Getting an EIN in California, as of 2026, is free and federal: the IRS issues the same nine-digit number the same way in every state. What makes California its own animal is everything that lands next to that number. New owners meet the $800 FTB minimum, the EDD payroll account, and the CDTFA seller’s permit, and assume the EIN covers them. It doesn’t.
How to Get a California EIN for Your LLC
A California EIN is free, issued by the IRS, and granted the same day you apply online in about 15 minutes; California taxes are separate, so depending on what you do, you will register with the EDD, the CDTFA, or both, while the FTB’s $800 tax applies either way.
Any California LLC with employees, multiple members, or a corporate tax election needs one, and many single-member owners get one anyway, since many banks request an EIN before opening a business bank account.
- IRS EIN application: irs.gov, free; the EIN Assistant is open Mon-Fri 6am-1am ET, Sat 6am-9pm, Sun 6pm-12am
- IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line: 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7am to 7pm local
- California payroll taxes: Employment Development Department (EDD), e-Services for Business
- California sales tax: California Department of Tax and Fee Administration (CDTFA)
Does Your California LLC Need an EIN?
Whether the IRS requires an Employer Identification Number depends on how your LLC is taxed and whether anyone’s on payroll. A single-member LLC with no employees is a disregarded entity for federal tax purposes, so it isn’t strictly required to have one.
Boost Suite recommends getting one anyway. Banks ask for it, payroll is simpler when the number’s already in hand, and it’s a sensible default when you’re forming an LLC in California.
| Business type | EIN required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single-member LLC, no employees | No (but recommended) | Disregarded entity; get one for a bank account and payroll readiness |
| Single-member LLC, with employees | Yes | Payroll triggers the federal requirement |
| Multi-member LLC | Yes | Always required, regardless of employees |
| LLC taxed as S-corp or C-corp | Yes | The tax election requires its own EIN |
| Sole proprietor | Sometimes | Only with employees or certain excise taxes |
| Partnership | Yes | Always required |
California is a community-property state, so a married couple that co-owns an LLC can elect to treat it as one disregarded entity for federal taxes rather than a partnership. Either way, the EIN names a single responsible party, so decide early which spouse that will be.
If two members are involved, put a California LLC operating agreement in place before you apply, so ownership is documented when the bank asks.
How to Get an EIN in California, Step by Step (Online, Fax, or Mail)
Most California owners finish online in about 15 minutes, and the number comes back the same session.
- Confirm your California LLC is approved: the name on your EIN has to match your Secretary of State record, so file first and wait for approval. (Here’s how long California LLC approval takes under current processing.)
- Open the IRS online EIN Assistant: it’s open Monday to Friday from 6am to 1am ET, with weekend hours too, and times out after 15 minutes of inactivity, so have everything ready.
- Pick your entity type carefully: this is the screen that causes the most refilings. Select “Limited Liability Company,” not “Corporation,” unless you’ve actually filed a corporate election.
- Enter your legal name, then any trade name: the legal name matches your California LLC exactly; a DBA goes in the separate trade-name field.
- Name your responsible party: this is a natural person with a Social Security number or ITIN, never the LLC itself (only a government entity can name an entity here).
- Choose your reason for applying: “Started a new business” fits most new LLCs.
- Download the CP 575 immediately: that EIN confirmation letter is the one document the IRS won’t resend, and your bank will want to see it.
California EIN Approval (EIN Confirmation Letter): Save Your CP 575 Before Opening State Tax Accounts
Once the IRS approves your California LLC’s EIN, the confirmation page lets you download the CP 575, also called the EIN Confirmation Letter. This is the official IRS notice that shows your LLC’s federal EIN, legal name, and responsible party information exactly as the IRS recorded it.
Save this letter before you close the IRS window. California owners often need the same EIN details when opening a business bank account, setting up payroll with the EDD, registering for a CDTFA seller’s permit, or matching records later when filing with the Franchise Tax Board.
The main risk in California is a name mismatch. If your CP 575 shows a slightly different LLC name than your California Secretary of State filing, that mismatch can follow you into your EDD payroll account, CDTFA permit, and bank paperwork. Before using the EIN anywhere else, compare the CP 575 against your approved California LLC record.
The IRS will not reissue the original CP 575. If you lose it, you can request EIN verification later, usually through a 147C letter, but that is not as convenient as saving the original confirmation letter the moment it appears.
I’ve had married couples insist on putting both names on the EIN, and the online tool just does not work that way. It takes one responsible party with one SSN or ITIN. In California, you can still have the LLC taxed as one disregarded entity, but I tell couples to name the spouse who will handle the bank and the EDD account, since that name follows you onto every state form.
No SSN or ITIN? Foreign owners can’t use the online tool, so they fax or mail Form SS-4 to the IRS or call the international line at 267-941-1099 (not the domestic 800-829-4933).
An authorized third-party designee can file on someone else’s behalf, which is how many foreign founders handle it.
Fax returns the number in roughly four business days; mail to the IRS Cincinnati operation takes about four weeks. One more limit worth flagging: the IRS grants one EIN per responsible party per day.
The application costs nothing. Third-party sites charging $150 to $300 are reselling a free federal service; they can’t get you anything the IRS won’t issue directly.
Want help keeping your California LLC and EIN paperwork aligned?
The IRS EIN is free if you apply directly, but the details still need to match your approved California LLC record. Northwest Registered Agent can help with California LLC formation, registered agent service, and EIN filing support if you want a guided workflow that keeps the legal name, responsible party details, and filing records consistent from the start.
What to Gather Before You Apply, Starting With Your California SOS Entity Number
Having the right details on hand keeps the 15-minute window from running out mid-application. The IRS wants your business identity, responsible party, and a reason; California adds one document other states lean on less: your Secretary of State entity number.
- Approved LLC legal name, matching your California Secretary of State record character for character
- California Secretary of State entity number and your formation date
- Responsible party’s full name and Social Security number or ITIN
- Entity type (Limited Liability Company) and number of members
- Reason for applying and your principal business address
Form the California LLC first, then apply. Whatever name you enter is what the CP 575 prints, so if it doesn’t match the state record, you’ll hit bank headaches later.
If you’re still at the entity stage, start your California LLC first and line up your California registered agent before you touch the IRS form.
EIN vs Your California SEIN, CDTFA Seller’s Permit, and the $800 FTB Tax
This is where it gets tricky: owners confuse the federal EIN with their California obligations. The EIN is your federal tax number. California adds three pieces of its own, each from a different agency: the EDD payroll account, the CDTFA seller’s permit, and the FTB’s annual tax.
| Comparison point | IRS EIN (federal) | California numbers (state) |
|---|---|---|
| Issued by | Internal Revenue Service | EDD (SEIN), CDTFA (seller’s permit), FTB ($800 tax, no separate number) |
| Used for | Federal taxes, payroll filings, bank account | State payroll/UI, sales tax, $800 franchise tax |
| Who needs it | Most LLCs (see table above) | Employers (EDD), goods sellers (CDTFA), every LLC (FTB) |
| Where to get it | irs.gov, free, same day | EDD e-Services, CDTFA portal, FTB (no registration, just owed) |
Almost every week, a client forwards me their EIN and asks why the EDD will not accept it as their state employer number. They are different numbers from different agencies, and the EIN does not unlock either the EDD account or the CDTFA permit.
Registering With the EDD, CDTFA, and FTB After You Get Your EIN
The EIN is the key that unlocks your California state registrations, and you’ll enter it on each one. Which agencies you deal with depends on whether you hire and whether you sell goods; the FTB wants its $800 either way.
The EDD payroll tax account (your SEIN)
Once your LLC pays employees, you register with the Employment Development Department for a State Employer Identification Number, the SEIN. The trigger is paying more than $100 in wages in a calendar quarter, and you’ve got 15 days from that point to register through e-Services for Business. The SEIN covers both state income-tax withholding and unemployment insurance.
The CDTFA seller’s permit
If your California LLC sells taxable goods, you need a seller’s permit from the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration before you make a sale. Registration is free through the CDTFA online portal, and your EIN is one of the details you’ll enter. Service-only businesses usually skip it, though some services are taxable.
The FTB $800 minimum franchise tax
The catch with California is the $800 annual minimum franchise tax, and it surprises almost everyone. It isn’t an account you register for; the Franchise Tax Board assesses it on nearly every California LLC, EIN or not.
It’s a real piece of your ongoing costs, covered in our California LLC business taxes breakdown and in what a California LLC costs each year.
The $800 is the surprise I brace every new California owner for. People assume some registration or the EIN covers it, and it does not. The FTB minimum is owed by the LLC directly.
To register, you’ll use the EDD’s e-Services for Business for payroll and the CDTFA portal for sales tax, entering your EIN on each. Both are free, confirm quickly online, and neither replaces the other.
EIN Mistakes That Cost California LLC Owners Time and Money
The expensive errors here are rarely about the federal form alone; they’re about how the EIN connects to California’s agencies.
- Picking “Corporation” on the entity-classification screen when you meant LLC, which forces a refile
- Naming a nominee or the LLC itself as responsible party instead of a natural person
- Applying for a second EIN when you already have one (you don’t need a new number for most changes)
- A name mismatch between your EIN and your California Secretary of State record; verify yours with the California business entity search before you file
- Assuming the EIN covers the $800 FTB tax, the EDD payroll account, or the CDTFA permit; it covers none of them
Bottom line: the EDD account, the CDTFA permit, and the FTB tax are three separate things, not one stop.
If You Lose Your California EIN or Change Your LLC
A misplaced EIN isn’t gone; it’s just somewhere you forgot to look. Check your CP 575 confirmation letter, a prior federal return, or your bank’s account-opening paperwork. If none turn up, here’s how to look up an EIN number: request a 147C verification letter from the IRS, which reissues it to the responsible party.
Your California state tax items live with their own agencies: the SEIN in EDD e-Services, the seller’s permit in your CDTFA account, and the annual tax you report to the FTB on Form 568.
A new EIN is only required for structural changes, such as converting a sole proprietorship to an LLC or moving from single-member to multi-member taxation. Name or address changes don’t; you handle those with Form 8822-B or 8832 and report them on your next California Statement of Information.
Common California EIN Questions From New LLC Owners
These come up constantly in the first month of running a California LLC, so they’re worth answering before you file rather than after.
Is a California EIN really free, and why do some sites charge for it?
Yes, it’s free directly from the IRS. Paid services charge $150 to $300 for a form you can finish yourself in 15 minutes, and they can’t deliver anything the IRS won’t issue at no cost.
What’s the difference between my EIN, my EDD SEIN, and my CDTFA seller’s permit number?
The EIN is federal, from the IRS. The SEIN is your EDD payroll account for state withholding and unemployment. The CDTFA seller’s permit number is for collecting sales tax.
Can a foreign owner with no SSN get an EIN for a California LLC?
Yes. You can’t use the online tool without an SSN or ITIN, but a foreign responsible party can still get the EIN by fax, mail, or the 267-941-1099 international line. On Form SS-4, the taxpayer-ID line can read ‘Foreign.’
Do single-member California LLCs need an EIN?
Not strictly, with no employees, since you’re a disregarded entity. You’ll want one anyway, because California banks ask for it to open a business account.
Does my EIN replace the $800 FTB franchise tax?
No. The EIN is just an identifier. The $800 minimum is a separate obligation the Franchise Tax Board assesses on your LLC regardless of the EIN.
Can I get an EIN before my California LLC is approved by the Secretary of State?
Technically yes, but Boost Suite advises against it. The CP 575 prints the name you enter, and a later mismatch with the approved state name is annoying to unwind.
How do I find my EIN if I lost my California LLC’s CP 575?
Check past tax returns and bank records first. If it’s truly lost, call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line and request a 147C letter, sent to the responsible party on record.
- California FTB: Limited Liability Company (LLC) Tax Information
- IRS: Apply for an Employer Identification Number (EIN) Online
- IRS: About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number
- California Secretary of State: bizfileOnline business filings
- California EDD: Payroll Tax Registration via e-Services for Business
- California CDTFA: Register for a Seller’s Permit
Looking for an overview? See California LLC Services
Get Your California LLC EIN with Harbor Compliance
Harbor Compliance helps California LLC owners apply for an EIN with accurate business details, avoid IRS filing errors, and stay aligned with state compliance requirements for taxes, payroll, and permits.
