Where can i use my ein number

A nine-digit employment identification number is approximately to businesses what a Social Security number is to individuals. To effectively use an EIN for credit, you'll need to separate your business and personal financial dealings and establish credit for the business in its own right. When using an EIN in financial dealings, reputation counts, so your business must be trustworthy.

A DUNS number, issued by Dun & Bradstreet, is sometimes required along with an EIN to establish certain credit relationships. Businesses may also be asked for a TIN, or taxpayer identification number.

Obtain a DUNS Number

Gather basic business information, including legal name and structure, owner, year the business was established, number of employees and any "doing business as" names. You'll also need the SIC code, which describes your line of business (see Resources).

Contact D&B at 866-705-5711 between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. C.S.T. on a weekday or online at: fedgov.dnb.com/webform. Supply the requested business information. If calling, you'll receive your nine-digit DUNS number immediately. Online requests take a business day.

Business Legal Structure 

Structure your business as an LLC or corporation rather than as a sole proprietorship to make it easier to establish credit for the EIN and business alone. Otherwise, personal credit can bleed into your business credit report.

Open a checking account for your business using the EIN. A business checking account helps separate personal and business finances.

Treat Your Vendors Right

Your payment dealings can end up on your business credit report. Make it a point to pay before the vendor has to send you a bill. Establish credit trade accounts with several companies that offer revolving credit lines.

Use your EIN when filling out applications, charge what you need and then pay the amount in full and before the due date to establish good credit. Companies like Dell, Staples and Lowe's often work with new businesses.

Build Business Credit

Contact business credit bureaus to establish a business credit file. Bureaus include D&B, the Small Business Financial Exchange, Experian and Equifax.

Apply for a business credit card after you have established credit, using your EIN. If your business is new, you may need to hunt for an issuer; try small banks in your community. If you have difficulty, consider asking for a secured card, with which the issuer takes cash in advance to offset the risk.

Apply for a small loan after having established at least a year of credit worthiness attached to the EIN. Pay off the loan before the due date.

Tip

Before applying for a credit card or loan, check with credit agencies to make sure your information is accurate. A score of at least 75 is excellent.

As of February, 2003, SRM Domestic Customers are required to submit their Tax Identification (TIN) number. Please see the following Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for information.

What is a TIN/EIN?

Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN) and Employer Identification Number (EIN) are defined as a nine-digit number that the IRS assigns to organizations. The IRS uses the number to identify taxpayers who are required to file various business tax returns. TIN/EIN are used by employers, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, nonprofit associations, trusts, estates of decedents, government agencies, certain individuals, and other business entities. 

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I am confused, are TIN/EIN the same thing?

A Federal Tax Identification Number, also known as a "95 Number", "E.I.N. Number," or "Tax I.D. Number", all refer to the nine digit number issued by the IRS. They are different names for the same number.  

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Why do you need our TIN/EIN number?

NIST is implementing a new financial management system and will be consolidating customer records from many different sources. In an effort to keep the central database manageable we are trying to limit the number of duplicate entries in our customer database. TIN/EIN will serve as a way to uniquely identify a business entity when the precise name of a business entity is unknown or when it is difficult to distinguish it from other businesses with similar names.  

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Our company is exempt from taxes on purchases; can you accept our tax exemption certificate/number?

No, we are not using the number for tax purposes and the tax exemption number will not provide us with the necessary information to determine if you are an existing customer in our database.  

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Our company is exempt from taxes on purchases; therefore you should not need my TIN/EIN number.

Our request has nothing to do with tax status. Our main goal in obtaining and storing TIN/EIN information is to make our NIST centralized customer database as efficient as possible.  

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We are tax exempt; if we provide our TIN/EIN will you be assessing tax on our purchases?

No  

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I do not know what my TIN/EIN Number is, how do I find out?

Check with your finance office, company secretary, or CFO.  

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I do not have a TIN/EIN number.

Are you sure? TIN/EIN numbers are used by domestic employers, sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, nonprofit associations, trusts, estates of decedents, government agencies, certain individuals and other business entities. If your company falls into one of these categories you should have a TIN/EIN number.  

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I only placed one SRM order and I don't anticipate ordering anything else. Do you still need my TIN/EIN number?

Yes. NIST labs will be sharing the centralized customer file. Consequently, if you or another representative from your company utilize any of NIST's other programs this will ease the process for those orders as well.  

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Will I have to provide this information every time I place an order?

No  

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Who will have access to this information?

This data will be stored in our financial management system as sensitive information. It will be maintained by a central resource. Our labs will be able to query on TIN number but will not be able to pull up a list of all TIN numbers in our database.  

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How do I provide this number?

We can provide a formal request letter and W9 form to you if you would like. We would also be happy to record your information over the phone.  

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