Get an EIN for Your Minnesota LLC — Free at IRS.gov (2026)
Your EIN is your LLC's federal tax ID — required for banking, hiring, and registering with the Minnesota Department of Revenue. It's 100% free at IRS.gov and takes about 15 minutes. Here's the Minnesota sequence, including the no-SSN path.
Apply for your EIN free at IRS.gov — never pay a third party. With an SSN or ITIN, the online application takes about 15 minutes and issues your EIN immediately. Without one, file Form SS-4 by fax (≈4+ business days) or mail (≈4+ weeks). Apply after your Articles are approved so IRS records match your exact legal name and formation date. Then register with the Minnesota Department of Revenue for withholding and the 6.875%+ sales tax as applicable.
- Cost
- $0 — always free
- Where
- IRS.gov only
- Online time
- ~15 minutes
- Online issuance
- Immediate
- No SSN? (SS-4 fax)
- ~4+ business days
- After EIN
- MN Dept. of Revenue
What an EIN Is (and Why Every Minnesota LLC Needs One)
An EIN (Employer Identification Number) is the nine-digit federal tax ID the IRS assigns your business. You need one even with zero employees:
- Open a business bank account — every bank wants the EIN letter, your confirmed Articles, and your operating agreement.
- Register with the Minnesota Department of Revenue — your state tax accounts (withholding, sales & use tax) key off the EIN.
- File federal and Minnesota taxes — including the graduated 5.35%–9.85% state income tax on pass-through profits.
- Protect your SSN — put your EIN on W-9s instead of your personal number.
Never pay for an EIN. The IRS charges nothing. Sites charging $50–$300 for "EIN filing" resell a free government form, often styled to look official. The only site you need is IRS.gov.
Which Application Method Should You Use?
EIN Path Picker — Minnesota Edition
2 questions · your exact path, timeline, and Minnesota next step
The IRS online assistant runs Mon–Fri during posted hours and issues one EIN per responsible party per day. All methods are free.
The Online Application, Step by Step
Wait for approval first
Your EIN must match your final legal name and formation date. File through MBLS and you'll usually have approval within about a week.
Go to the IRS EIN Assistant
IRS.gov → "Apply for an Employer ID Number." Choose "Limited Liability Company," then Minnesota.
Enter members and responsible party
Member count sets your default classification — disregarded entity for one member, partnership for two-plus — and the responsible party provides their SSN/ITIN.
Complete in one session
The application times out after 15 idle minutes with no save. Keep your confirmed Articles in front of you.
Download the CP 575 immediately
Your confirmation letter displays once. Banks and the MN Department of Revenue will ask for it; a replacement means calling the IRS for Letter 147C.
No SSN? You Can Still Get an EIN
Non-US founders complete Form SS-4, write "Foreign" on line 7b, and submit by fax (~4+ business days) or mail (~4+ weeks). Line-by-line help in our guides to EINs without an SSN and foreign-owned LLCs. Foreign-owned single-member LLCs: remember Form 5472 — a $25,000 penalty applies even at zero income.
After You Get Your EIN — the Minnesota Sequence
- Open your business bank account — CP 575, confirmed Articles, operating agreement.
- Register with the Minnesota Department of Revenue — withholding if hiring, and the 6.875%+ sales & use tax account if you sell taxable goods.
- Mark your renewal window — your first free annual renewal is due December 31 of the year after formation.
Ahmad Adil's Take: the EIN is the one step where "cheap" and "right" are the same thing — free, from the source, in fifteen minutes. If any site or upsell asks you to pay for it, that tells you exactly how they make money. The Minnesota-specific move comes right after: register with the Department of Revenue for sales tax and withholding in the same sitting, while your EIN letter is already open. Minnesota's tax registration is straightforward compared to the formation process — don't let a strong start on the EIN turn into a delayed follow-through on the state accounts.
- ✓Forms your Minnesota LLC for $39 + the $155 state fee
- ✓Files online with the Secretary of State (MBLS)
- ✓Their address as your registered office — free yr 1
- ✓No upsells · No data selling · Privacy by Default
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Minnesota LLC — FAQ
Ahmad Adil is the founder and CEO of LLC School. The figures here — the $155 online Articles of Organization, the $0 annual renewal due December 31, and Minnesota’s graduated 5.35%–9.85% income tax — reflect current Minnesota Secretary of State and Department of Revenue guidance. This is educational content, not legal or tax advice.
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