EIN – New Regulations.

Starting May 13, 2019 only individuals with tax identification numbers may request an Employer Identification Number (EIN) as the "responsible party" on the application. An EIN is a nine-digit tax identification number assigned to sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships, estates, trusts, employee retirement plans and other entities for tax filing and reporting purposes.

The change prohibits entities from using their own EINs to obtain additional EINs. Individuals named as the responsible party must have either a Social Security number (SSN) or an individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN).

The new requirement will provide greater security to the EIN process by requiring an individual to be the responsible party and improve transparency.