A business with employees must have an EIN or federal tax ID number.
Discovering ownership of a company is possible with only the EIN or federal tax ID number. Researching or verifying company details is often necessary for sales or investment purposes. Also, matching the correct company with the corresponding EIN is important, especially when completing state and federal forms or complying with the USA Patriot Act. Although it is easier to find the EIN from the company information than the other way around, a reverse search is possible.
Instructions
1. Visit IRS.gov (see Resources), where you can reverse-search the EIN among companies required to file a 990-N. Not finding a match rules out 990-N non-profits. This does not rule out all non-profits, however. The company you're looking for may be a non-profit that is not required to file, such as a church, or it may be a for-profit company.
2. Sign up for a service that does reverse EIN searches (see Resources). These services require fees. Avoid the "free" offers as they tend to be untrustworthy or contain out-of-date information.
3. Call a government office. Contact your state tax office if you believe the business to be located in your state. You can reach the IRS help desk at 800-876-1715.
