CP 575: the IRS notice that proves your EIN, and what replaces a lost one
Overview
A CP 575 is the IRS notice confirming that your company has an employer identification number, along with the business name tied to it. Medicaid agencies and brokers ask for it so your W-9, NPI and van signs can be checked against one name. The IRS cannot recreate a lost original. A digital CP 575 from a Business Tax Account or a phone-requested Letter 147C replaces it.
On this page
What a CP 575 is
The CP 575 is the notice the IRS issues to confirm that it assigned your company an employer identification number (EIN). It shows the number and the business name the IRS has on record for it, which is why payers treat it as the paper every other form is checked against. It is one of the IDs you set up when you form the company.
How it reaches you depends on how you applied. An online application issues the EIN right away, and the IRS instructions for Form SS-4 say the applicant can view, print and save the EIN assignment notice at the end of the session. A fax application gets the number back in about 4 business days, and a mail application in about 4 weeks. Save the notice before you close the online window. The IRS says its original CP575A-J notices cannot be duplicated or recreated.
If an accountant or formation service applied for you, the notice still goes to the company. The SS-4 instructions say the EIN notice is mailed to the taxpayer, even though the number itself can be released to the designee.
Why Medicaid and brokers ask for it
It is the one document where the IRS itself states the legal name that goes with your EIN, so a credentialing office can check your other papers against it. Louisiana’s Medicaid transportation manual shows how. Section 10.3, issued July 14, 2025, tells the broker to collect a copy of the CP 575 showing the EIN and business entity name, “which must match all other documentation including, but not limited to, vehicle signage.” A Form 147C is acceptable if the CP 575 is not available. The same list asks for an NPI in the business entity name and a W-9 that matches the CP 575 or the 147C.
Before you submit anything, compare the name on the notice with line 1 of your W-9, with your NPI record, and with the lettering on the van. The signage guide covers what goes on the vehicle. The broker credentialing checklist lists the rest of a typical file.
What do I do if I lost my CP 575?
The IRS cannot reprint it, so you replace it one of three ways.
- Digital CP 575. Eligible owners sign in to an IRS Business Tax Account and download it from Tax Records. The IRS calls it a substitute for the CP575A-J notices and for Letter 147C. Signing in means proving your identity through the IRS’s third-party identity provider. The account is not yet available to an LLC that files as a sole proprietor on Schedule C or Schedule F.
- Letter 147C. Call the IRS business and specialty tax line at 800-829-4933, Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time), and ask for Letter 147C, EIN Previously Assigned.
- Entity transcript. An owner can get one through a business tax account or by phone. It shows the EIN, the current name and address and, for an LLC, whether it has one member or several. Louisiana’s list names only the CP 575 and the 147C, so ask the credentialing office before you send a transcript in their place.
If you lost the number itself, not just the notice, the IRS suggests looking in four places first: the notice from when you applied, the bank that holds your business account, any agency where you applied for a state or local license, and past business tax returns. If those fail, the same phone line will verify your identity and give you the number if you are authorized to receive it.
Does a name change mean a new EIN?
No. The IRS says a sole proprietor, corporation, partnership or LLC does not need a new EIN only because it changes its name or location. What it does need is the change reported to the IRS. A sole proprietor writes to the address where it files. A corporation checks the name change box on its return (Form 1120 line E, or Form 1120-S line H), and a partnership does the same on Form 1065 line G. The IRS page adds that you can ask for an acknowledgment of the change.
Once the IRS has it, update everything that carries the old name: the state record, your W-9, the NPI record and the van signs, so each one matches the name the IRS now holds.
Frequently asked questions
- Is Letter 147C the same thing as a CP 575?
- They do the same job but they are different documents. Letter 147C, titled EIN Previously Assigned, is what you request from the IRS by phone. Louisiana's Medicaid transportation manual accepts it when the CP 575 is not available. The IRS also says its digital CP 575 is a substitute for both the older CP575A-J notices and Letter 147C.
- Can I send my W-9 instead of the CP 575?
- Not where the payer asks for both. Louisiana lists the CP 575 (or 147C) and the W-9 as two separate items, and the W-9 has to match the name on the IRS letter. A W-9 is a form you fill out yourself, while the CP 575 is the IRS confirming the number.
- Do I need a new EIN if I change the company name?
- No. The IRS says sole proprietors, corporations, partnerships and LLCs do not need a new EIN just because the name or location changes. You do need to report the change to the IRS and then update your W-9, state record, NPI record and van signs so they match.
- A formation service got my EIN. Where is my notice?
- The IRS instructions for Form SS-4 say that when a third-party designee applies, the number can be released to the designee but the EIN notice is mailed to the taxpayer. Check the mail at the business address, and ask the service what it filed. If nothing arrives, request the digital CP 575 or call for Letter 147C.
