Lost your EIN letter? Three ways to get IRS proof again
By Arthur Teboul, DokuTrak · Published
In brief
To get a copy of your EIN letter, download the digital CP575 from Business Tax Account, or call the IRS business line for Letter 147C, which is faxed or mailed to the address on file (IRS: Employer identification number). The original assignment notice itself cannot be reprinted (IRS: Understanding your CP575 notice).
The letter: Cover letter: Form 8821 so we can request your Letter 147C
Send this with a prepared Form 8821 when a client has lost its EIN letter and cannot use Business Tax Account. Once it is signed and returned, your firm can call the IRS business line and receive the 147C by fax.
- WordEdit the bracketed parts and put it on your letterhead.Free, with your email
- PDFRead-only copy, to print or keep on file.Free, no email
Write the 147C request: The Letter 147C request generator turns your business details into the written request the IRS asks for after a second B notice.
[Firm name] [Date] [Client contact name], [Title] [Business legal name] EIN: [XX-XXXXXXX, or “unknown”] Re: Replacing your lost EIN letter
Dear [Client contact name],
What happened
The IRS cannot reprint the notice it mailed when your EIN was assigned. It can issue a replacement, Letter 147C, to you or to someone you authorize.
What we ask you to sign
Enclosed is Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization, naming [Firm name] as your designee. We have checked box 4 and written “SS-4, EIN Application, or 147C letter” on it, as the IRS asks for this request. Please check the business name and address, sign and date it, and return it by [date].
What the form allows
Form 8821 lets us receive your tax information for the matters listed. It does not let us represent you, sign for you or change anything on your IRS account.
What we will do
Once we have the signed form, we will call the IRS (the Practitioner Priority Service, 866-860-4259, or the business and specialty tax line), fax the signed form to the representative during the call, ask for Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned, and ask for it by fax to our office. We will send you a copy and keep one in your file.
If you would rather call yourself(optional)
You can call the same line directly. Please have your legal business name, EIN, IRS address of record, your title and a fax number ready. Without a fax number, the IRS mails the letter to the address it has on file.
If your address has changed(optional)
The IRS still has [old address] for your business. We suggest filing Form 8822-B first, so that any letter mailed reaches you.
Thank you, [Your name] [Title], [Firm name] [Phone] | [Fax] | [Email] Enclosure: Form 8821 (prepared, unsigned)
The three routes, side by side
There is no reprint button for the first letter. The IRS offers replacements instead, and each one has a different gate (IRS: Employer identification number). A Letter 147C is the IRS letter titled EIN Previously Assigned, which repeats the business name and EIN on file (IRS: Employer identification number).
| Route | Who can use it | How fast | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Digital CP575 in Business Tax Account (IRS: Understanding your CP575 notice) | Eligible entities and their designated officials | Immediate download (IRS: Business Tax Account) | IRS BTA page |
| Letter 147C by phone | The taxpayer, or a third party with Form 2848 or 8821 | By fax, or by mail in 10 to 14 business days (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C) | IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1 |
| Business entity transcript | Owners through BTA or the business line; representatives through PPS | Varies by channel (IRS: Get a business tax transcript) | IRS transcript page |
Why the online confirmation will not download again
The online EIN application runs in one session that cannot be saved, and it expires after 15 minutes of inactivity (IRS: Get an employer identification number). At the end, the IRS tells you to print the confirmation letter for your records (IRS: Get an employer identification number).
If the PDF failed on a phone, for example, or the window closed, that copy is gone. The fix is one of the three routes above, not another attempt at the application. Never pay a website to “download” an EIN letter: every IRS route is free.
Before you call for Letter 147C
The business and specialty tax line is the IRS number for EIN questions: 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (IRS: Telephone assistance contacts for business customers). Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time (IRS: Telephone assistance contacts for business customers).
The representative first establishes your position with the entity, then asks for the EIN (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C). Have these ready:
- The exact legal name, as on the original application.
- The EIN, if you know it. If you do not, expect identity questions about you first (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C).
- The address the IRS has on file, because a mailed letter goes only there (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C).
- Your title, such as owner, officer, general partner or member.
- A fax number that can receive during or right after the call.
When the bookkeeper or accountant makes the call
An authorized third party is someone with Form 2848 or Form 8821 for the client recorded on the IRS CAF, its authorization file (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C). The representative checks the CAF and can then release the EIN (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C).
If nothing is on file yet, the IRS manual lets staff accept a copy of Form 8821 with box 4 checked and the form notated “SS-4, EIN Application, or 147C letter” (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C). Box 4 marks a use the IRS does not record on its authorization file, and SS-4 matters are one of them (IRS Instructions for Form 8821). So keep the signed copy ready to fax to the representative during the call. A signed Form 2848 also works (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C).
A practitioner usually calls the Practitioner Priority Service instead, the IRS line for client account issues: 866-860-4259, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (IRS: Telephone assistance contacts for business customers).
With no authorization at all, the representative will ask you to conference the owner into the call, or have the owner call (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C). The cover letter below asks the client for that signature in one step.
If nobody knows the EIN
Look before you call. The IRS suggests checking the notice it issued at assignment, the business bank, state or local licensing agencies, and past business returns (IRS: Employer identification number).
If those fail, the same business line will verify your identity and give the number by phone when you are authorized to receive it (IRS: Employer identification number). If the business moved since the EIN was issued, file Form 8822-B first, or the mailed 147C goes to the old address.
Questions people ask
Can I get a copy of my 147C letter online?
Not as a 147C. The online substitute is the digital CP575 in Business Tax Account, which the IRS says replaces Letter 147C for eligible users (IRS: Understanding your CP575 notice).
How long does a replacement EIN letter take?
A digital CP575 downloads at once (IRS: Business Tax Account). A 147C can be faxed, or mailed, and the IRS manual quotes 10 to 14 business days for mail (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C).
Can my bookkeeper call the IRS for my EIN letter?
Yes, with Form 2848 or 8821 on file, or a copy notated for the 147C. Otherwise the owner must join the call or call personally (IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C).
Is an entity transcript accepted instead of an EIN letter?
It shows the EIN, current name and address from IRS records (IRS: Get a business tax transcript). Whether a bank accepts it is the bank’s choice, so ask before you order one.
Sources
- IRS: Employer identification number: Lists the three ways to confirm an EIN, the fax and mail application timings, the 800-829-4933 line and its hours, and says a name, address or responsible-party change needs no new EIN.
- IRS: 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: Business Tax Account eligibility by entity type and role, the Schedule C and F LLC exclusion, and the EIN verification letter under Tax Records.
- IRM 21.7.1.4.7.1, EIN verification and Letter 147C: 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: Get a business tax transcript: The modified and complete business entity transcripts show the EIN, name, address and name control, and who can request them.
- IRS: Get an employer identification number: The online application must be completed in one session and tells the applicant to print the EIN confirmation letter.
- IRS: 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 Instructions for Form 8821: Line 4 is checked for a specific use the IRS does not record on the CAF, such as requests about Form SS-4.
About the author
Arthur Teboul (Founder, DokuTrak) is building DokuTrak after watching professionals lose hours chasing clients for documents over email. Arthur Teboul.
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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.
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