There are many different types of tax identification numbers used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A federal tax ID lookup search, therefore, needs to start with understanding which number it is you are actually looking for. In many cases, this is the Employer Identification Number or EIN. This number is used by organizations who have to fil their tax returns with the IRS. If you need to know this number, you can do a federal tax ID lookup search.
Federal Tax ID Lookup Search with the IRS:
It is quite common for people not to realize if and when they need an EIN, or that they need one at all. In fact, it isn't until they start completing a tax return that they are suddenly asked for this number. The easiest thing they can do in terms of a federal tax ID lookup search is to simply contact their employer's accounting or human resources department and request for the EIN.
However, there are situations in which this is not possible, or where the company itself does not know their EIN number. In that case, you can go to the IRS website and contact them to ask for it. They are the organization that issues every EIN, so they also have records of these companies. It is possible that they will need to issue a new EIN. This can happen, for instance, when there has been a change of ownership in the company.
You can recognize an EIN by the fact that it contains nine digits. This identification number is issued solely to the trustee, grantor, or owner of a government agency, a trust, a corporation, an employer, or a sole proprietor, and they should use it for their tax administration. The IRS is intent in making sure that the EIN files are always up to date. Hence, if you want an EIN to be issued, it is "limited to one per responsible party per day". This issue of "responsible party" is an important one. If you are a third party applicant, you have to be able to demonstrate that you are a Third Party Designee or TPD before they will issue you the number.
In order to get an EIN, you can go to the IRS website if your company is physically based in this country. Alternatively, you can complete Form SS-4 manually. The IRS uses different numbers of different things, and the EIN is not the same thing as the Social Security Number or SSN, nor does it replace it.
If you need to know an EIN number for other reasons, for instance, if you are a lawyer or a private investigator, you can go online, or you can contact a bank as well. Most people now go online, however, with numerous lookup services now being available. Thanks to this, there is a wealth of lists available that show you which federal tax ID number is associated with which company. Do make sure, however, that the database you use is up to date and valid.