Just formed my Delaware LLC. Need an EIN to open a bank account. Seeing different options on IRS website — online, fax, mail. Which is fastest? Any gotchas?
Pro tip: some banks want you to wait 24-48 hours after getting EIN before opening account. The EIN needs to "propagate" through IRS systems. Had a bank reject my application because they couldn't verify the EIN same-day.
Just got my EIN today — took literally 10 minutes from start to finish. Used the IRS online application at irs.gov/ein. Answered 5-6 questions about my LLC, confirmed my SSN, and boom — instant approval with a PDF confirmation letter.
The system is only available M-F 7am-10pm Eastern. I made the mistake of trying on a Sunday first — just says "service unavailable."
If you're a US person with an SSN, there's zero reason to use mail or fax. It's genuinely the smoothest IRS experience I've ever had.
Warning: my application got rejected and I almost panicked. Here's what happened and how I fixed it.
I entered my LLC name as "Smith Consulting" but my Delaware formation docs had it as "Smith Consulting LLC" (with the LLC suffix). The IRS system kicked back an error saying "entity name doesn't match records."
Fix was simple: I had to enter the EXACT legal name including "LLC" at the end. Resubmitted and got approved instantly.
Other common rejection reasons I learned about: (1) applying too soon after formation — sometimes state records take 24-48 hours to sync, (2) using a PO Box when the form wants a physical address, (3) trying to get a second EIN when you already have one for that entity.
Also useful: if you're just starting your LLC, check out the Delaware LLC formation guide — covers the full process from formation to EIN to bank account.
The key lesson I learned from my experience: DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Screenshots, emails, certified letters, photos — all timestamped. When it came time to prove my case, having a clear paper trail made all the difference.