Are you interested in getting your tax ID number for your Ohio business? You may not have an option. For many business entities, including sole proprietorships, partnerships, limited liability companies (LLCs), and corporations, your tax ID number is a requirement. This article will walk new business owners through the process of registering their business with the federal and state governments, and getting the local tax IDs they need to operate legally in the state of Ohio.
Steps to Apply for an Ohio Tax ID (EIN) Online
- Gather All Important Information
- Ready to Apply for an Ohio Tax ID Online?
- Applying for an Ohio Tax ID: Phone, Mail, or Fax
- How Do I Get a Tax ID Number in Ohio?
- How Do You Apply for a State Tax ID Number?
- What’s the Best Way to Get an Ohio State Tax ID?
1. Gather All Important Information
To get a tax ID, you’ll need to fill out an application, which will ask you some pertinent information about your business, including your business partners. This is a process that registers your business with the government, so this information needs to be accurate. To complete the application, you’ll need to have the full legal names of all your business’s founding members (including you), those members’ legal addresses, and their social security numbers (SSNs). If you can gather this information in advance, before you start the application, you’ll be able to finish the application much quicker.
2. Ready to Apply for an Ohio Tax ID Online?
If you’re ready to apply for your tax ID, you’ll be able to access the application in one of several different mediums. You can rely on a traditional application method, like applying over the phone, by mail, or by fax, but these methods have been made obsolete by a better method: applying online.
Applying for your tax ID number online is advantageous for several reasons, and the process is easy to follow. First, you’ll pull up the online application using any digital device with an internet connection; this is already more convenient than using a traditional method. If you have the relevant information on your business’s founding members, it should only take you a few minutes to complete.
When the application is done, the biggest benefit of the online application kicks in. The application processes extremely quickly, so you should receive your tax ID via email in less than an hour. That means you’ll get your tax ID in-hand faster than with any other method of application.
3. Applying for an Ohio Tax ID: Phone, Mail, or Fax
All entrepreneurs are encouraged to use the online application to get their tax ID number. However, there are some other application methods available to people interested in seeking them out. For example, you could apply over the phone, answering the same application questions over the phone, with a live representative in an interview style. You could also find a physical, paper application, and fill it out. You’ll need to send it in via mail or fax if you do this. In any case, these traditional methods come with a major downside; you’ll wait 4 to 6 weeks to get your tax ID by mail, making them extremely sluggish by comparison.
4. How Do I Get a Tax ID Number in Ohio?
You may wonder if you truly need a tax ID number for your Ohio business, and if you do, what the best way to get it is. First, you should know that the terminology can vary. Generally, when someone makes reference to a "tax ID" or "tax ID number," they’re talking about your federal tax ID number, which is also called an employer identification number (EIN), or federal employer identification number (FEIN). These names all refer to the same, unique 9-digit number given to your business when you register with the federal government.
This number is a requirement if you’re going to hire employees at any point, or if your business involves multiple partners (like in a partnership, LLC, or corporation). This number is also necessary for many financial purposes, including opening a business bank account, applying for a loan, or opening a line of credit. You’ll even use it on paperwork for vendor agreements with other businesses, and for applying for a business license or permit with your city.
Getting a tax ID is fairly simple, though there are several distinct methods you could potentially use. Traditional methods, like applying by phone or mail, still exist, but it’s universally better to apply online. When you apply online, you’ll receive your tax ID in an hour or less.
5. How Do You Apply for a State Tax ID Number?
Your business may also need a state tax ID number in Ohio. State tax ID numbers are mostly used for sales tax purposes. Note that your Ohio state tax ID number is similar to, but distinct from your federal tax ID number. It, too, is a unique number assigned to your business, but this one applies at the state level, and is given to you when you register your business with the state government of Ohio.
This number is a requirement for any business that’s going to hire employees in the state of Ohio. You’ll also need one if you’re going to sell taxable products and services in the state, or if you’re going to owe excise taxes. Excise taxes apply to certain regulated goods, like alcohol, tobacco, and gasoline. Applying for a state tax ID number is similar to the federal tax ID application process; again, it’s best to apply online.
6. What’s the Best Way to Get an Ohio State Tax ID?
If you need to get an Ohio state tax ID number for your business, you’ll first need to get a federal tax ID number, which you can obtain by applying online.
Once you have that, you can begin the state tax ID application in one of several different mediums. Again, your best bet is to use the online application. There, you’ll answer several questions about your business and its founding partners. It should only take you a few minutes to complete if you have this information available. When done, you’ll receive your state tax ID in 4 to 6 weeks. This method is still much faster and more convenient than any other Ohio state tax ID application method.