How EINs are assigned and valid EIN prefixes

An Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as a Federal Tax Identification Number, is used to identify a business entity.

Daily limitation of an employer identification number

Effective May 21, 2012, to ensure fair and equitable treatment for all taxpayers, the Internal Revenue Service will limit Employer Identification Number (EIN) issuance to one per responsible party per day. This limitation is applicable to all requests for EINs whether online or by fax or mail. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Prior to 2001, the first two digits of an EIN (the EIN prefix) indicated the business was located in a particular geographic area. In 2001, EIN assignment was centralized, although all 10 campuses can assign an EIN, if necessary.

As a result of the centralization effort, the EIN prefix no longer has the same significance. The EIN prefix now only indicates which campus assigned the EIN. Each campus has certain prefixes available for use, as well as prefixes that are solely for use by the online application and the Small Business Administration. The prefix breakdown is shown in the table below:

Campus/other location   Valid EIN prefixes

Andover

10, 12

Atlanta

60, 67

Austin

50, 53

Brookhaven

01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 11, 13, 14, 16, 21, 22, 23, 25, 34, 51, 52, 54, 55, 56, 57, 58, 59, 65

Cincinnati

30, 32, 35, 36, 37, 38, 61

Fresno

15, 24

Kansas City

40, 44

Memphis

94, 95

Ogden

80, 90

Philadelphia

33, 39, 41, 42, 43, 46, 48, 62, 63, 64, 66, 68, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 85, 86, 87, 88, 91, 92, 93, 98, 99

Internet

20, 26, 27, 45, 46, 47, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 92, 93, 99
Small Business Administration (SBA) 31