Your EIN letter: CP 575, 147C, and getting one from abroad
The bank wants "the IRS letter with your EIN" and the one you had is gone, or never came. From that's fixable without a US address or a US phone. Here's which letter counts and how to ask for it.
01 Which documentFour IRS papers that prove an EIN
The IRS EIN page names three ways to confirm a number: an entity transcript, the digital CP575 for eligible Business Tax Account users, and a 147C letter by phone. Add the original notice and you have four.
CP 575
Notice of New Employer Identification Number, series CP575A to J- When
- Mailed once, when the EIN is assigned by phone or mail. A fax application gets a cover sheet with the EIN back first.
- Replace it?
- No. The IRS says the original "cannot be duplicated or recreated".
Letter 147C
EIN Previously Assigned- When
- Any time, on request by phone, once the IRS has confirmed you're authorised.
- Use
- The standard substitute when the CP 575 is lost.
Digital CP575
EIN notice you download from Business Tax Account- When
- Download any time under Tax Records, if your entity can use Business Tax Account.
- Catch
- BTA covers single-member LLCs filing Form 1120-S or 1065. A foreign-owned disregarded LLC filing a pro forma 1120 isn't on that list.
Entity transcript
Business entity transcript, modified or complete- Shows
- EIN, name, address, name control; the complete one adds establishment date and filing requirements.
- How
- Business Tax Account or the IRS business line; a representative with Form 2848 or 8821 can request it.
02 Request a 147CHow to ask for a 147C from outside the US
The IRS route for a 147C is a phone call. The line it names is the Business and Specialty Tax Line, 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. "taxpayer local time". It's toll-free inside the US. If your phone plan or app can't reach US toll-free numbers, the IRS's own line for callers abroad with business account questions is the International Taxpayer Service Call Center, 267-941-1000 (not toll-free), Monday to Friday 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern.
Have the details the IRS holds
The LLC's exact legal name as on line 1 of your SS-4, the EIN if you know it, the mailing address you gave, the formation state and date, and your own name and title. Expect identity questions before anything is released.
Ask for "a 147C, EIN Previously Assigned"
Say how you want it delivered. A fax number is the fastest way to get paper into your hands abroad; an online fax service with a number works. Otherwise it goes by post to the address on file.
Check the name and address on it
The letter shows what the IRS has on record. If you changed the address or the responsible party, tell the IRS on Form 8822-B first; responsible party changes are due within 60 days.
The IRS doesn't publish a delivery time for a 147C, and its pages don't say whether the international line issues the letter itself. If it can't, ask that agent to transfer you, or call 800-829-4933 by internet calling. For international account matters in writing: fax 681-247-3101, or post to Internal Revenue Service, International Accounts, Ogden, UT 84201-0038.
03 Call hours in your timeWhen the IRS lines are open where you are
Hours shown in your time zone.
Monday to Friday only. "Taxpayer local time" for the business line isn't defined for callers abroad; we show it in your LLC's state time zone, which is our reading. Wyoming and New Mexico use Mountain time, Delaware and Florida Eastern, Nevada Pacific.
04 EIN timingHow long an EIN takes, by route
For an LLC whose principal place of business is outside the US, the online application is closed, so it's phone, fax or mail. One EIN per responsible party per day, and pick one method only, or you risk two numbers.
From inside the US, the fax number is 855-215-1627. The mail address is Internal Revenue Service, Attn: EIN International Operation, Cincinnati, OH 45999. The IRS processing status page (6 November 2026) says faxed SS-4s are processed 4 business days after receipt and paper ones within 30 days. Then the CP 575 follows by post, so the bank-ready letter can trail the number by weeks. Our EIN without an SSN guide walks through the SS-4 line by line.
05 Who asksWhen banks and platforms ask for it
The IRS's own CP575 page says why you'd need it: to confirm your EIN "when you open a bank account for your entity or obtain other business services". In practice that means:
06 ProblemsWhen the letter doesn't match, or the EIN is lost
- You don't know the EIN at all. The IRS suggests the original notice, the bank holding the business account, state licence agencies and past returns. Then call 800-829-4933: after identity questions, an authorised caller is told the number by phone.
- The name on the letter is wrong. It shows the IRS record, so the old name prints until the IRS updates it. The IRS business name change page sets out how to report it.
- You ended up with two EINs. A business should have one. Call the business line and the IRS tells you which to use.
- The faxed cover sheet isn't enough for the bank. That sheet carries the number; the CP 575 comes by post later. Ask for a 147C if the bank won't wait.
07 QuestionsQuestions
What is a 147C letter?
Can I get a copy of my CP 575?
How do I get a 147C from outside the US?
Is a 147C the same as an EIN confirmation letter?
How long does it take to get an EIN for a foreign-owned LLC?
What's the IRS fax number for an EIN application from abroad?
Starting from scratch? Compare the five US states for an LLC run from abroad.
Changelog
13 November 2026: first published, from the IRS EIN, CP575, Business Tax Account, business transcript, telephone contacts, international services and processing status pages (July to November 2026).
We get the EIN for you, no SSN needed.
A Wyoming LLC is US$181.40 for year one, all in. We prepare your SS-4 the way that works from abroad, submit it, and you track it in your dashboard.