What is an FEIN or EIN?
An EIN, also called an FEIN, is the Employer Identification Number the IRS issues as a federal tax ID for businesses, tax-exempt organizations, and other entities. It is used for tax administration, payroll, banking, and business filings. It should not be treated as a public registration, award, license, or sanctions identifier.
Full name: Federal Employer Identification Number / Employer Identification Number
Short explanation
An Employer Identification Number is a federal tax identification number issued by the Internal Revenue Service. FEIN is a common shorthand for Federal Employer Identification Number; in most business-data contexts it refers to the same IRS-issued identifier. EINs can be important in private records, tax administration, payroll, banking, and filings, but they are not the same as public identifiers such as UEI, CAGE, NPI, CCN, LEI, or company-register numbers.
Related platform: Entity graph - resolved organization records
How it’s used
- Tax administration: the IRS uses EINs to identify businesses, tax-exempt organizations, and other entities for federal tax purposes.
- Business records: banks, payroll systems, and filings may request an EIN even when a public registry uses a different identifier.
- Fonteum treats EIN/FEIN as sensitive tax context and does not substitute it for source-public identifiers such as UEI, CAGE, NPI, CCN, LEI, or company number.
Frequently asked questions
- Is FEIN the same as EIN?
- In most business-data contexts, yes. FEIN commonly refers to the IRS Employer Identification Number.
- Is an EIN public like a UEI?
- No. EIN is a federal tax identifier. UEI is the public federal-award entity identifier assigned through SAM.gov.
- Who issues EINs?
- The Internal Revenue Service issues EINs for businesses, tax-exempt organizations, and other entities that need a federal tax ID.
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