Why EIN Applications for Foreign-Owned LLCs Get Delayed

If your EIN still hasn't arrived a month after applying, the problem is rarely just IRS backlog. Here are the five patterns we see most often.

1. The application was never received

IRS fax lines drop calls. If your fax machine showed a successful transmission but the IRS never logged it, your SS-4 is in limbo — they don't have it, you don't know they don't have it, and the clock isn't ticking. The fix is to call the IRS to check whether an EIN was assigned, and resubmit only if it wasn't — a duplicate SS-4 can create a second EIN.

2. The IRS issued the EIN but the letter never arrived

This is the most frustrating pattern. The EIN exists in IRS records, but your CP 575 confirmation letter was mailed to an address that didn't forward properly. You're stuck waiting for something the IRS has already done. The fix is to request a 147C verification letter, which serves the same purpose.

3. The IRS sent a rejection letter you never received

Same problem, different direction. The IRS letter explaining why your application was rejected is sitting at an old address — or at your registered agent's address but never forwarded. To you, it looks like silence. The fix is to call the IRS international EIN line (+1 267-941-1099) and ask them to review the case.

4. Name mismatch flagged for manual review

If the legal name on your SS-4 doesn't match exactly what the IRS expects based on your formation documents (e.g. "LLC" vs. "L.L.C." vs. "Limited Liability Company"), the application may be flagged for manual review. Manual review adds weeks to the timeline.

5. It went to the wrong fax number

Applicants whose business is outside the U.S. have their own IRS fax numbers (+1 304-707-9471 from outside the U.S., 855-215-1627 from within it). If your SS-4 went to the domestic EIN fax number instead, it may have been routed incorrectly or not processed. Check the number against the current Instructions for Form SS-4 and, after confirming with the IRS that no EIN was issued, resubmit to the international number.

What to do

If you've waited a month with no response, don't just wait longer. Diagnose the likely cause — call the IRS yourself (the international line is +1-267-941-1099), request a 147C if the EIN may already have been issued, or prepare a follow-up letter referencing your original submission date and fax confirmation. Our EIN delay help service does this diagnosis for you, and CP 575 vs. Letter 147C explains which letter to ask for.