Getting a 147C Letter by Fax as a Non-US Founder

You have your EIN, and now a bank or payment processor wants proof of it on official letterhead. The original CP 575 confirmation is long gone, or you never saw it because you applied by fax. So how do you get a 147C letter by fax as a non-US founder, and what does the IRS actually need from you? This walkthrough lays out the steps in order and the gotchas that trip up people without an SSN.

What is a 147C letter and why would a non-US founder need one?

A 147C letter is an official IRS document that confirms your business's Employer Identification Number (EIN). The IRS issues it when you have lost the original CP 575 notice that first assigned the EIN, since the IRS will not reissue the CP 575 itself. The 147C serves the same verification purpose: it states your legal entity name and your EIN on IRS letterhead.

Non-US founders need it more often than US-based owners because of how the EIN was obtained. If you have no SSN or ITIN, you cannot use the IRS online EIN tool, so your EIN typically arrived by fax or mail with a CP 575 you may never have filed away. Months later, when a bank, a payment processor, or a tax form demands written proof of the EIN, the 147C is the document the IRS will produce on request.

How do you request a 147C letter by fax as a non-US founder?

You request a 147C letter by calling the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line and asking the agent to send it. The IRS does not accept a written 147C request submitted by fax. Instead, you call, verify your identity over the phone, and the agent faxes the letter back to you, often during the same call. So the "147c letter by fax" is the IRS faxing the letter to you, not you faxing a request to the IRS.

Here is the sequence most non-resident owners follow:

1. Confirm you are an authorized person on the entity. The caller must be an owner, an officer, or someone with a third-party authorization on file. As the LLC's responsible party, you qualify.
2. Have your EIN and exact legal entity name ready, spelled as it appears on IRS records. For a Wyoming LLC, that is the name registered with the Wyoming Secretary of State, including the "LLC" suffix.
3. Call the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line. International callers cannot use the toll-free US number, so use the IRS international line published for businesses calling from outside the United States.
4. Tell the agent you need a 147C letter to confirm your EIN, then answer the identity questions about the entity (formation details, address on file, responsible party).
5. Ask the agent to fax the 147C to a number you can receive on. The agent reads it back, sends the letter, and confirms transmission.

The fax route exists because the IRS will not email the 147C, and mail to a non-US address can take many weeks. A fax arrives in minutes once the agent sends it.

What do you need before you call the IRS?

Before you call, you need three things in hand: your EIN, the exact legal name of the entity, and a working fax number you control. Missing any one of these is the most common reason a call ends without a letter. Gather the supporting details too so identity verification goes smoothly.

A practical pre-call checklist:

• Your EIN, the nine-digit number, even if you only have it from an old email or screenshot.
• The exact legal entity name as filed, matching IRS records character for character.
• The business address on file with the IRS, which for many non-residents is the US mailing address used on the SS-4 application.
• The responsible party's name and details, since the agent verifies you are authorized to receive the letter.
• A fax number you can receive on, which for non-US founders is almost always a virtual or online fax service.
• The formation date and state (Wyoming, in CORPBOLT's case), in case the agent asks to confirm entity facts.

A short founder example shows where the human touch matters. A founder in Bogota, Colombia, had her EIN from a fax confirmation but kept the LLC under a slightly shortened trade name in her own notes. On the call, the IRS records showed the full registered name with the "LLC" suffix, and the mismatch nearly stalled verification. Once she read the name back exactly as it appeared on the Wyoming filing, the agent matched the record and faxed the 147C within the call. The lesson: match the IRS record exactly, not the name you use day to day.

What fax number can a non-US founder actually use to receive the 147C?

A non-US founder should use an online fax service that gives you a fax number you can receive at, since few founders abroad own a physical fax machine. The IRS faxes the 147C to the number you provide on the call, so it must be a number where you can retrieve incoming documents, not an outbound-only service. Many virtual fax providers deliver the incoming fax straight to your email inbox as a PDF.

Two points worth getting right:

• Test that the number receives before you call. Send yourself a test fax, or confirm with the provider that inbound is active, because some cheap plans are send-only.
• Read the number to the agent slowly and confirm the readback. A single transposed digit means the IRS faxes your confidential EIN letter to a stranger.

A US business mailing address, like the one a Wyoming LLC formation can include, is separate from a fax number. The address is what the IRS has on file for the entity; the fax is simply the channel for delivery. Both need to be correct, but they serve different roles in the call.

How long does it take to get a 147C letter by fax?

By fax, the 147C letter often arrives within minutes of the IRS agent sending it during your call, the fastest route available to non-US founders. Reaching an agent is the slower part: phone hold times on the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line can run from several minutes to over an hour depending on the season, with the period around US tax deadlines being the busiest. By mail, the same letter can take a few weeks to reach a non-US address, which is why the fax route is preferred.

The IRS controls all of this timing, and no service can promise an exact delivery date. What you can control is being prepared, calling early in the IRS's operating hours in US Eastern time, and having a working fax number ready so the letter sends on the first attempt.

How does CORPBOLT fit into getting your EIN without an SSN?

CORPBOLT is relevant before the 147C stage, because the 147C only exists once you already have an EIN. If you are a non-resident founder without an SSN, the harder problem is usually getting the EIN at all, since you cannot use the IRS online tool and must file Form SS-4 by fax or mail. That is the gap CORPBOLT is built to close.

CORPBOLT is a U.S. business formation service for non-resident founders that files your Wyoming LLC and gets the EIN without an SSN. Plans start from $349/year, with the EIN included from $599. (corpbolt.com)

To be precise about what that covers: CORPBOLT forms your Wyoming LLC, obtains the EIN without an SSN, provides a registered agent, and gives you a US business and mailing address, all fully remote with no US visit required. CORPBOLT also helps you get bank-ready by preparing the documents banks and platforms ask for, but the bank or processor always decides whether to open an account. The EIN itself is free from the IRS, so you pay only to prepare and file the application, never for the number.

The connection to the 147C is straightforward. The accurate records that come from a correctly filed SS-4, a matching legal entity name, and a consistent US address on file are exactly what make a later 147C call go smoothly. When your IRS record matches your formation documents, the agent verifies you quickly and faxes the letter without friction.

What if you cannot get the 147C on the first call?

If the first call does not produce a 147C, the usual causes are an identity-verification mismatch, a fax number that cannot receive, or not reaching an agent before the line closes. None of these are permanent; you fix the cause and call back. The EIN does not change, so a failed call costs you time, not your number.

Common fixes:

• Name mismatch: read the entity name exactly as registered with the Wyoming Secretary of State, suffix included, not your informal trade name.
• Address mismatch: confirm the US mailing address the IRS has on file from your SS-4, not a newer address you have not reported.
• Fax failure: verify your online fax line accepts inbound documents and re-read the number to the agent.
• Authorization: make sure the caller is the responsible party or otherwise authorized, since the IRS will not release the letter to an unverified caller.

Frequently asked questions about the 147C letter by fax

Can I email the IRS to request a 147C instead of calling?

No, the IRS does not issue a 147C letter by email and does not take 147C requests by email. You request it by phone through the Business and Specialty Tax Line, and the IRS sends the letter by fax or mail.

Is the 147C letter the same as the CP 575 EIN confirmation?

They serve the same verification purpose but are different documents. The CP 575 is the one-time notice the IRS sends when it first assigns your EIN, and it is never reissued. The 147C is the replacement confirmation the IRS provides when you need written proof of the EIN.

Do I need a US phone number to call the IRS for a 147C?

No, you do not need a US phone number. Non-US founders can call the IRS international line for businesses from any working phone. You only need a fax number you can receive on.

Does the 147C letter cost anything?

No, the IRS does not charge for issuing a 147C letter. The only costs you might incur are for an online fax service to receive it or international call charges to reach the IRS, both paid to third parties, not the IRS.

Can CORPBOLT request the 147C from the IRS for me?

The 147C call requires the IRS to verify the responsible party's identity, so the request is something the entity's authorized person makes. CORPBOLT's role is upstream: filing your Wyoming LLC and getting the EIN without an SSN, with records that line up cleanly so a later 147C call goes smoothly.