How to Get an EIN in Wyoming (2026)
An EIN is free from the IRS. The fastest route is the IRS online application, which issues the number immediately in one session; Form SS-4 covers fax, mail, and international applicants. Wyoming levies no state income tax, so after the EIN your remaining state steps are the Secretary of State annual report and any sales tax license.
Quick Answer
- What it is
- Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN or FEIN), issued by the IRS
- Cost
- $0 — the IRS never charges for an EIN
- Fastest method
- IRS online application; the number is issued in the same session
- Online hours
- Mon–Fri 6:00 a.m.–1:00 a.m. ET; Sat 6:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m.; Sun 6:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.
- Form
- Form SS-4, used for fax, mail, and international applicants
- Daily limit
- One EIN per responsible party per day
- Wyoming entity step
- Articles of Organization with the Secretary of State — $100
- Wyoming state income tax
- None on individuals or corporations
What an EIN Is
An Employer Identification Number — also written FEIN — is a nine-digit number in the format 12-3456789 that the IRS assigns to a business. It works as the business equivalent of a Social Security number: it identifies the entity on federal returns, payroll filings, information returns such as Forms 1099, and the bank and merchant accounts the business opens.
The EIN is federal. Wyoming does not issue it and cannot change it. Wyoming issues a separate filing identifier when the Secretary of State registers your entity, and the Department of Revenue issues a license number if you register for sales and use tax. Because Wyoming has no state income tax, the EIN is the only tax identifier many Wyoming businesses ever need beyond that.
Who Needs an EIN
The IRS requires one if any of the following applies. You have employees. Your business is a partnership or a corporation. You have a multi-member LLC, which is taxed as a partnership by default. You file employment, excise, or alcohol, tobacco and firearms returns. You withhold on income other than wages paid to a nonresident alien. Or you administer certain trusts, estates, nonprofits, or retirement plans.
The main exception is a single-member LLC with no employees. The IRS treats it as a disregarded entity, and the owner can report the business on Schedule C using a Social Security number. Most Wyoming owners get an EIN anyway. Banks generally require one to open a business account in the company's name, clients request it on Form W-9, and using it keeps your Social Security number off documents that circulate to vendors and platforms. If you later hire someone or elect S-corporation treatment, you will need one regardless.
The EIN Is Always Free
The IRS is explicit: "Beware of websites that charge for an EIN. You never have to pay a fee for an EIN." Wyoming's popularity as a formation state has produced a large ecosystem of incorporation services, and many of them bundle an "EIN service" line item at $50 to $300 for submitting the same free application you can complete yourself in about ten minutes. Go directly to irs.gov. There is no expedited tier and no premium processing to buy.
The one legitimate case for paying someone is a founder with no US Social Security number or ITIN, who must apply on paper or by phone and may reasonably want help with Form SS-4. Even then, the fee buys assistance — not faster IRS handling.
How to Apply
The online application is fastest and is the method the IRS prefers. It is open Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m. Eastern time, Saturday from 6:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., and Sunday from 6:00 p.m. to midnight. It must be completed in one session — there is no save-and-return — and it times out after a period of inactivity, so gather your information first. The number is issued at the end of the session and the confirmation notice can be downloaded immediately.
Using the online tool requires a valid US taxpayer identification number for the responsible party: a Social Security number or an ITIN. Applicants without one — a common situation for the many non-US founders who form Wyoming LLCs — use Form SS-4 by fax, by mail, or by phone through the IRS international line. Fax responses generally return within a few business days; mail takes several weeks. Build that lead time into any plan that depends on opening a US bank account.
| Method | Who it is for | Typical timing | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online application | Applicants with an SSN or ITIN and a US address | Immediate | $0 |
| Fax (Form SS-4) | Anyone; common for international founders | Several business days | $0 |
| Mail (Form SS-4) | Anyone | Several weeks | $0 |
| Phone | International applicants without a US TIN | Same call | $0 |
The Responsible Party and the Daily Limit
Every application names a responsible party: the individual who ultimately owns or controls the entity, or who exercises effective control over its funds and assets. The IRS requires a natural person, not a holding company, unless the applicant is a government entity. This matters particularly for Wyoming, where layered holding structures are common — you cannot name the parent LLC. If control changes later, file Form 8822-B within 60 days to update the responsible party, a step that is widely skipped and leaves IRS notices going to the wrong person.
The IRS issues one EIN per responsible party per day across all methods. That constrains anyone forming several entities at once — a real estate investor creating a separate Wyoming LLC per property, for instance. Plan on one per calendar day, or use genuinely different responsible parties where that reflects reality.
Where the EIN Fits in the Wyoming Sequence
Order matters. If you are forming an entity, file with the Wyoming Secretary of State first so the exact legal name on the EIN application matches the state record. For an LLC that filing is the Articles of Organization, and the fee is $100; see how to form an LLC in Wyoming. Wyoming also requires a registered agent with a physical Wyoming address, maintained continuously, under the Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act in Title 17.
A name mismatch between the IRS record and the Secretary of State record causes real friction later — banks decline applications over it, and correcting the IRS side means correspondence rather than a quick edit. Enter the name exactly as it appears on the accepted articles, including the entity suffix, punctuation, and capitalization.
Wyoming State Obligations After the EIN
Wyoming is unusual in how little follows. The state levies no individual income tax and no corporate income tax, so there is no state income tax registration to complete and no state income return for the owners to file on business profit. What remains is narrower. If you sell taxable goods or services in Wyoming, you obtain a sales and use tax license from the Department of Revenue and collect the state rate plus any county option tax. If you hire, you register with the Department of Workforce Services for unemployment insurance and carry workers' compensation where required.
The recurring Secretary of State obligation is the annual report, which carries a license tax of $60 or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar ($.0002) of assets located and employed in Wyoming, whichever is greater — so an entity with $300,000 or less in Wyoming assets pays the $60 minimum. It is due on the first day of the anniversary month of formation, and an entity that has not paid within 60 days of the due date becomes subject to dissolution. Note that this is a state charge and is entirely separate from anything the IRS collects. For the wider picture, see the business tax hub and how much an LLC costs.
After You Have the Number
Download and keep the CP 575 confirmation notice the IRS provides at the end of the online application. It is the document banks, payroll providers, lenders, and marketplaces ask for as proof of the EIN, and the IRS does not reissue it — the replacement is a Letter 147C requested by phone, which takes time and, for foreign founders, an international call. Store it with your formation documents and operating agreement.
Then use it: open the business bank account, register any Wyoming tax accounts you need, set up payroll if you have employees, and give the EIN rather than your Social Security number on Forms W-9. You keep the same EIN for the life of the business. A new one is needed only on a genuine change of entity — incorporating a sole proprietorship, converting to a different entity type, or certain ownership changes. Changing your business name, moving, adding a DBA, or switching registered agents does not require a new EIN. If you eventually close the company, notify the IRS in writing to close the business account associated with the EIN; see how to dissolve an LLC.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does an EIN cost?
Nothing. The IRS issues Employer Identification Numbers free of charge through its online application, by fax, by mail, and by phone for international applicants. Any website that charges a fee is a third-party intermediary reselling a free government service. The IRS states plainly that you never have to pay a fee for an EIN.
How long does it take to get an EIN?
The IRS online application issues the number immediately at the end of the session, and you can download the confirmation notice right away. Faxed Forms SS-4 typically come back within a few business days, and mailed applications take several weeks. Apply online whenever you are eligible.
Can I get more than one EIN in a day?
No. The IRS limits issuance to one EIN per responsible party per day, regardless of the application method. If you are forming several entities, plan on one per day. The responsible party must be an individual who controls or manages the entity, not another company, unless a government entity is involved.
Does Wyoming issue its own EIN?
No. The EIN is federal and comes only from the IRS. Wyoming assigns a separate filing identifier when the Secretary of State registers your entity, and the Department of Revenue issues a license number if you register for sales and use tax. Neither substitutes for an EIN on federal filings or at a bank.
Does a single-member LLC in Wyoming need an EIN?
Not always for tax purposes. A single-member LLC with no employees and no excise tax liability is a disregarded entity and may use the owner's Social Security number. In practice most Wyoming owners get one anyway, because banks generally require an EIN to open a business account in the company's name.
Does Wyoming have a state income tax?
No. Wyoming imposes neither an individual income tax nor a corporate income tax, so there is no state income tax registration to complete after you get your EIN. Wyoming instead relies on sales and use tax, severance taxes, and property tax, and the Secretary of State collects an annual report license tax.
Related
- How to get an EIN (national guide)
- What is an ITIN?
- How to form an LLC in Wyoming
- Registered agent requirements
- Single-member LLC basics
- Business tax overview
- S-corp vs LLC
- How much does an LLC cost?
- How to get an EIN in Nevada (sibling)
- How to get an EIN in Utah (sibling)
More Wyoming business guides
Form an LLC in Wyoming Start a Business in Wyoming Wyoming Business License Dissolve an LLC in Wyoming Wyoming Annual Report Wyoming Articles of Organization Wyoming Business Entity Search Wyoming LLC Cost Wyoming DBA Filing Wyoming Operating Agreement Wyoming Certificate of Formation Foreign LLC in Wyoming S-Corp Election in Wyoming Self-Employment Tax in Wyoming Trademark a Name in Wyoming
Sources
- IRS — Get an Employer Identification Number (free EIN; online hours; one EIN per responsible party per day).
- IRS — About Form SS-4, Application for Employer Identification Number.
- IRS — Do You Need an EIN?
- IRS — Responsible Parties and Nominees.
- IRS — Single Member Limited Liability Companies.
- IRS — Limited Liability Company (LLC).
- IRS — Business Structures.
- Wyoming Secretary of State — Business Division Fees ($100 Articles of Organization).
- Wyoming Secretary of State — Annual Reports ($60 minimum license tax or $.0002 per dollar of Wyoming assets; due the first day of the anniversary month).
- Wyoming Secretary of State — LLC FAQs.
- Wyoming Secretary of State — Registered Agents.
- Wyoming Department of Revenue — Income Tax (Wyoming has no individual or corporate income tax).
- Wyoming Department of Revenue — Sales and Use Tax.
- Wyoming Legislature — Wyoming Statutes Title 17 (Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act).
- U.S. Small Business Administration — Get Federal and State Tax ID Numbers.
LegalGlass provides general information for educational purposes and is not a law firm and is not legal advice or a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney or tax professional. Laws, fees, forms, and deadlines change; verify current requirements with the IRS and the Wyoming Secretary of State before acting.