Form SS-4
Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) for a business, trust or estate.
Free account needed to send it. The people who sign don’t need one.
- Signed by
- Applicant
- Pages
- 2
- Updated
- October 12, 2026
- Created by
- IRS (Rev. December 2025)
About this template
Businesses, trusts, estates and other organizations use Form SS-4 to apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN): the federal tax ID used to file returns, hire employees and open business bank accounts.
Send it to the responsible party, or someone authorized to sign for the business, to fill in and sign. You can fill in the Third Party Designee section yourself before sending. The responsible party’s SSN, ITIN or EIN is a private field: it’s in the signed form but hidden on the certificate of completion.
Most applicants can get an EIN faster online at IRS.gov/EIN. If you file Form SS-4 instead, see its instructions for how and where to file it.
This is IRS’s official form. Its pages are as published; Dokkiman’s fields take the place of its fill-in boxes. Check IRS’s website for the latest version and instructions.