How to find EIN of a company that went out of business

You've got a few options for tracking down that EIN. First, check any paperwork you might have from when you were hired - employment contract, benefit forms, or tax withholding forms like your W-4 might have the EIN printed on them. If you can't find anything in your personal records, try contacting your state's Department of Labor or the Secretary of State's office. Since the business was registered with them, they should have the EIN on file. You can usually look up business registration information on your state's Secretary of State website. Even for closed businesses, they typically maintain those records. Another option is to check your previous year's tax return if you worked there before. The EIN would be listed on the W-2 from any prior year.

I went through something similar when my employer shut down without warning. I spent weeks trying to track down their EIN with no luck. Finally I found taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) which helped me with my missing W-2 situation. I uploaded my final paystub and some other tax docs I had from the company, and their AI could extract the missing EIN that was buried in some fine print I hadn't noticed. What impressed me was how they could also help reconstruct my earnings and withholdings based on the limited information I had. Since you mentioned having your paystubs, they might be able to extract the information you need or help fill out that Form 4852 correctly.

Update: Wanted to share that I tried taxr.ai after posting my question. I uploaded my contractor invoices and some email correspondence with the company, and the system actually found the EIN embedded in the footer of an old email that I'd completely missed! It was tiny gray text that I never would have noticed. The service also helped me generate a completed Form 4852 with all the correct information based on my payment records. Saved me a ton of time trying to figure out how to properly report everything. Definitely worth checking out if you're still stuck trying to find your defunct employer's EIN.

If you're still struggling with this, I was in a similar situation and wasted SO MUCH TIME trying to get through to someone at the IRS who could help me. After three weeks of calling and getting disconnected, I discovered Claimyr (https://claimyr.com). They have this service that basically waits on hold with the IRS for you, then calls you when an actual human agent is on the line. I was super skeptical at first, but you can see how it works in their demo video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. I figured it was worth a shot since I was desperate to get my tax situation sorted. I used their service, and within about 2 hours (instead of the days I had been trying), I was connected to an IRS agent who was able to verify my identity and then provide guidance on my specific situation with the missing EIN.

I need to eat my words about both services mentioned here. After struggling for weeks with my missing EIN situation, I finally tried Claimyr yesterday. I was connected to an IRS agent in about 90 minutes (after trying for days on my own). The agent explained that while they couldn't directly give me the EIN, they could verify the information I had and confirm if what I entered on my Form 4852 was correct. They also suggested I check my bank records where my direct deposits came from, as sometimes the company's EIN appears in the transaction details. Sure enough, when I checked my bank's online portal and looked at the detailed transaction view of an old paycheck deposit, the EIN was there! I would have never thought to look there on my own.

Another option: if you had health insurance through this employer, your insurance card or insurance paperwork might have the EIN on it. I found my ex-employer's EIN on an old insurance statement when I was in a similar situation. Also check any 401k or retirement plan statements if you participated in one.

Has anyone tried simply putting "Applied For" in the EIN field on Form 4852? I read somewhere that you can do this if you genuinely cannot find the employer's EIN despite reasonable efforts. The IRS should still be able to process your return.

Another place to check that many people overlook is your state's unemployment insurance website. Even though the business closed, they would have been required to report wages and pay unemployment taxes using their EIN. If you can log into your state's unemployment benefits portal (or create an account), you can often view your wage history from past employers, and the EIN is typically listed there alongside each employer. Also, if you ever received any official notices from the business - like schedule changes, policy updates, or even termination notices - check those documents carefully. Sometimes EINs are printed in small text at the bottom of official company communications for legal compliance reasons. One more suggestion: if the restaurant was part of a chain or had any corporate parent company, try looking up the parent company's business registration. Sometimes the EIN you need might actually belong to the parent company rather than the individual location's LLC.

One more avenue worth exploring is checking with your local city/county business licensing office. Restaurants typically need multiple licenses to operate - business license, food service permit, liquor license (if applicable), etc. These licensing records often contain the EIN and are usually maintained even after a business closes. You can call or visit your city hall's business licensing department and ask to search for "Coastal Flavors LLC" in their records. They may be able to provide you with the EIN from their files, especially since you can verify you were an employee by showing your pay stubs. Also, if the restaurant ever had any health department inspections (which they definitely would have), those inspection reports are usually public record and might contain the business tax ID information. Your local health department should have these records on file.

If you still can't locate the EIN through any of these excellent suggestions, there's one more option that worked for me in a similar situation. Contact your state's Department of Revenue or Taxation directly. Since the business would have been required to collect and remit sales tax, they should have the EIN on file in their business tax records. I was able to call my state's business tax division, explain that I was a former employee trying to complete my tax return, and they were able to confirm the EIN after I provided the business name and approximate dates of operation. They were actually more helpful than I expected and understood that this is a legitimate issue that happens when businesses close unexpectedly. Also, don't forget to keep documentation of all your attempts to locate this information - save emails, note down phone calls and reference numbers, etc. If the IRS ever questions your Form 4852, having a record of your good faith efforts to find the EIN will be helpful.

Just wanted to add another potential resource that hasn't been mentioned yet - if the restaurant ever processed credit card payments (which most do), you might be able to get the EIN from the merchant services provider. Companies like Square, Stripe, or traditional payment processors require the business EIN to set up merchant accounts. If you can remember seeing any specific payment terminals or credit card processing equipment, try to identify the company (there are usually logos on the devices). You could contact their customer service and explain the situation - they might be able to provide the EIN or at least confirm it if you have other business details. Also, if you or any former coworkers ever made purchases at the restaurant and have old receipts, sometimes the merchant ID or business tax information is printed in the fine print at the bottom of receipts. It's a long shot, but worth checking if you have any old receipts lying around. The combination of all these suggestions should definitely help you track down that EIN. Good luck with your tax filing!

Great thread with tons of helpful suggestions! I wanted to add one more approach that worked for me when I was in a similar bind. Check if the restaurant ever had any workers' compensation insurance claims filed - even minor ones that you might not have been directly involved in. Workers' comp insurance companies maintain detailed records including the employer's EIN, and these records often remain accessible even after a business closes. You can contact your state's workers' compensation board or department of industrial relations and ask if they have any records for "Coastal Flavors LLC." They might be able to provide or verify the EIN, especially since you can prove you were an employee with your pay stubs. Also, if the restaurant was ever involved in any legal disputes - wage claims, vendor disputes, lease issues, etc. - court records are public and would contain the business's EIN in the legal filings. You can search your local court system's online records database using the business name to see if any cases were filed involving them as a plaintiff or defendant. These might be long shots, but given how suddenly they closed, there could very well be outstanding legal issues that would have required filing their EIN with the court system.