EIN vs ITIN: Which One Do You Actually Need?

Published 3 September 2026 · Reviewed by Ashfaq Khattak, US Tax Consultant

An EIN identifies your company to the IRS. An ITIN identifies you, personally, when you have a US tax filing obligation and no Social Security Number. They are not alternatives, and most non-resident LLC owners need only the EIN.

If you are being told you must have both to form a company or open a bank account, that is wrong. The EIN is what a bank asks for. An ITIN becomes necessary when you personally have to file a US return — most commonly Form 1040-NR — and not before.

Side by side

	EIN	ITIN
Identifies	Your business entity	You, as an individual
Applied for on	Form SS-4	Form W-7
Needs an SSN?	No	No — it exists for people who cannot get one
Government fee	None	None
Documents required	Entity details and a responsible party	Proof of identity and foreign status: passport, certified or original
Typical wait, non-resident	Weeks — fax or mail, not the instant online route	Weeks to months, longer in filing season
Opens a business bank account	Yes, this is what banks ask for	No
Expires	No	Yes, if unused on a return for three consecutive years

When you need an EIN

Essentially always, if you have a US company. It is required to:

open a US business bank account;
file the LLC’s federal return, including the pro-forma Form 1120 that carries Form 5472;
complete a marketplace or payment-processor tax interview as an entity;
hire anyone or handle payroll.

You do not need an SSN or an ITIN to get one. An applicant with neither cannot use the instant online application and applies by fax or post instead, which is why the wait is weeks rather than minutes.

When you actually need an ITIN

You must file a US personal return. Usually Form 1040-NR, because you have income effectively connected to a US trade or business, or US-source income that was not fully covered by withholding.
You are claiming a tax treaty benefit that requires a taxpayer identification number.
You need to be identified on someone else’s US return — as a partner receiving a Schedule K-1, for instance.
You are reducing withholding on certain US-source payments and the form asks for a TIN.

A non-resident who owns a single-member LLC that delivers services remotely, has no US presence, and therefore no effectively connected income, generally has no personal filing obligation and generally does not need an ITIN. Ask before you buy one.

The documentation problem, and the CAA route

Form W-7 requires proof of identity and foreign status. The IRS wants original documents or copies certified by the issuing agency — meaning, in practice, your actual passport in the post, unless you go through a Certifying Acceptance Agent.

A CAA is authorised by the IRS to verify your passport and certify it, so the original stays with you. For anyone outside the US this is the difference between mailing a passport across the world and not. See our ITIN service.

The short version

Forming a company and opening a bank account: EIN.
Filing your own US personal return: ITIN.
Both: when you have a company and a personal filing obligation. Common for people with real US operations, uncommon for remote service businesses.
Neither is a work permit, a visa or a residency status. Both are tax numbers and nothing more.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between an EIN and an ITIN?

An EIN identifies your business entity to the IRS and is applied for on Form SS-4. An ITIN identifies you as an individual when you have a US tax filing obligation and cannot get a Social Security Number, and is applied for on Form W-7. Neither requires an SSN and neither carries a government fee.

Do I need both an EIN and an ITIN?

Usually not. Most non-resident LLC owners need only the EIN, which is what banks ask for. An ITIN becomes necessary when you personally must file a US return — most often Form 1040-NR — or must be identified on someone else’s return, such as a Schedule K-1.

Can I open a US business bank account with an ITIN?

No. Business accounts are opened on the company’s EIN. An ITIN is a personal tax number and does not serve that purpose.

Does an ITIN expire?

Yes. An ITIN expires if it is not used on a US federal return for three consecutive years. An EIN never expires and is never reassigned.

Official sources

Rules, forms and fees on this page come from the following official sources, each checked on 2026-09-03. Government fees and deadlines change; confirm the current figure on the agency's own page before you file.