Getting an EIN for Your Indiana Nonprofit

An Employer Identification Number is a nine-digit number the IRS assigns to identify an organization for federal tax purposes. Think of it as a Social Security number for your nonprofit — it's how the federal government, banks, and other institutions recognize the organization as a distinct entity.

Despite the word "Employer" in the name, you need an EIN whether or not you ever hire anyone. For a nonprofit it's not optional; it's foundational. You'll use the EIN to:

• Open a bank account. No bank will open a business account for the organization without an EIN.
• Apply for tax-exempt status. The IRS 501(c)(3) application requires the EIN, so you can't pursue exemption without it.
• Hire and pay employees, if and when you do.
• File the annual Form 990 series with the IRS.
• Apply for grants, since funders identify organizations by their EIN.

The EIN attaches to the corporation, so it belongs to the organization, not to any individual. It stays with the nonprofit for its entire life.

Timing matters here. Apply for the EIN after your Indiana nonprofit corporation legally exists — that is, after the Secretary of State has accepted your Articles of Incorporation through INBiz.

The reason is that the EIN attaches to a specific legal entity. If you apply before the corporation is formed, you risk getting a number tied to the wrong entity type or to you personally, which creates confusion later that's annoying to unwind. The clean sequence is: clear your name, appoint your registered agent, file the Articles, wait for the state to confirm the corporation exists, then apply for the EIN. Because Indiana's online formation is usually fast, the wait between forming and getting the EIN is short.

The EIN comes before exemption

A common question is whether the EIN and the 501(c)(3) application happen together. They don't — the EIN comes first. You need the EIN in hand to complete the exemption application, so the order is: form the corporation, get the EIN, then apply to the IRS for exempt status. Getting the EIN does not make you tax-exempt; it simply identifies the organization to the IRS.

For organizations with a U.S. responsible party, the fastest way to get an EIN is the free online application on the IRS website.

What you'll need before you start

• The exact legal name of the nonprofit as it appears on your filed Articles of Incorporation.
• The organization's address and formation state (Indiana) and date.
• The responsible party's name and Social Security number or ITIN. The responsible party is typically an officer or director who controls or manages the organization.

The application itself

Apply through the IRS EIN Assistant at IRS.gov during its available hours. The application is a guided interview that takes about ten minutes. You'll indicate that the entity is a nonprofit or a corporation, provide the details above, and answer a few questions about the organization. When you finish, the IRS issues the EIN immediately — you can download and save the confirmation notice and start using the number the same day.

Save the confirmation

Download the EIN confirmation letter (the CP 575 notice) and store it in your permanent records. Banks and grantmakers sometimes ask to see it, and it's the cleanest proof of your EIN. Losing it isn't fatal, but keeping it saves you a call to the IRS later.

The online application requires the responsible party to have a U.S. Social Security number or ITIN. Organizations whose responsible party doesn't have one can still get an EIN — they just use a different channel.

Applying by fax or mail

Complete Form SS-4, the paper application for an EIN, and submit it to the IRS by fax or mail. Fax is faster than mail; the IRS typically returns the EIN by fax within a few business days, while mail takes longer. If you know you'll need the EIN by a certain date, choose fax and apply with margin.

One responsible party, one entity

The IRS expects a genuine responsible party — a real person who controls or manages the organization, usually an officer or director. This isn't a nominee arrangement; it's the individual the IRS holds accountable for the entity. Choose someone who will remain involved, since updating the responsible party later is an extra step you'd rather avoid.

A few recurring errors cause most of the EIN trouble nonprofits run into. Steering around them keeps the process painless.

• Applying before the corporation is formed. Wait until Indiana confirms the entity exists so the EIN attaches to the right thing.
• Using the wrong legal name. Enter the nonprofit's name exactly as filed. Mismatches between your EIN records and your Articles cause friction with banks and the IRS.
• Getting more than one EIN. An organization needs exactly one. If you accidentally apply twice, contact the IRS to sort out which number to use rather than operating with two.
• Confusing the EIN with tax exemption. The EIN identifies the organization; it does not make you tax-exempt. Exemption is a separate application to the IRS, and it comes after the EIN.
• Losing the confirmation notice. Save the CP 575 in your permanent records so you're not scrambling when a bank or funder asks for it.

Handled in the right order, the EIN is one of the easiest steps in launching a nonprofit — free, fast, and issued on the spot for most organizations. It's the bridge between having a corporation on paper and being able to operate as one: bank account, exemption application, and grant eligibility all run through it.