Getting an EIN for Your Tennessee Limited Partnership

An Employer Identification Number is a nine-digit federal tax ID the IRS assigns to a business. It's the entity equivalent of a Social Security number, used on tax filings, bank paperwork, and any dealings where the partnership identifies itself to the government or a financial institution.

A limited partnership always needs an EIN — there's no single-owner exception the way there is for a one-person LLC. That's because a partnership, by nature, has multiple owners and must file an informational federal return (Form 1065) and issue Schedule K-1s to its partners. The IRS uses the EIN to track that return. You'll also need the EIN before a bank will open a partnership account and before you can register with the Tennessee Department of Revenue.

Where the EIN sits in the formation sequence

Get the EIN after your Certificate of Limited Partnership is accepted. Applying for the EIN asks for the partnership's legal name and formation details, so it's cleanest to have the entity officially in existence first. Once you have the EIN, the bank account and tax registrations fall into place.

The IRS issues EINs at no cost. The fastest route is the online EIN Assistant at IRS.gov, which walks you through the application and issues the number immediately upon completion. You can download and print the confirmation and start using the EIN the same day.

What you'll need on hand

• The partnership's legal name exactly as filed on the Certificate of Limited Partnership.
• The Tennessee principal or mailing address for the partnership.
• A responsible party — typically a general partner — with their name and a taxpayer identification number.
• Basic details about the partnership: entity type (partnership), reason for applying, and expected activity.

Timing and access

The online assistant is available during set hours and must be completed in one session — it doesn't save partway through, so gather everything first. The application asks you to identify the entity as a partnership, which sets the correct default federal tax treatment for your LP.

Beware of third-party sites that charge a fee to "get" your EIN. The number is free directly from the IRS. It's fine if a formation package includes EIN retrieval as a convenience, but you should never pay the IRS for the number itself, because the IRS doesn't charge for it.

The IRS requires every EIN application to name a "responsible party" — a real person who ultimately controls or manages the entity. For a limited partnership, that's naturally a general partner, since general partners run the business and hold authority over it. A limited partner, being passive, generally isn't the right choice for responsible party.

The responsible party provides their own taxpayer identification number on the application. The IRS uses this to tie a human being to the entity for accountability. Only one responsible party is listed even if the partnership has several general partners — pick the one who genuinely serves that controlling role.

The online EIN Assistant requires the responsible party to have a U.S. Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). That's a hurdle when a general partner of a Tennessee LP is a non-U.S. person without either.

The workaround

A foreign responsible party without an SSN or ITIN can still obtain an EIN by filing Form SS-4 directly with the IRS by fax or by mail, rather than online. On the paper form, the responsible party can indicate they are a foreign applicant. Processing takes longer than the instant online route — plan for additional time — but it's a well-worn path, and plenty of foreign-owned Tennessee partnerships get their EIN this way.

Don't guess your way through it

If your partnership has a foreign general partner, this is a good moment to involve a CPA experienced with international owners. The mechanics are manageable, but the surrounding tax questions — withholding, treaty positions, filing obligations — benefit from professional guidance so you don't create problems that surface later.

Once you have the EIN, several things become possible that the partnership can't do without it.

Business bank account

Banks require the EIN to open an account in the partnership's name. They'll typically also want the accepted Certificate of Limited Partnership and often the limited partnership agreement, plus ID for the signers. A dedicated account keeps partnership money strictly separate from any partner's personal funds — essential for the integrity of the entity.

Tennessee tax registration

You'll use the EIN to register the partnership with the Tennessee Department of Revenue through the TNTAP portal for franchise and excise tax, and for any business tax that applies to your activity. The EIN is how the state ties your registrations together.

Federal filings and hiring

The partnership uses the EIN on its Form 1065 and K-1s each year. If the LP ever hires employees, the EIN is the account for payroll tax reporting. Keep the EIN confirmation letter with your permanent records — you'll reference the number repeatedly over the life of the partnership.