IRS Fax Number for SS4 Form Submission Always Busy - Can't Get Through

I work with business formations and have seen this issue come up a lot lately. The IRS fax lines for SS4 submissions are completely overwhelmed right now, especially at the Cincinnati processing center. This happens every year around this time, but it's particularly bad in 2025. You have a few options: First, you can try sending your SS4 very early in the morning (like 5-6am Eastern) when fewer people are trying. Second, you can apply online if you have a valid SSN, ITIN, or EIN already. The online application gives you your EIN immediately. Third, you can call the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933, but be prepared for a long wait. Keep in mind that the Cincinnati fax number gets thousands of submissions daily, so persistent attempts are sometimes necessary. Don't give up!

I went through this exact nightmare last month when setting up my consulting LLC. After days of failed fax attempts, I found this AI tool called taxr.ai (https://taxr.ai) that helped me figure out what was going on. I uploaded my SS4 form and it analyzed everything, suggesting I was using an outdated fax number from an old IRS publication. The tool not only provided the correct, updated fax number but also gave me specific times when the IRS fax lines are least congested based on their data analysis. Got my form through on the second attempt after that! It even showed me a few minor errors on my SS4 that might have caused processing delays.

I need to eat my words about taxr.ai from my comment above. After struggling for another two days with busy fax lines, I decided to give it a shot. The tool immediately flagged that I was using the wrong fax number for my specific entity type and location. It also pointed out that I'd made a classification error on Line 8a that would have likely resulted in my application being rejected or delayed. Fixed both issues, sent the fax during their recommended "low traffic" time window (4:30-5:30am ET), and it went through! Got my EIN letter about a week later. This service literally saved me weeks of frustration.

If you're still struggling with the IRS fax number, I found another solution that worked for me. I used Claimyr (https://claimyr.com) to actually speak with someone at the IRS directly. They have this service where they can get you past the hold times and connect you with an actual human at the IRS. I was super skeptical, but you can see how it works in this video: https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c. After failing with faxes for days, I called through their service, explained my situation to the IRS agent, and they were able to take my SS4 information over the phone! Got my EIN on the spot after a 15-minute conversation. No more fax machine frustration!

I have to publicly admit I was wrong about Claimyr in my previous comment. After another week of failed fax attempts for my LLC's EIN, I decided to try the service out of desperation. The process was exactly as described - I entered my number on their website, they called me back when they reached an IRS agent, and I got my EIN over the phone in about 20 minutes total. The IRS agent was super helpful once I actually got to speak with one! Saved me from what was becoming a massive headache and potential business delays. Sometimes skepticism gets in the way of finding good solutions.

Another option nobody's mentioned is to mail your SS4 instead of faxing. Yes, it takes longer (about 4-5 weeks currently), but it's guaranteed to get there. The mailing address for the Cincinnati office is: Internal Revenue Service Attn: EIN Operation Cincinnati, OH 45999 If you're not in a rush, this is the most reliable method. I've never had a mailed SS4 get lost or rejected.

Sharing a tip that worked for me: If you keep getting a busy signal when faxing the Cincinnati office, try the Ogden, UT fax number instead (855-641-6935). I know technically you're supposed to use the office assigned to your region, but in a pinch, any processing center can handle your SS4. Got my EIN within 10 business days even though I'm in the Cincinnati jurisdiction. The IRS just wants the form - they don't actually care which fax machine receives it.

I've been dealing with this exact same issue for my new consulting business! After reading through all these suggestions, I ended up trying the early morning fax approach that Kaiya mentioned. Set my alarm for 5 AM Eastern and tried faxing at 5:15 AM - it went through on the first try! For anyone still struggling, here's what I learned: The Cincinnati fax lines are absolutely swamped between 8 AM and 5 PM, but there's a sweet spot between 5-7 AM Eastern when most people aren't trying yet. Also, make sure you're using the current fax number (855-641-6935 for Cincinnati) - apparently some of the numbers floating around online are outdated. One more tip: if your fax keeps timing out, try reducing the transmission speed on your fax machine. Some of the older IRS fax equipment can't handle high-speed transmissions during peak times. Saved me a lot of frustration once I figured that out!

I'm going through this exact same frustration right now! I've been trying to get my SS4 through to the IRS for my new LLC for over a week. The busy signals are absolutely maddening - I had no idea this was such a widespread issue. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been incredibly helpful. I'm definitely going to try the early morning approach that several people mentioned. Setting my alarm for 5 AM tomorrow to give it a shot before the lines get overwhelmed. One question for those who've successfully gotten through - did you get any kind of confirmation when your fax actually went through? I'm worried I might think it failed when it actually succeeded, or vice versa. My fax machine just shows "transmission error" every time I try during business hours. Also really appreciate everyone sharing the updated fax numbers. I was definitely using an old number I found on some outdated IRS publication. This community has been more helpful than any official IRS guidance I've found!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to fax my SS4 to Cincinnati for my new single-member LLC for almost two weeks with no success. The constant busy signals are driving me crazy. After reading through all these helpful suggestions, I'm planning to try the early morning approach (5-6 AM Eastern) that several people have had success with. Really appreciate everyone sharing the updated fax numbers too - I was definitely using an outdated one from 2023. For anyone else still struggling with this, I wanted to add that I called the IRS general help line and they confirmed that fax volume is at record highs right now due to the increase in business formations. The representative suggested that if faxing continues to fail, I can try calling the Business & Specialty Tax Line at 800-829-4933 during their least busy hours (early morning or late afternoon) to potentially get my EIN over the phone. Has anyone else had luck with getting an EIN issued over the phone recently? I'm wondering if that might be faster than continuing to battle the fax lines.

I'm going through the exact same frustration right now! Just started my single-member LLC and have been trying to get my SS4 through for over a week. The Cincinnati fax line has been nothing but busy signals during business hours. Really appreciate everyone sharing their experiences and solutions here. I had no idea this was such a widespread issue or that timing could make such a huge difference. I'm definitely going to try the early morning fax approach (5-6 AM Eastern) that multiple people have had success with. One thing I wanted to add for other newcomers like myself - make sure you're using the most current fax number. I was using 855-215-1627 from an old PDF I downloaded, but it sounds like 855-641-6935 is the current Cincinnati number based on recent success stories here. Also planning to have the phone option as a backup. Calling 800-829-4933 early in the morning seems like it might actually be faster than continuing to battle the fax lines. Has anyone had experience with how long the EIN letter takes to arrive after getting it issued over the phone? Thanks again to everyone who's shared their experiences - this community has been way more helpful than any official IRS guidance I've found!

I'm dealing with this exact same issue right now! Been trying to fax my SS4 to the IRS for my new single-member LLC for about 10 days with zero success. The constant busy signals have been incredibly frustrating, and I was starting to think something was wrong with my fax machine. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been such a relief - knowing this is a widespread problem and not just me doing something wrong. The early morning timing strategy (5-6 AM Eastern) that multiple people have mentioned sounds like the way to go. I had no idea that timing could make such a huge difference with IRS fax lines. I'm also really grateful for the updated fax number confirmations. I was definitely using an outdated number from some old IRS publication I found online. Will definitely be trying 855-641-6935 for Cincinnati tomorrow morning. The phone option at 800-829-4933 also sounds promising as a backup plan. It's encouraging to hear that several people have successfully gotten their EINs issued over the phone recently. I didn't even know that was possible! Thanks to everyone who's shared their real-world experiences here. This community has been more helpful than any official IRS guidance I could find. Hopefully I'll have a success story to share soon!

I'm going through this exact same nightmare right now! Been trying to fax my SS4 for my new LLC to Cincinnati for almost 2 weeks straight - the busy signals are absolutely maddening. I was starting to think I was doing something fundamentally wrong until I found this thread. This community has been incredibly helpful! The early morning strategy (5-6 AM Eastern) that so many of you have mentioned is definitely my next move. I had no clue that timing made such a difference with IRS fax lines. Also really appreciate the confirmation on the current Cincinnati fax number - I was using 855-215-1627 from some outdated form I downloaded. One question for those who've successfully gotten through via phone at 800-829-4933 - do you need to have your SS4 form completely filled out beforehand, or can the agent help you through the questions? I want to make sure I'm fully prepared before attempting the call. Setting my alarm for 4:45 AM tomorrow to try both the fax and phone approaches. Really hoping to finally get this resolved! Thanks to everyone for sharing their real experiences - you've all been lifesavers.

I'm dealing with this exact same issue! Been trying to fax my SS4 form for my new consulting LLC to the Cincinnati office for over a week now with nothing but busy signals. It's incredibly frustrating when you're trying to move forward with business setup and this one step becomes such a roadblock. Reading through everyone's experiences here has been so helpful - I had no idea this was such a widespread problem or that the IRS fax lines get this overwhelmed during certain times. The early morning strategy (5-6 AM Eastern) that multiple people have mentioned definitely seems like the way to go. I was trying during regular business hours thinking that would be better, but clearly I had it backwards! Also really appreciate the confirmation on the current Cincinnati fax number being 855-641-6935. I was using an old number I found on some IRS publication from last year, which explains why I wasn't even getting busy signals - just connection failures. Planning to set my alarm for 5 AM tomorrow and give both the fax and phone approaches a try. It's reassuring to see so many success stories here after people switched to these strategies. Thanks to everyone for sharing your real experiences - this community has been more helpful than any official IRS guidance I could find online!

I'm going through this exact same frustration right now! Just started my single-member LLC and have been trying to get my SS4 through to Cincinnati for about 8 days straight. The constant busy signals were making me think I was doing something wrong with my fax machine. This thread has been incredibly enlightening - I had no idea this was such a widespread issue or that timing could make such a huge difference. The early morning strategy (5-6 AM Eastern) that so many of you have successfully used is definitely my plan for tomorrow. I was trying during normal business hours like 10 AM-2 PM thinking that would be optimal, but clearly I had it completely backwards! Also really grateful for everyone confirming the current Cincinnati fax number is 855-641-6935. I was using 855-215-1627 from some old IRS publication I downloaded, which explains why I wasn't even getting through to busy signals. The phone backup option at 800-829-4933 also sounds promising. It's encouraging to hear multiple people have gotten their EINs issued directly over the phone recently. I didn't realize that was even possible! Setting my alarm for 4:45 AM tomorrow to try both approaches. Thanks to everyone who's shared their real experiences here - this community has been far more helpful than any official IRS guidance I could find. Hopefully I'll have a success story to add soon!