as an SSN, ITIN, EIN)
• You are the owner or “responsible party”

After you’ve completed the IRS SS4 form, you will then need to submit it to the IRS for processing.

You can either submit your application online using the IRS website or you can have it mailed or faxed to them.

How To Apply For EIN Using EIN Form SS4

There are different ways that you can apply for an Employer Identification Number.

The most common way to apply for an EIN is to submit an IRS EIN form online.

If you don’t have access to the Internet or don’t want to use the IRS online application method, you can complete your SS4 EIN form and then mail it to the IRS for processing.

Another option is to submit your IRS SS 4 form by fax (this method is no longer used as much but it’s still possible).

Here are the steps that you need to follow to apply for an EIN:

• Go to the IRS website 
• Determine if you are eligible to get an EIN
• Complete your IRS form SS 4 online or use the PDF SS4 Form
• Submit your SS4 form online or mail your form to the IRS

Submitting your Form SS 4 online is generally a better option as the IRS can process your application much faster than applications submitted by mail or fax.

If you are in a hurry and need your EIN as soon as possible, using the IRS form SS 4 online application is the better option.

SS4 Application Processing Delays

Depending on how you submit your EIN number form, the processing delays from the IRS may be different.

A Form SS 4 online application can be processed by the IRS in a matter of a few business days.

On the other hand, an SS4 application form physically sent to the IRS may take weeks before you get your EIN confirmation.

The IRS processing delay based on your application method represents the most important factor in how long it will take for you to get your EIN.

Completing the actual SS4 form is not long or complicated (it can be done in a matter of a few minutes if you have the information at your disposal).

How To Get A Copy of Your Form SS-4

If you have lost your IRS form SS-4 notice, you can ask that the IRS provide you with a new confirmation letter.

The process for getting a new letter from the IRS is not that difficult.

To get a new IRS Form SS-4, you should:

• Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 1-800-829-4933 (or 267-941-1099 if you are calling from outside of the US)
• Press 1
• Press 1 again
• Press 3
• Request a 147C letter
• Answer the IRS representative questions 

They are open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday to Friday.

The IRS tax specialist will ask you things like:

• What is your EIN number
• What is your company address
• Are you an authorized representative of the company 

After you’ve answered the questions asked by the IRS tax specialist, they will then make the proper arrangements to send you a new confirmation letter.

SS4 IRS Form Takeaways 

So there you have it folks!

What is an SS4 form?

If you are looking to start a business or get involved in a side hustle, you may want to apply for an Employer Identification Number.

That’s when you will need to learn more about the SS-4 form used to apply for an EIN.

In essence, the SS4-form is a document that you must complete to get the IRS (Internal Revenue Service) to issue an EIN to your business.

The Form SS-4 is important as that’s how you can get a unique identifier for your business issued by the IRS.

In many business operations and activities, you will be required to provide your EIN, such as:

• To open a business bank account
• To apply for business loans
• To hire employees
• To pay federal payroll taxes 
• To restructure your company 

Completing the SS4 Form IRS is pretty straightforward and can take a few minutes if you have the information on hand.

When you submit your application, you should expect a few business days of processing delays if you applied online or a few weeks if you applied by mail or fax.

I hope I was able to explain to you what is form SS4, why it’s important, when do you need it, how you complete it, and how it works.

Good luck!

My Investing, Business, and Law Blog

By the way, on this blog, I focus on topics related to starting a business, business contracts, and investing, making money geared to beginners, entrepreneurs, business owners, or anyone eager to learn. 

I started this blog out of my passion to share my knowledge with you in the areas of finance, investing, business, and law, topics that I truly love and have spent decades perfecting.

You may find useful nuggets of wisdom to help you in your entrepreneurship journey and as an investor.

I’d love to share the insider knowledge that I’ve acquired over the years helping you achieve your business and financial goals.

Now, let’s look at a summary of our findings.

SS4 Form Overview

You May Also Like Related to Federal Tax ID Form

Related to Businesses And Taxes