How to Find a Company's EIN

An Employer Identification Number for a business entity is analogous to a Social Security number for an individual. The IRS uses EINs to identify businesses and track their financial data. It's relatively easy to find a company's EIN if the company is a non-profit organization or if the company's stock is publicly traded.

Search for records in the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, database, EDGAR. The EDGAR database contains financial reports that the SEC requires publicly traded companies to file. One such report is a Form 10-K, a company's annual report to shareholders. A company's Form 10-K includes its EIN, as well as other information such as its address, phone number and state of incorporation.

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Look at a form W-2 or form 1099 that the company issued. Companies use these forms to report payments to employees and contractors. An employer includes its EIN in box "b" of the form W-2 that it files with the government and provides to its employees. The EIN also appears on form 1099 beneath the company's name and address.

Search the IRS Exempt Organizations database to find an EIN for a nonprofit organization. The IRS makes nonprofit EINs publicly available so that businesses and individuals who want to donate money, goods or services to a nonprofit can verify that the organization is registered as tax-exempt with the IRS.

Call or email the company's accounting department and ask for its EIN. A company may be reluctant to provide this information because it could put the company at risk of identity theft. Be prepared to provide a valid business reason for your request.