Creditsafe USA 

United States Data 

Federal Tax ID (EIN) 

 

What is a Tax Identification Number (TIN)? 

In most countries or taxing jurisdictions, a central taxation agency will assign each corporate entity a unique alphanumeric identifier, which distinguishes the business for tax assessment and reporting purposes. Formats and standards for Tax ID Numbers (TINs) vary by jurisdiction. Most TINs only have significance in the jurisdiction they are issued by. Others, like the Value Added Tax Identification Number (VAT / VATIN), are used internationally. Creditsafe uses corporate TIN numbers to help our customers identify distinct businesses. 

Private individuals often have a TIN as well, such as the United States’ Social Security Number. Personal TINs are highly confidential, and Creditsafe does not use them in business credit reports. 

 

What is the United States’ TIN? 

The local corporate TIN for the United States is the Federal Employer Identification Number, also called the FEIN or EIN. 

Unique, 9-digit FEIN numbers are issued to businesses by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) for the purpose of assessing and reporting various types of federal taxes. 

Except for sole proprietorships, self-employed individuals who conduct business without incorporating, all other corporate entities which may owe federal taxes or hire any employees are required to have an FEIN. Even incorporated trusts and estates must obtain an FEIN. 

 

How is Creditsafe’s coverage of FEIN numbers on United States business reports? 

In the United States, an FEIN number is generally confidential unless and until a business discloses it. Privately held companies, which make up over 99% of corporate entities in the United States, are not required to disclose their FEIN number, and no government registry exists where EIN numbers are made available to the public. 

Publicly traded companies, whose shares are traded on stock exchanges, are required to disclose their FEIN number in regular filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All public companies’ FEIN numbers are publicly available. 

 

Non-profit organizations are also required to disclose their FEIN number in regular filings with the Internal Revenue Service in order to maintain their special tax handling privileges. 

Accordingly, Creditsafe’s coverage of FEIN numbers mirrors the availability of the information. 

In the United States: 

  • Privately held companies: 

  • Over 4.1 million of Creditsafe’s business reports for privately held US companies include an FEIN. This is approximately 9.6% of Creditsafe’s active business universe. 

  • Publicly traded companies: 

  • Creditsafe has over 4,800 business reports on publicly traded companies which include an FEIN. 

  • Non-profit organizations: 

  • Creditsafe has over 830,000 business reports on non-profit organizations which include an FEIN.