Can You Look Up Business Tax ID Numbers?

A business tax ID number is also known as a TIN (tax identification number), or as an EIN (employer identification number). But can you look up business tax ID numbers? Of course you can! These numbers are basically the business equivalent of a social security number, which is provided to individuals. These numbers are all used to tell the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) how much income has been earned each year, and what taxes have been paid on this. Every business has its own unique TIN and/or EIN.

Can You Look Up Business Tax ID Numbers and Why Should You?

Let's say that you have donated something of financial value to a nonprofit organization or charity. This could be the Make a Wish Foundation, the Red Cross, the Human Society, United Way, Goodwill, The Smithsonian, The American Cancer Society, or any other organization. It may be that your donation can be deducted from your taxable income. However, this means you have to tell the IRS that you made a deduction, for which you will require the EIN or TIN of the business that you donated to. You can go directly to the nonprofit when you drop off a donation and ask for their number. Alternatively, you can contact them at a later stage via telephone or online and ask for their numbers. Simply let them know you made a donation, and they will be happy to provide you with the relevant numbers.

How Else Can You Look Up Business Tax ID Numbers?

You can also go to the EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) system website. The IRS maintains EDGAR, which means that the information provided there should be up to date. EDGAR is accessible to everybody and very easy to use. You only need to enter one piece of data, such as the company's stock symbol, its name, or another piece of information. However, EDGAR only works if the company is publicly traded.

If you don't know the exact details of the company, it is likely that you will get multiple results. Searching through those results would be easier if you know the SIC (Standard Industry Classification) number. This is because the SIC is unique, whereas a company name doesn't have to be. Large organizations often have multiple divisions within their company, which means they may also have multiple SIC numbers.

Simply put, the more you know about a company, the easier it will be to find the right one. If you know the business' geographical location, you can filter out  your search results on that as well. Once you have identified the correct company, you can click on it to access a range of reports. Look for reports 8-K, 10-k, or 10-Q. In those reports, there will be a "findings" column, which shows the EIN or TIN number.

EDGAR is a very accurate system and it is also 100% free to use. This means that you can quickly find out all the information you need to know about a company.