Paying taxes isn't the highlight of anyone's year, but information technology'south a mandatory task for most people in the U.Due south. Obviously, when it'due south fourth dimension to pay the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), you desire to make sure every particular and all the calculations are correct. That starts with making sure yous prepare all your tax information with the right tax ID. Whether you're preparing revenue enhancement and financial documents for the outset time or you've simply misplaced your tax data, it'due south possible to observe your personal or business organisation taxation ID number.
Types of Tax Identification Numbers
Both individuals and businesses in the U.S. have to file taxation returns every yr to report their annual income and pay any unpaid taxes on that income. Names tin can be duplicated, so the IRS established a system of using completely unique numbers to identify each taxpayer. Officially known as a Revenue enhancement Identification Number (TIN), TINs come in several forms. The Social Security Administration assigns numbers to American citizens and permanent residents in the form of social security numbers (SSN). Near citizens receive their social security numbers as children for employ throughout their lives, and it's common for them to memorize their SSNs by the time they are young adults.
In some cases, people are authorized to work in the U.S. merely don't authorize for an SSN. Examples include nonresident aliens and spouses and dependents of U.S. citizens or resident aliens who are not citizens themselves. The IRS issues Individual Tax Identification Numbers (ITIN) to these individuals to allow them to file income taxation returns.
If your income comes from a business organisation, you lot may file revenue enhancement returns nether your personal name, depending on the type of business. Nevertheless, you must have an Employer Identification Number (EIN) if you pay other employees to work for you. You would and then utilise that number to file income tax returns for your business. An EIN is as well required for businesses that file taxes equally a corporation or partnership and those that must pay certain types of taxes, such as taxes on booze, tobacco and firearms. It'southward too possible that banks and certain business licensing authorities may crave an EIN.
Rails Down Your Social Security Number
In the U.S., an individual's social security number is highly classified information. The number connects people to their credit histories and bank accounts in addition to their employment and tax histories. If y'all tin can't remember your social security number, yous won't be able to simply practice some electronic earthworks to find it. You lot will have to get creative and recall nigh the resources you have at your disposal.
Your first course of action should exist to check all your personal files and records, peculiarly financial documents, to look for your SSN. You can find this number on your tax returns, West-ii forms, 1099 forms, loan applications and documents, certain types of legal documents, and more.
Social security numbers are extremely sensitive because they are used every bit legal identification for depository financial institution accounts, credit card applications, public assistance and more. That means these entities have your social security number in their records. However, due to concerns almost identity theft, they volition usually require you to announced in person with several other forms of identification to prove your identity before sharing your SSN with you.
Supersede Your Social Security Card
If you lot go to your local Social Security Administration office, you tin leave with a new social security card in hand. Exist certain to take the appropriate documents to testify your identity: driver'due south license and birth certificate or passport (citizen); legal immigration documents and piece of work eligibility documents (not-citizen). If you don't need your SSN immediately, you can now request a replacement social security carte online at the SSA.gov website past completing the security steps to set a My Social Security account.
Contact the IRS for Your ITIN
If you have an ITIN number and can't call back information technology, try searching through your existing tax, financial and employment records (as recommended for a social security number). If you lot tin't find a document with the data, you will need to contact the IRS for assistance. Confidential ITIN information will never be (legally) available online.
Search Business Records for Your EIN
Locating the EIN for your company should exist much easier, as this number is often included on numerous types of company documents, including revenue enhancement records, invoices, contracts, charitable donation letters, legal documents and more. Additionally, look for the official alphabetic character the IRS sent to your visitor when approving your EIN. Yous tin can also phone call the IRS to request the data, but you lot must be able to evidence y'all are a person authorized to receive the information — partner, corporate officer, trustee, executor, etc.
If your company is a publicly traded company, many online services maintain databases of EINs that are attainable to the public — and most don't charge for the service. For example, the Electronic Information Gathering Analysis and Retrieval system (EDGAR) is maintained by the Securities and Commutation Commission (SEC) and contains publicly disclosed information about thousands of companies. Additionally, Melissa Data provides tax ID data for nonprofit organizations.
