Get your federal and state tax IDs

Before you can hire, open a business bank account, or file taxes, you need the right ID numbers. The big one — a federal EIN — is free and takes about ten minutes. Most states want a tax account too. Getting these squared away early is what unlocks everything else.

Do this

1. Get a free federal EIN from the IRS at irs.gov (about 10 minutes online — never pay a third party for it).
2. Register for a state tax account if your state has income, sales, or withholding tax.
3. Sign up for a sales-tax permit if you'll sell taxable goods or services.
4. Register for withholding tax if you'll have employees. Then save every number and login somewhere safe.

Your tax IDs

• Federal EIN from irs.gov — free, ~10 minutes
• State tax account (if your state taxes income/sales)
• Sales-tax permit (if you sell taxable goods or services)
• Withholding-tax account (if you'll have employees)
• All numbers + logins saved somewhere secure