Minnesota Tax ID (EIN) Number Application

You don’t need a lot of information to obtain your Tax ID (EIN) Number in Minnesota. What you do need, though, is an understanding of how to apply online. The Minnesota Tax ID Application Manual creates an informative environment, where you can easily consume the step by step process and execute on it. Whether you are a Non-Profit, C-Corporation, Partnership, multi-member LLC, or any other type of organization, you can have an EIN number in minutes.

Apply Online by Choosing Your Entity Type

Steps to Obtain your Tax ID (EIN) Number in Minnesota:

  1. Prepare Required Information
  2. Apply for a Minnesota Tax ID Online
  3. Apply for a Minnesota Tax ID by Phone, Mail or Fax
  4. Do I Need a Minnesota Tax ID Number?
  5. How Do You Apply for a State Tax ID Number?
  6. How Do I Get a Minnesota State Tax ID Number?

1. Prepare Required Information

The first step you’ll want to take is gathering specific pieces of information about your company and its founding members. Since you’ll need to answer these questions in the application, you’ll save significant time collecting these pieces of information in advance.

Make sure you have the following:

  • Partner names and addresses. You can start by collecting the full legal names and addresses of all your founding members.
  • Social security numbers (SSNs). While you’re talking to them, jot down their social security numbers (SSNs).
  • Your business name. You’ll need to provide the legal name of your business as well, since this process will register your business with the federal government.

2. Apply for a Minnesota Tax ID Online

There are technically multiple options for applying for your tax ID. However, one method stands above the rest in terms of convenience, efficiency, and overall value for your business: applying online. Applying through traditional methods like phone, mail, or fax are ridiculously slower and less efficient.

You can access the online application using any digital device with an internet connection, which makes it instantly easier to get to than a paper application or phone conversation. The application itself is easy to navigate, and should be fairly straightforward to fill out. Assuming you’ve already gathered the details mentioned in the preceding section, you should be able to finish this portion of the application in 5 minutes.

After you’re done with the application, you’ll only need to wait an hour to receive your tax ID via email, which is what makes the online application so appealing in the first place. That way, you can build your business faster and start generating revenue.

3. Apply for a Minnesota Tax ID by Phone, Mail or Fax

If you’re averse to the online application method, there are a few traditional methods you can use instead. However, these methods are far less convenient and are much slower to process. You could, for example, apply for a tax ID over the phone, if you’re willing to answer the application questions in an interview-style format. You could also fill out a paper application and send it in via mail or fax. The biggest downside of these methods is that it can often take 4 to 6 weeks to receive your tax ID via mail after you’ve completed them.

4. Do I Need a Minnesota Tax ID Number?

Most Minnesota businesses will need a Minnesota state tax ID number, but don’t realize that this number is distinct from your federal tax ID number.

Your Federal EIN (FEIN) number is often referred to simply as a “tax ID.” You may also hear it called an employer identification number, or EIN. This is a 9-digit, unique identifying number that you’ll receive when registering your business with the federal government. You’ll need one if your business is hiring any employees, or if your business has multiple partners (like in a partnership, LLC, or corporation). EINs are also a requirement for most business license or permit applications, and you’ll need one to apply for a business bank account or business credit.

Your Minnesota state tax ID number is a similar unique identifying number, but it’s used to register your business with the state of Minnesota. You’ll need this number if you’re going to hire any employees in the state of Minnesota, or if you’re selling taxable goods and services in the state of Minnesota. You’ll also need one if you’re going to owe excise taxes, which apply to regulated goods like alcohol or tobacco.

5. How Do You Apply for a State Tax ID Number?

Different states offer different types of state tax ID numbers, and some of them call their unique numbers by a different name. However, most of them are required for the same purposes (i.e., sales taxes and employee taxes), and can be acquired using a similar method.

In Minnesota, you’ll have a few options for how to apply for your state tax ID, not unlike the methods you chose from for your federal tax ID number. You’ll need a federal tax ID number before you can begin this process.

Once you have that federal tax ID, you can choose to apply for your state tax ID through a traditional method, like applying over the phone or by mail, or apply for it online. Applying online is the universally better option; the form is more accessible and easier to fill out, and you should receive your state tax ID faster than you would with a traditional method. That said, it may still take up to 4 to 6 weeks to arrive.

6. How Do I Get a Minnesota State Tax ID Number?

Remember, you’ll need a Minnesota state tax ID number if you have any Minnesota employees, or if you’re selling taxable goods and services in the state. Your first step to getting one is to obtain your federal tax ID. The best way to do this is to apply online; that way, you can get your federal tax ID in-hands within an hour.

Once you have your federal tax ID, you should apply for your Minnesota state tax ID online. There are a few other methods available, including applying by phone and through the mail, but applying online is unquestionably faster and more convenient. After answering several questions about your business and its founding members, you’ll need to wait up to 4 to 6 weeks to get your state tax ID.

Written by Maurice Mallory