Getting an EIN for Your New Hampshire Nonprofit

The IRS assigns each organization an Employer Identification Number, a nine-digit federal tax ID. For a nonprofit, it functions like a Social Security number for the organization — a unique identifier the federal government, banks, and other institutions use to recognize your corporation. Despite the name, you don't need employees to need an EIN. Every nonprofit corporation requires one, regardless of size or staffing.

What you'll use it for

• Opening a bank account. No bank will open a business account for your nonprofit without an EIN.
• Applying for tax exemption. The IRS requires an EIN before you file Form 1023 or Form 1023-EZ for 501(c)(3) status.
• Hiring and paying staff. If you bring on employees, the EIN identifies you for payroll tax purposes.
• Filing annual returns. Your Form 990-series filings are tied to your EIN.
• Grant applications and vendor forms. Funders and vendors routinely ask for the EIN to identify the organization.

The EIN is issued free by the IRS. This is worth emphasizing because some services charge a fee just to obtain one — a fee for something the IRS provides at no cost. Getting an EIN is one of the few genuinely free steps in launching a nonprofit.

The order in which you do things affects whether the EIN attaches cleanly to your organization. The right sequence is: form the corporation first, then get the EIN.

Why to wait for approved Articles

Apply for your EIN after the New Hampshire Secretary of State has approved your Articles of Incorporation. The EIN application asks for the organization's exact legal name — the one on your approved Articles. If you apply before the corporation officially exists, or before the name is finalized, you risk a mismatch between your EIN records and your state registration, which causes friction with banks and the IRS down the line.

Waiting also ensures the EIN belongs to a corporation that legally exists. An EIN tied to a nonprofit that was never actually formed, or formed under a slightly different name, creates a paperwork tangle that's far easier to avoid than to unwind. The clean sequence — Articles approved, then EIN, then bylaws, then exemption application — keeps every document referencing the same organization.

The fastest way to get an EIN is the IRS's online EIN Assistant at IRS.gov. The application is free, takes roughly ten minutes, and issues the number immediately upon completion.

What you'll need before you start

• The organization's exact legal name, matching your approved Articles of Incorporation.
• The New Hampshire address of the organization.
• The entity type — you'll indicate that you're a nonprofit or other tax-exempt organization.
• A responsible party with a valid Social Security number or ITIN (more on this below).
• The reason for applying — starting a new organization.

Tips for a smooth application

• Complete it in one sitting. The online session times out after a period of inactivity, and you can't save and resume.
• Enter the legal name precisely as it appears on your Articles — punctuation and wording included.
• Print or save the EIN confirmation (the CP 575 notice) the moment it's issued. This is your proof of the number, and it can be a hassle to retrieve later.

Once the number is issued, you can use it immediately — for opening the bank account, for the exemption application, everywhere.

Every EIN application requires a "responsible party" — an individual who controls or manages the organization. For a nonprofit, this is typically a principal officer or a director, such as the board president or treasurer.

What the responsible party role means

The responsible party is the person the IRS treats as the point of contact and the individual ultimately responsible for the organization at the federal level. It's not ownership — nonprofits have no owners — it's responsibility. The person listed provides their name and their SSN or ITIN on the application.

For most nonprofits, listing a founding director or officer as the responsible party is straightforward. If that person later leaves the organization, the IRS allows you to update the responsible party on record, and keeping it current is good practice. If your responsible party doesn't have an SSN or ITIN, the online application won't work — you'll need to apply by fax or mail using Form SS-4, which takes longer.

The EIN is a foundational document, and getting it opens the next steps in building your nonprofit.

What it unlocks

• Bank account. With the EIN, your approved Articles, and your bylaws, you can open a dedicated nonprofit bank account — essential for keeping the organization's finances separate and clean.
• Tax-exemption application. The EIN is required to file Form 1023 or 1023-EZ with the IRS. You can't apply for 501(c)(3) status without it.
• Charitable and state registrations. The EIN identifies your organization on your Attorney General charitable registration and other filings.

Keep it safe and consistent

Store the EIN confirmation somewhere your board can find it, and use the exact same legal name and EIN across every filing — state, federal, and charitable. Inconsistencies between your EIN records and your other registrations are a common source of delays. One clean identity, used everywhere, keeps your paperwork frictionless.

Getting an EIN does not make your nonprofit tax-exempt. It's a prerequisite, not the exemption itself — the exemption comes from the separate IRS application. Think of the EIN as the key that lets you walk through the next door, not the destination.