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Lost Your EIN Letter? How to Request IRS Verification Letter 147C
Use the correct IRS verification route when the original EIN assignment notice is missing, and prepare the authorization information before calling.
First confirm whether the original EIN notice can be recovered
Search the secure company files, formation-service account, tax-professional records, fax history, and the email account used during the EIN process. The original assignment notice is often stored under a generic file name or inside an onboarding folder rather than under the company name.
Check bank, payroll, merchant, tax, and vendor records for the EIN, but do not treat a screenshot from a third-party platform as a replacement for IRS verification. The objective is to recover either the original IRS notice or a fresh IRS verification letter.
Understand what Letter 147C is used for
The IRS can confirm an existing Employer Identification Number or issue Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned, to an authorized taxpayer or representative. This route is commonly used when the original assignment letter was lost, misplaced, or never preserved.
Letter 147C verifies an EIN that already exists. It does not create a new EIN, change the company name, or correct ownership and responsible-party records. Separate correction steps may be required when the IRS record itself is wrong.
Prepare the caller and authorization details
The caller should be a person the IRS can recognize as authorized for the entity, such as the responsible party, an authorized officer, or a properly appointed representative. Be ready to answer identity and company questions before tax information can be disclosed.
Prepare the exact legal name, EIN if known, formation date, mailing address on the IRS record, responsible-party information, entity type, and the reason the letter is needed. If the company address has changed, keep the former address available because it may still be the IRS address of record.
- Exact legal entity name and any former name
- EIN if it can be located in another record
- Address currently believed to be on the IRS file
- Responsible-party name and taxpayer identification information
- Authorized caller title or representative authority
- Secure fax or mailing destination requested for the letter
Preserve the verification letter as a foundational record
When the letter arrives, save the complete document in the company’s federal identity folder and create an encrypted backup. Record the date requested, the authorized caller, the delivery method, and the reason it was obtained.
Use the legal name and EIN exactly as shown. If a bank, payment processor, bureau, or vendor has a different name or number, investigate the mismatch rather than editing the IRS document or submitting conflicting records.
Prevent the problem from recurring
Maintain a controlled company vault containing the formation document, operating agreement, EIN evidence, ownership records, address agreements, tax filings, bank records, and renewal calendar. Limit access but make sure at least two authorized people know how to recover the records if the primary administrator is unavailable.
StartWise Global can organize the EIN and formation file and identify the correct verification route. The IRS decides what information can be disclosed and to whom.