An employer identification number, or EIN, is the nine digit number the IRS assigns to identify an organization. For a nonprofit it works like a Social Security number for the entity: it shows up on tax filings, grant applications, donation receipts, and public records, and it is the cleanest way to be sure you are looking at the right organization.
The good news is that EINs of tax exempt organizations are public. Here are six free ways to find one, and how to confirm you have the right match.
In This Article
- What an EIN Looks Like
- Six Free Ways to Find an EIN
- Method 1: The IRS Search
- Methods 2 and 3: Return Databases
- Methods 4, 5, and 6: Documents, State Records, and Asking
- How to Make Sure You Have the Right One
- Using an EIN to Check Legitimacy
- Where a Prospecting Database Fits
- EINs in Data Work: Matching Records Across Sources
- Frequently Asked Questions
What an EIN Looks Like
An EIN has nine digits, usually written with a hyphen after the second digit, like 12-3456789. It stays with the organization for life, even if the name or address changes. That stability is why researchers, grantmakers, and data providers use it as the main identifier instead of the organization's name, which may be spelled a dozen different ways.
Six Free Ways to Find an EIN
| Method | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search | Confirming an EIN and current exempt status | Searches by name can return several similar organizations |
| ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer | Browsing returns and financial summaries with the EIN | Data follows filing dates, so it can lag |
| Candid (GuideStar) profile | Seeing the EIN alongside mission and programs | Some detail sits behind a free account |
| The organization's own Form 990 or receipts | A guaranteed correct match | You need to already have a document from the group |
| State charity registry | Confirming state registration and EIN together | Each state formats and stores records differently |
| Ask the organization directly | Organizations you are already in contact with | Response time depends on the staff |
Method 1: The IRS Search
The Tax Exempt Organization Search on the IRS website is the authoritative source. Enter the organization's name, and narrow by city and state, to see its EIN, its exempt status, and its filing history. If the search shows the organization's status as revoked, that is important: it means the IRS no longer treats the group as tax exempt.
Methods 2 and 3: Return Databases
ProPublica's Nonprofit Explorer and Candid both display the EIN prominently on each organization's page, next to financial summaries and copies of the Form 990. They are easier to browse than the IRS tool if you also want to see revenue, expenses, and pay. Our guide to reading Form 990 explains what to look for once you are on a profile page.
Methods 4, 5, and 6: Documents, State Records, and Asking
An organization's own paperwork always carries its EIN: its Form 990, a donation receipt, a grant application, or a tax exemption letter. Many nonprofits also list it in the footer of their website. State charity registries, usually run by the Attorney General or Secretary of State, often show the EIN next to the registration record. And if you are already in touch with the organization, simply asking is fine, since the number is public.
How to Make Sure You Have the Right One
Nonprofit names repeat often. There can be dozens of organizations called some variation of Community Food Pantry, or a national group with local chapters that each hold their own EIN. Before you rely on a number, check three things.
- The city and state match the organization you mean.
- The exempt status is active, not revoked or expired.
- The name matches exactly, including words like Inc, Foundation, or Chapter that can distinguish related entities.
Chapters and affiliates deserve extra care. A national organization may file a group return, while a local affiliate has its own EIN and its own return, so the number you want depends on which entity you are working with.
Using an EIN to Check Legitimacy
An EIN is also one of the fastest ways to check whether a charity asking for your donation is real. Ask for the organization's EIN, or find it yourself, and then run through a short check.
- Search the EIN in the IRS tool and confirm the name and location match what you were told.
- Check the status. An organization whose exemption has been revoked cannot offer donors a deductible gift in the usual way.
- Read the latest return. Our guide to Form 990 shows what to look for.
- Confirm state registration if the organization solicits in your state.
Be especially careful with lookalike names. Scam operations sometimes choose names very close to well known charities. If the EIN you find belongs to an organization in a different state or with a different mission than the one asking you for money, stop and verify before giving.
Where a Prospecting Database Fits
Finding an EIN is a research task. Building a list of organizations to contact is a different one. Our dataset focuses on organizational profile and contact fields: name, full address, phone, website, revenue, employee counts, and industry code for 1.65 million nonprofits. It does not include EINs, so use the IRS tools above when you need to verify a specific organization, and use a database like ours when you need to find many organizations at once.
EINs in Data Work: Matching Records Across Sources
Researchers and data teams use the EIN as a join key when combining datasets, such as IRS records, state registrations, and grant databases. It is far more reliable than the name, which changes with punctuation, abbreviations like Inc and Incorporated, or the word The at the start. Where an EIN is available in both sources, match on it first.
Where you do not have an EIN, matching has to fall back on name plus location, which is less exact. Match on a cleaned version of the name together with the state and city, and review near matches by hand. Watch for parent and subsidiary relationships, group returns filed on behalf of several chapters, and organizations that have moved, since any of those can make one entity look like several or several look like one.