In brief:
- EIN searches can be done in a few ways: using an EIN database lookup tool, manually searching state SOS offices, searching SEC filings, contacting credit bureaus, or sourcing information directly from the business
- EIN searches are a critical component of a Know Your Business (KYB) process, as verifying a company’s EIN is an early way to disqualify fraudulent businesses from onboarding
- Dedicated EIN search tools like Middesk can automate these searches for you, as they are very difficult to do accurately at scale when onboarding many businesses each month
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) search is used by businesses to lookup and then verify the EIN of a business before onboarding them. EINs are a critical data point of a Know Your Business (KYB) process, and are a consistently effective way to prevent fraudulent actors from onboarding onto your platform.
In addition to maintaining trust and mitigating risk when onboarding new businesses, your company is legally required by regulations in the United States to make sure the company is legitimate, and one of the easiest ways to do this is checking that it has a valid EIN, and isn’t using the EIN of another company. This article will show you how to do that, covering:
- What is an EIN search?
- 4 methods to search for EIN by company name
- Top 6 EIN search and database lookup providers
- How to search an EIN number in an EIN lookup tool
- Go beyond EINs for KYB with Middesk
Let’s start with some of the basics about what EIN searches are and what kinds of information you can get with them.
An Employer Identification Number (EIN) search is a check to ensure a business has a legitimate EIN, the EIN matches what’s in the Secretary of State (SOS) database, and that the business is representing themselves accurately during onboarding (they are who they say they are).
An EIN is a unique number the IRS issues to businesses operating in the U.S., so it’s a key piece of information companies use to verify the identity of a business before onboarding them.
What information (other than EIN) does an EIN search provide?
Obviously searching for a businesses EIN yields a confirmation of the EIN the business provided during onboarding, but the best way to actually verify the identity of a business is to use the EIN to check against other information provided by the business, as this is one of the easiest and most top of funnel ways to immediately disqualify a fraudulent business from your onboarding funnel.
When a business applies to be on your platform, they will provide at least their business name, address, and company EIN. A common scam perpetuated by business identity fraudsters involves using legitimate EINs they have obtained from somewhere, but usually they will not also have the business name and address.
A basic KYB check might check if the EIN exists and then consider that business okay, but a more comprehensive KYB check would match the EIN, business name, and address against the information in the state’s Secretary of State (SOS) database, ensuring all items match the legally registered information about the business.
Why businesses should do an EIN search during onboarding for business verification
The main reason to complete an EIN number search is to determine if a business is registered to operate inside the U.S. All commercial organizations doing business in the U.S. must apply for and receive EINs from the IRS before they are legally authorized to function, including hiring and paying employees. So not having an EIN is an early indicator to disqualify a business from your onboarding process
When EIN’s don’t match what’s in the SOS database, or the EIN exists, but the business name and address don’t match what was provided to you during onboarding, red flags should be triggered in your onboarding process, escalating these cases to receive Enhanced Due Diligence (EDD).
Ultimately, EIN searches are designed to help you validate a business’ legitimacy, and they are one of the most consistent, easiest, and most top-of-funnel verifications you can perform.
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There are several ways to verify an EIN number and places you can search for the EIN number of a business, but some are faster and more accessible than others, and others offer stronger compliance adherence for KYB.
Here are the methods you can choose from to conduct an EIN search:
1. Use an EIN database search lookup tool
How compliant is this method?: Exceeds Standards
How fast is this method?: Extremely Fast
The most efficient option is to use a database tool that specializes in looking up business information (like EIN numbers), like Middesk. EIN database search tools search all the SOS offices simultaneously, and consolidate business verification data from multiple sources into one report for you to review.
The best way to show you how tools like this work is for you to check out our on-demand demo of Middesk Verify to see how EIN searches can be done with accurate data in minutes.
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2. Manually search state and federal websites
How compliant is this method?: Meets Standards
How fast is this method?: Extremely Slow
Since EIN numbers are mandatory for businesses to operate in the U.S., they may be found on government registration documents. You can search by business EINs in the Secretary of State portal for the businesses state (each state has a different portal).
If you are looking for the EIN of a charity or non-profit, you can also try a direct IRS EIN search using the IRS Tax Exempt Organizations search tool.
And if the business is publicly traded, you can try searching Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filings, which will often include a businesses EIN number — sometimes referred to as its IRS number.
These methods are authoritative, compliant, and effective, but by far the biggest drawback of them is how manual and time-consuming they are. Each state’s SOS database is different, so your team members would need to learn how to use all 50. There’s also no way to batch or speed up the process other than manually going one by one and reviewing the information.
For most companies onboarding dozens or hundreds of businesses each month, this method becomes unsustainable very quickly, as nearly all of your KYB compliance resources end up going towards these manual searches.
3. Use a credit bureau that provides EINs in their report
How compliant is this method?: Meets Standards
How fast is this method?: Very Slow
Business credit reports aren’t subject to the same level of privacy protections as individual consumer credit reports are. That means pretty much anyone can request a company’s credit report – which may contain the company’s EIN number, among other information – from a major credit bureau. Many of these institutions have been in business for a long time, so they’re generally legitimate sources to get information from.
A business credit report would provide additionally useful risk scoring information about the business, however, these reports are usually pricey (can cost $99 per report or more), which doesn’t scale well when onboarding many businesses every month. You also need to ensure they will provide an EIN in the report, as not every business credit report would consider this necessary credit scoring information.
4. Ask the company directly
How compliant is this method?: Does Not Meet Compliance Standards
How fast is this method?: Varies from company to company
Unlike the related Social Security Number, an EIN number is generally not thought of as sensitive information. So a company may have this number displayed on its website or in its print publications. It’s also possible to ask the company’s payroll or accounting department for this number via email, phone call, or some other method of communication.
The biggest problem with this method though is that you have to rely on the validity of what the company provides you, rather than verifying that information against an authoritative source of truth.
Warning
Relying on information provided directly by the company would not meet KYB compliance standards, as you’ve taken no actions to actually verify the information. Using a tool like Middesk does not only search EINs, but verifies them against the information you provide.
The best places to search for an EIN by company name are in government registries, major credit bureaus, or specialized business information databases (like ours at Middesk!). Here are a few specific places where you can start looking.
1. Best for EIN verification during business onboarding: Middesk
EIN searches could not be easier in Middesk’s Business Verification solution. Simply enter the business name and EIN provided to you, and Middesk will search all 50 SOS databases to verify the accuracy of the EIN.
Middesk provides other key business verification information as well, and can validate and verify the accuracy of business names, addresses, people associated with the business, and inform you of Watchlist status, bankruptcy status, and whether there are ongoing litigations or liens filed against the business — providing a much more comprehensive risk scoring system for your KYB onboarding process.
Middesk’s data is also comprehensive and refreshed frequently, with 100% coverage of registered businesses in the U.S., and 92% of business records updated within the last 10 days. Middesk also has an EIN Lookup API to speed this process up even more if you onboard dozens or hundreds of businesses every month.
2. Simplest (but most manual) EIN search option: search each state’s SOS database directly
All businesses in the U.S. must register with the Secretary of State (SOS) office in the state where they start their operations. So if you know which state that is, it can help narrow down a search if looking up a company’s information by name.
Each state’s SOS database has its own portal and website where you conduct the searches, and they all work differently, some letting you search with different parameters, some requiring per search fees, and some requiring account set up to access them.
Did you know?
For quick reference, Middesk has a directory of Secretary of State websites for all 50 U.S. states, including D.C.
3. Best for looking up publicly traded companies: SEC’s EDGAR system
If a U.S. company is large enough to be publicly traded, it has to file information and reports with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The SEC’s EDGAR (Electronic Data Gathering, Analysis, and Retrieval) database is a good place to look in order to find free public information on these companies.
A company’s filings on EDGAR will likely include its EIN (or IRS number). However, EDGAR doesn’t typically have information on smaller companies that don’t offer stock options, such as sole proprietorships. It also won’t have information on charities or non-profit organizations. EDGAR also only contains records since 2001.
4. Best for searching charity & non-profit EINs: IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search
Even if they aren’t registered with the SEC, charities and nonprofits still have to be registered with the IRS as tax-exempt organizations. You can look up their information in the IRS Tax Exempt Organization database. You should be able to find those organizations’ EINs there, as EINs are issued by the IRS as well.
5. Best for credit scoring: Equifax for businesses
Equifax is a well-known credit bureau that has been in business for over a century. In addition to public information on a business — like an EIN — a credit report from Equifax will also include a score indicating how likely a business will fail within a year (and why).
Equifax also provides information on the demographic makeup of the business, the company’s payment history, and other people or companies associated with the business. All of this information can be very useful for KYB risk assessment, but at $99 per report, it’s fairly pricey to get on a per-business basis if you’re onboarding at scale.
6. Best for credit reports & FICO scores: Experian for business
A relatively new major credit reporting company, Experian’s credit reports include basic information on companies such as their EIN. They also include other information that can be useful in verifying a business, along with potential indicators of risk for the company.
Experian also allows for generating unlimited reports on particular businesses, highlighting any changes that may increase a company’s risk profile.
If you’re going to use a more scalable EIN verification service, here’s a demonstration of how to search an EIN number with Middesk’s TIN Match tool, so you can see exactly how these tools work:
1. Enter the business name and EIN
In Middesk, you can verify EINs with just 2 inputs: business name and business EIN. Enter them both to order your business search.
2. Select the specific company from matching results
Sometimes, companies will have similar names or stylize their names in different ways. Check all labels in the search results carefully to ensure that you are going to be viewing information for the correct business.
3. Review the company’s EIN and other essential information
Information on companies in Middesk comes straight from state business registries, so not only do you get a company’s EIN from an official source, but it will be up-to-date in case anything has changed in the company’s ownership structure recently.
You can also review other information on the company that may assist with KYB compliance, such as its business license or articles of incorporation.
A valid EIN is a key indicator for whether a potential business client or partner is legally operating in the U.S., making an EIN search tool a crucial component of your KYB solution. But it’s just one of many pieces of information required to verify the identity of a business and its owners.
In addition to EIN search and verification, Middesk provides other useful KYB onboarding and risk assessment data that you can build your business verification process on top of confidentiality, including:
- Business name and address verification
- SOS business registration status and documentation (Articles of Incorporation)
- People associated with the business and RCAs
- Watchlist screening: OFAC, SDN, PEPs, Sanctions
- Liens, litigations, and bankruptcy data
- Industry classification and high-risk industry flagging
- Web presence analysis and adverse media coverage
- Ongoing monitoring for continuous KYB compliance over the customer lifecycle
Schedule a demo to learn how we can simplify EIN searches and verification for your company.
