# Can you request a 147C letter online? The IRS alternatives

[Home](/) / [Letter templates](/letters) / Request a 147C online

By [Arthur Teboul](/authors/arthur-teboul), Founder, DokuTrak. Published 2026-10-29, updated 2026-10-29.

> **In brief:** An IRS 147C letter request cannot be made online: there is no web form, but an eligible business can download the digital CP575, which the IRS says substitutes for Letter 147C ([IRS: Understanding your CP575 notice](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp575-notice)). Everyone else requests the 147C by phone, or in writing after a second B notice ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)).

## The letter: Written request to the IRS for Letter 147C (second B notice)

**Not advice.** This page is general information, not tax, legal or HR advice. Rules change: check the cited source and ask your own professional before you rely on it. Last reviewed October 25, 2026.

For a business that received a second B notice from a payer. Address it to the IRS service center where the business files its income tax return, sign it as an owner or officer, and enclose the notice. Check the IRS where-to-file page for the current address.

```text
[Business legal name]
[Address of record with the IRS]
[Date]
Internal Revenue Service
[Service center address where the business files its return]
Re: Request for Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned
Business: [Business legal name]
EIN: [XX-XXXXXXX]
Return filed: [Form 1120 / 1120-S / 1065 / 1040 Schedule C]

Dear Sir or Madam:

Request
Please send [Business legal name] a Letter 147C confirming the employer identification number assigned to it.

Reason
[Payer name] sent us a second backup withholding notice (“B notice”) dated [date] for account [number], stating that our name and EIN do not match IRS records. The payer needs the IRS to validate our EIN on Letter 147C. A copy of the notice is enclosed.

Name on record (optional)
Our legal name is [Business legal name]. We have also used the trade name [trade name], which may explain the mismatch.

Where to send the letter
Please mail the letter to the address above[, or fax it to (fax number), attention (name)].

Authorization
I am the [owner / president / general partner / managing member] of [Business legal name] and am authorized to make this request.

Representative (optional)
Our representative, [Name], [CPA / EA / attorney], may also be contacted at [phone]. A Form 2848 [is on file / is enclosed].

Sincerely,
[Name]
[Title]
[Daytime phone]
Signature: ____________________   Date: __________
Enclosure: copy of second B notice dated [date]
[Enclosure: Form 2848, if the representative signs or is not yet on file]
```

Download: [Word](https://dokutrak.com/downloads/pseo-v2/f4-letters/147c-online-request.docx) · [PDF](https://dokutrak.com/downloads/pseo-v2/f4-letters/147c-online-request.pdf)

## Three ways to get a 147C or its substitute

Pick the route by entity type and by why the letter is needed. The online route is the fastest when it is open to you.

| Route | Use it when | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Digital CP575 download in Business Tax Account ([IRS: Understanding your CP575 notice](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp575-notice)) | Your entity is supported and you are its designated official ([IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account)) | IRS BTA page |
| Phone request to the business and specialty tax line | You cannot use Business Tax Account, such as an LLC filing on Schedule C ([IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account)) | IRS EIN page |
| Written request to your IRS service center | A payer sent you a second B notice for your EIN ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)) | IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, Pub. 1281 |

## The online substitute, step by step

**Business Tax Account** is the IRS online account for businesses, where a designated official can view records and download notices ([IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account)). The IRS manual dates the EIN verification download to June 25, 2026 ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)), and the IRS announced it on August 6, 2026 ([IRS news release IR-2026-87 (Aug. 6, 2026)](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/business-tax-account-gives-eligible-taxpayers-more-secure-convenient-ways-to-manage-federal-tax-obligations-online)).

1. Check eligibility: sole proprietors with an EIN filing Schedule C or F, partnerships, S and C corporations, tax-exempt organizations, governments and tribal governments are supported ([IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account)).
2. Check the gaps: an LLC filing as a sole proprietor on Schedule C or F cannot use it yet, and trusts and estates are not on the list ([IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account)).
3. Register as the designated official. For a corporation, that is an officer or managing member who is a current employee, received a W-2 for the latest filing year and can bind the entity ([IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account)).
4. Open Tax Records and download the EIN verification letter ([IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account)).

## Requesting it by phone

Call 800-829-4933 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. local time, Monday to Friday, and ask for Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned ([IRS: Telephone assistance contacts for business customers](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/telephone-assistance-contacts-for-business-customers)). The menu changes over time, so listen for the EIN option rather than relying on a key sequence.

The representative must establish who you are to the business before giving out the number ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)). A third party needs Form 2848 or 8821 on the CAF, or a copy notated for the 147C ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)). The letter is faxed, or mailed to the address of record in 10 to 14 business days ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)).

## When the request must be in writing

One case does not go through the phone line. A **B notice** is the backup withholding warning a payer mails when a payee’s name and TIN do not match IRS records ([IRS Publication 1281 (Rev. 12-2023), Backup Withholding for Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1281.pdf)). If the 147C answers a second B notice, the IRS manual tells phone staff that the request must be in writing ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)).

Publication 1281 gives the steps the payee follows. Write to the IRS service center where you file your income tax return, ask for Letter 147C, and enclose a copy of the B notice ([IRS Publication 1281 (Rev. 12-2023), Backup Withholding for Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1281.pdf)). When the letter arrives, send it to the payer with a copy of the notice attached ([IRS Publication 1281 (Rev. 12-2023), Backup Withholding for Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1281.pdf)).

Timing matters here. The payer must start backup withholding if it has not received the 147C within 30 business days of the second B notice ([IRS Publication 1281 (Rev. 12-2023), Backup Withholding for Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1281.pdf)). Mail your request the day the notice arrives.

## Letters people confuse with a 147C

A **determination letter** is a different IRS letter, about a retirement plan’s qualified status or an organization’s tax exemption. It does not confirm an EIN for a bank.

Paid sites that offer to “request your 147C online” are intermediaries: they cannot produce an IRS letter, and every IRS route is free. For the full call procedure, see the [147C guide](/blog/ein-verification-letter-147c).

## Questions people ask

### Can I request a 147C letter online?

No form exists. The online alternative is the digital CP575 in Business Tax Account, which the IRS treats as a substitute for Letter 147C ([IRS: Understanding your CP575 notice](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp575-notice)).

### Is there an IRS 147C request PDF?

No. The IRS takes 147C requests by phone, and in writing for a second B notice ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)). Any “147C request form” PDF comes from a third-party site.

### How long does it take the IRS to fax a 147C?

The IRS can fax it during or right after the call; a mailed letter takes 10 to 14 business days, according to the IRS manual ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)).

### Who can request a 147C for a business?

Someone whose position with the entity the IRS can establish, such as an owner or officer, or a third party with Form 2848 or 8821 ([IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r)).

## Sources

- [IRS: Understanding your CP575 notice](https://www.irs.gov/individuals/understanding-your-cp575-notice): The digital CP575 is available only through Business Tax Account, substitutes for the CP575A-J series and Letter 147C, and the original CP575A-J cannot be duplicated.
- [IRS: Business Tax Account](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/business-tax-account): Business Tax Account eligibility by entity type and role, the Schedule C and F LLC exclusion, and the EIN verification letter under Tax Records.
- [IRS news release IR-2026-87 (Aug. 6, 2026)](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/business-tax-account-gives-eligible-taxpayers-more-secure-convenient-ways-to-manage-federal-tax-obligations-online): Designated officials can download an EIN verification notice in Business Tax Account and use it instead of Letter 147C at banks and financial institutions.
- [IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C](https://www.irs.gov/irm/part21/irm_21-007-001r): IRS phone staff establish the caller’s relationship with the entity, accept Form 2848 or 8821 notated for the 147C, give the EIN verbally or in writing by fax or mail to the address of record, quote 10 to 14 business days by mail, and require a written request after a second B notice; the transmittal dates the digital CP575 in Business Tax Account to 06-25-2026.
- [IRS: Telephone assistance contacts for business customers](https://www.irs.gov/businesses/telephone-assistance-contacts-for-business-customers): The business and specialty tax line, 800-829-4933, runs Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time; the Practitioner Priority Service, 866-860-4259, keeps the same hours and is the practitioners’ first point of contact for client account issues.
- [IRS Publication 1281 (Rev. 12-2023), Backup Withholding for Missing and Incorrect Name/TINs](https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1281.pdf): After a second B notice, an EIN payee writes to its IRS service center for Letter 147C and sends it to the payer, which backup withholds if it is not received within 30 business days.

## More on this topic

- [EIN verification letter (147C) guide](/blog/ein-verification-letter-147c)
- [Verify a vendor’s EIN](/letters/ein-verification)
- [Lost EIN letter: get a copy](/letters/ein-letter-copy)
- [EIN letters from the IRS](/letters)

## About the author

Arthur Teboul (Founder, DokuTrak) is building DokuTrak after watching professionals lose hours chasing clients for documents over email. [Arthur Teboul](/authors/arthur-teboul).

How this page was made (methodology): it is built from the primary sources listed under Sources, and every rule and figure on it links to the source it comes from. Last updated October 25, 2026. Spotted an error or a rule that changed? [Contact us](/contact).

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