Catalogue — REF A-1…E-2
- A-1 — EIN basics for non-residents
- A-2 — EIN vs. ITIN vs. SSN — the three numbers
- B-1 — Responsible-party rules
- B-2 — Application routes, compared
- B-3 — Form SS-4, annotated line by line
- B-4 — Reference numbers 101 and 102
- B-5 — When the responsible party changes
- C-1 — Lost CP 575 & the Letter 147C replacement
- C-2 — Wrong name or address on the CP 575
- C-3 — Closing an EIN — the IRS never cancels one
- D-1 — Form 5472 + pro-forma Form 1120
- D-2 — State tax IDs are not EINs
- E-1 — TIN matching and name control
- E-2 — How a bank verifies an EIN
- The Catalogue
- Find Your Answer
- Reference Desk
- Checklist Review
- Errata & Changes
- Enquiries (FAQ)
- Imprint & Method
- Contact — Request Slip
Find your answer
Reference libraries fail readers at the door, not at the shelf. Answer one question — where are you, right now — and the library routes you to the entries written for that exact position. Every route ends at a readable answer; none ends at a form asking for your card.
§ 1 —Both routes, from this page, now
The free library — every entry, complete, open: browse the Catalogue. The Reference Desk — $79/yr when it opens, founding list open today: the Desk page and its Call Slip. The Desk turns these entries into guided walkthroughs and adds two document-readiness checklist reviews a year. The free library stays free either way. Neither route is revealed after a wait; both are on this page at first paint.
§ 2 —If your situation is “I need someone to file this for me”
Then this library is the wrong counter, and it will not pretend otherwise. Filing an EIN for a foreign owner is a distinct business's work — a filing service that takes responsibility for the application itself. Read the free entries here first so you know what a correct filing involves and what questions to ask any provider; then choose the provider with open eyes. The honesty costs us a sale we were never entitled to. That is rather the point.