A 147C letter is the letter the IRS sends when you ask it to confirm the Employer Identification Number (EIN) it has already given your business. You need one when the original EIN notice, the CP 575, has gone missing and a bank, a payment processor or a government office wants proof of your EIN. There is no online order form for it. You request it by phone, and if you give the IRS a fax number it can arrive while you are still on the call or shortly after.
This guide covers what the letter shows, who tends to ask for it, and how to request it one step at a time. Most of our clients are founders living outside the US, so it also covers what changes when you call from abroad with no SSN.
Letter 147C at a glance
| How to get it | Phone only. Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line and ask for Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned (IRS) |
| Number | 800 829 4933 (TTY 800 829 4059) |
| Hours | Monday to Friday, 7 am to 7 pm local time |
| Online? | No. The digital CP575 in Business Tax Account is the online substitute, and it needs an SSN or ITIN |
| Delivery | Fax (fastest) or post to the address the IRS has on file |
| Who can ask | Someone authorized to receive the EIN, such as the owner of a single member LLC, or a person you authorize on Form 8821 or 2848 |
| Calling from abroad | Same number, through an internet calling service. Not 267 941 1099, which is for new EIN applications |
| Cost | Free from the IRS |
CP 575 vs 147C, and which one your bank actually needs
Both prove the same thing, and US banks accept either. The practical difference is that the IRS issues a CP 575 once and will never issue another, while a 147C can be requested as many times as you need. If your CP 575 is gone, the 147C is the replacement. If you have no SSN or ITIN, it is the only route open to you.
| CP 575 | 147C letter | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | The original EIN confirmation, sent automatically when the EIN is assigned | A reissued confirmation of an EIN the IRS has already assigned |
| How many you get | One. The IRS says the original notice series “cannot be duplicated or recreated” | As many as you ask for |
| How to get it | Arrives with the EIN. A digital CP 575 can be downloaded from IRS Business Tax Account | Call the IRS and request it |
| Works without an SSN or ITIN | ❌ No. Business Tax Account registration requires one | ✅ Yes |
| Who to call | Nobody. It is sent automatically | 800 829 4933, 7 am to 7 pm local time, Monday to Friday. The same number from abroad (267 941 1099 is only for applying for a new EIN) |
| How it reaches you | Post, or a digital download | Fax or post |
| Accepted by banks as EIN proof | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
If you live outside the US, the digital CP 575 is not an option
The IRS now offers a downloadable digital CP 575 and says it is available only through Business Tax Account and can be used as a substitute for the original CP575A-J notice series and Letter 147C
(IRS, Understanding your CP575 notice, checked 21 September 2026). That sounds like the easy answer, and for an owner living in the US it is.
For most people reading this it is closed. Registering for Business Tax Account requires a Social Security number or an ITIN, and the eligibility wording repeats that for sole proprietors, partners and S corporation shareholders alike (checked 21 September 2026). If you hold neither, the phone request below is your route, and the rest of this guide is about making that call work from another country.
What a 147C letter confirms
The letter confirms the EIN and the business name exactly as the IRS has them on record, and it goes to the address the IRS has on file unless you ask for a fax. That makes it a useful check as well as a document. If the name or address on your 147C is wrong, the IRS record is wrong, and every application that relies on it will hit the same mismatch. Fix the record first (see when the call goes wrong).
Who asks a nonresident owner for it
Most owners living in the US never need a 147C, because they still have the CP575 or can download a digital copy. Owners abroad meet the request more often, for three reasons.
- Wise Business. Wise asks for a document that has been “filed and returned to you” by the IRS and names Form 147C and Form SS-4 as the most common ones (Wise). Its page does not mention the CP575, so a founder who only has the CP575 often ends up requesting a 147C anyway.
- US banks and fintechs. Account opening usually needs EIN proof, and a CP575 sent by post to an address abroad is easy to lose and slow to arrive.
- Payment platforms, marketplaces and US clients that check your business name against your EIN before paying out. A mismatch there is often the first sign the IRS record needs fixing.
Whether you can open a given account at all depends on where you live, not on the letter. Our US Fintech Lockout Index shows which providers publicly exclude each country.
How to request a 147C letter from outside the US, step by step
Step 1. Have these in front of you
- The legal name of the business, spelled exactly as on your EIN application
- The EIN
- The business address the IRS has on file (usually the one on your SS-4)
- Your full name and your role, whether owner, member, partner or officer
- Your SSN or ITIN, if you have one. Most foreign owners have neither, and that is fine
- A fax number that will reach you (Step 6)
Step 2. Set up a way to dial a US toll free number
US toll free numbers often cannot be dialed from outside North America. Founders abroad usually call through an internet calling service that can reach them. Test it on another toll free number before the day you call.
Step 3. Call inside the IRS window
The IRS lists the hours as 7 am to 7 pm, Monday to Friday, local time. It does not say which US time zone applies to a caller abroad, so we plan on Eastern Time. US clocks go back one hour on Sunday 1 November 2026 and forward again on Sunday 14 March 2027, which moves the window by one hour.
| Where you are | Until 31 Oct 2026 and from 14 Mar 2027 | 1 Nov 2026 to 13 Mar 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| India | 4.30 pm to 4.30 am | 5.30 pm to 5.30 am |
| Pakistan | 4 pm to 4 am | 5 pm to 5 am |
| Bangladesh | 5 pm to 5 am | 6 pm to 6 am |
| Nepal | 4.45 pm to 4.45 am | 5.45 pm to 5.45 am |
| UAE | 3 pm to 3 am | 4 pm to 4 am |
| Nigeria | 12 noon to midnight | 1 pm to 1 am |
| Philippines | 7 pm to 7 am | 8 pm to 8 am |
Times are for Monday to Friday in the US, so the early morning hours fall on Tuesday to Saturday where you are.
Step 4. Get to a person and say what you need
The phone menu changes, so listen for the options about an existing EIN. When you reach a representative, keep it short.
“I am the owner of [LLC name], EIN [number]. I need Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned, to confirm our EIN. I am calling from outside the United States and do not have an SSN or ITIN. Could you fax it to [fax number]?”
Step 5. Answer the identity questions
The IRS gives EIN information only to someone authorized to receive it. Expect to confirm your name and role, the business name, the EIN and the address on file. If you have no SSN or ITIN, say so at the start and answer from the details on the IRS record.
Step 6. Choose fax, not post
The internal IRS procedures say a Letter 147C “can be faxed to the taxpayer or authorized third party if requested.” If you have no fax machine, an online fax service gives you a US fax number and forwards incoming faxes to your email. By post the letter goes to the address on file, which for many foreign owned LLCs is a registered agent or an address abroad, and the IRS publishes no delivery time.
Step 7. Check the letter before you send it anywhere
Compare the business name and EIN with your formation documents and with what you typed on the application you are about to submit. One extra word or a missing “LLC” is enough for an automated check to fail.
When the call goes wrong
- “You are not authorized.” The IRS will speak only to someone authorized to receive the EIN. If your accountant or a formation service is calling, sign Form 8821 or Form 2848 for them first.
- The address on file is old, or the letter would go to a registered agent you no longer use. Ask for a fax. To change the address or the responsible party on the IRS record, file Form 8822-B.
- The name on the record does not match your company documents. Fix the IRS record before applying anywhere. A 147C only repeats what the IRS has.
- The toll free number will not connect. Try a different internet calling service. The 267 941 1099 line will not issue a 147C.
- You were cut off on hold. Call again early in the window. The request takes a few minutes once you reach a person.
If you would rather not make the call
With your signed Form 8821, our team can call the IRS for you and have the letter faxed to us, then send it on to you. If you are still at the stage before an EIN, our EIN service handles the application itself, including the fax route for owners without an SSN. Either way, book a free consultation and tell us what the bank or platform asked for.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I get a 147C letter online?
No. The IRS issues Letter 147C after a call to the Business and Specialty Tax Line, 800 829 4933. Eligible Business Tax Account users can download a digital CP575 instead, but registering for that account needs an SSN or ITIN.
Can I request a 147C letter if I live outside the United States?
Yes. Call 800 829 4933 during US business hours, through an internet calling service if the toll free number will not connect from your country, and ask for the letter to be faxed. The 267 941 1099 line is for applying for a new EIN when your principal place of business is outside the US, not for a 147C.
How long does a 147C letter take?
By fax it can arrive during or shortly after the call. By post the IRS publishes no delivery time, so allow at least a couple of weeks to a US address and longer to an address abroad.
What is the difference between a CP575 and a 147C letter?
The CP575 is the original EIN notice and is issued once. The IRS says the original notice series cannot be duplicated or recreated. Letter 147C confirms the same EIN again and can be requested whenever you need it.
Can someone else call the IRS for me?
Yes, if you authorize them first with Form 8821 or Form 2848. Without that, the IRS gives EIN information only to a person authorized to receive it, such as the owner of a single member LLC.
Does Wise accept a 147C letter?
Wise names Form 147C and Form SS-4 as the most common documents for verifying an EIN, and asks for a document filed and returned to you by the IRS. Its EIN verification page does not mention the CP575.
Will a US bank accept a 147C letter?
Banks and fintechs that ask for EIN proof generally accept a 147C in place of the CP575, but each sets its own rules. Check the document list of the provider before you apply.
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