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How to Look Up Your Federal and State Tax ID

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Each business owner or manager must educate themselves on the proper use of federal tax IDs. This information is crucial for compliance with tax laws as well as for employment-related administrative tasks.

Just like individuals need a Social Security Number for tax purposes, businesses must also identify themselves to the IRS. In the case of a business, however, the identification number used is referred to as a federal tax id or Employer Identification Number (EIN).

The EIN is what a business will need to use when paying or filing taxes, and when deducting deductible charity contributions. To obtain an EIN, a business must apply on the IRS website. The IRS makes getting an EIN speedy and straightforward.

To look up an EIN or to check if an organization is eligible for tax-deductible contributions, you must use a search tool provided by the IRS. On the Exempt Organizations Select Check site, you can enter in details about the organization, including:

Organization name
City
State
EIN

In addition, the search tool enables you to look up organizations whose eligibility for tax-deductible charity contributions has been automatically revoked. This can happen if an organization neglects to file required reports with the IRS for a period of up to three years.

Federal Tax ID Lookup for Lost EIN

If you're a business that has lost your EIN, you will need to look it up so that you can complete critical business functions such as filing taxes. In case you've completely lost all backups with this information, either through fire or some other circumstances, you can approach the IRS to look up your federal tax ID for free.

The best way to do this is to call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line. You can reach them by telephone at 800-829-4933. You will need to provide your personal identification details.

If the IRS determines that you're a qualified person to receive the EIN, you will be given this information on the phone. To qualify, you must be a corporate officer, a sole proprietor or other company executive with the right authority level in the organization.

Confirming an EIN for Credit Purposes

Most businesses treat their federal tax ID as private information so looking up federal tax ID is not always an easy process. When you consider that the EIN functions in a manner similar to a Social Security Number for an individual, this privacy is warranted.

As indicated above, organizations that rely on charitable contributions, such as charitable nonprofits, may issue the EIN to donors for the sake of those donors' tax filings. However, for-profit businesses tend to be more guarded.

For a business, the federal tax ID is sensitive information because in the hands of the wrong parties, in can be misused at the detriment of the company. For example, a scammer can misrepresent the company and claim rebates or tax credits in the name of the company.

There are situations, however, where a third party legitimately needs the federal tax ID of a company. For example, when a bank or business loan company is approached for a business loan, it needs to verify the particulars of the application. This includes the federal tax ID of the company applying for a business loan. In such cases, the bank can run a credit report against the applying company. This will surface information on the credit history of the company, including such relevant details as the company's federal tax ID.

Tax ID Lookup for California

States like California issue their own versions of tax identification. In California, specifically, this is in the form of the California SEIN (State Employer Identification Number). Each employer must apply for and obtain this SEIN from the EDD (Employment Development Department).

To look up your California SEIN, there are a number of options. The first is to check with your business bank. When you opened your business bank account, the bank will most likely have kept this information on file and may be able to relay it back to you. In case the bank does not have this information, you will need to call the EDD directly to request the SEIN.

Looking up Tax ID in Other States

Many states issue their own version of the State Employer Identification Number. It will be used when claiming tax benefits, when filing state taxes, and for other administrative purposes at the state level.

Each state has different ways for filing for SEINs and looking them up. Your options will include:

Contacting a bank or financial institution to check your SEIN on record with the institution
Contacting your state office and requesting the SEIN