Founders outside the United States hear the same sentence over and over: "You need a Social Security number to do business in America." It is one of the most common false beliefs in this whole area, and it stops people before they start.
A Social Security number is a personal number. It belongs to a human being, and the Social Security Administration issues it mainly so that person can work and be paid in the United States. A company is not a human being. A company gets a different number, called an EIN, and the EIN does not depend on whether the owner has an SSN.
The confusion happens because business forms ask for both. Form SS-4, which is how your company applies for its EIN, has a line for the company and a line for a person. People see the line for a person, do not have an SSN, and conclude the door is closed. It is not.
What the rules actually require
There are three numbers in this story, and they do different jobs.
SSN (Social Security number). The Social Security Administration issues it, not the IRS. To get one you file Form SS-5 and, in the IRS's own words, "submit evidence of your identity, age, and U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status." For a noncitizen, the SSA's guidance in Publication 05-10096 is that the number exists so you can work, be paid wages, and claim federal benefits. If the Department of Homeland Security has not given you permission to work, the SSA will generally not issue you a number.
ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number). The IRS issues this one. The IRS describes it as "a tax processing number only available for certain nonresident and resident aliens, their spouses, and dependents who cannot get a Social Security Number." It is nine digits, it begins with a 9, and it looks like an SSN when written out. It does one job: it lets the IRS identify you on a tax form. It does not give you the right to work, and you cannot claim the earned income credit with it.
EIN (Employer Identification Number). The IRS describes it as "a federal tax identification number, and is used to identify a business entity." This is your company's number. It is what the bank asks for, what your payment processor asks for, and what goes on the company's tax filings.
So the question "do I need an SSN to run a U.S. company?" is really two questions that people keep merging into one:
- Does my company need a federal number? Yes. That is the EIN.
- Do I, personally, need an SSN in order for the company to get that EIN? No.
The place these two meet is the responsible party line on Form SS-4. The IRS wants one named human being connected to the entity. If you apply for the EIN through the IRS website, the site asks for "the Social Security number or taxpayer ID number of the responsible party in control of your business or organization." Note the word or. An ITIN is a taxpayer ID number. So is an existing EIN of another entity in some cases.
And if the responsible party has none of the three, Form SS-4 still has a way through. The IRS does not require the responsible party to hold an SSN before an EIN can be issued. What changes is how you file. The IRS's own guidance for anyone whose principal place of business is outside the United States is short: "Apply by phone, fax or mail." The online tool is the shortcut, not the rule. We cover the exact wording that goes on that line on the EIN responsible party page.
🇺🇸 If the IRS counts you as a U.S. person
You almost certainly have an SSN already, or you are eligible for one. U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents, and people with work authorization from DHS can all apply with Form SS-5.
Three things still catch people in this lane.
Your SSN and your company's EIN are not interchangeable. Some sole proprietors do use their SSN as the business's tax number, because a sole proprietorship is not a separate entity. The moment you form an LLC or a corporation, the entity needs its own EIN. Giving a client your SSN because "that is my business number" puts your personal number into a stranger's filing system for no reason.
The responsible party line is about control, not ownership. The IRS wants the person who actually controls the entity. If you put a lawyer, an accountant, or a formation service on that line to avoid using your own number, you have named the wrong person.
Applying for an immigrant visa? Ask for the number at the same time. The SSA allows applicants to request a Social Security number as part of the immigrant visa application in their home country. If you do that, you do not have to visit an SSA office after you arrive. People who skip the box on the visa application spend weeks fixing it later.
🌏 If it does not
If you have no permission to work in the United States, you cannot get an SSN. This is not a rule you can argue with, and it is not a rule aimed at founders. The number is attached to work authorization, and you do not have work authorization.
None of that blocks the company.
Your company gets its EIN. You apply on Form SS-4. Because your principal place of business is outside the United States, the IRS route for you is by phone, fax or mail rather than the online tool. It is slower. It works.
You get an ITIN when a form needs your personal number. You apply with Form W-7. The IRS created the ITIN for exactly your situation: a person who has to appear on a U.S. tax form but cannot get an SSN. Once you have it, you write it wherever an SSN would have gone.
You do not need an ITIN for everything. A single-member LLC owned by a non-resident is treated as a separate entity only for certain filings, and it files under the company's EIN. Get the ITIN when a filing actually demands your personal number, not because a blog post told you to collect numbers.
One more correction, because it costs people the most time. A U.S. bank refusing to open your account is almost never an SSN problem. It is a physical-presence and identity-verification problem. Getting an ITIN does not fix it, and founders who spend two months chasing an ITIN in order to open an account usually find the bank still says no for the same reason it said no before.
Where the two lanes split
| 🇺🇸 U.S. person | 🌏 Not a U.S. person | |
|---|---|---|
| Can you get an SSN? | Yes, with Form SS-5 | Not without U.S. work authorization |
| Does the company need an EIN? | Yes | Yes. Same answer |
| Can the company get an EIN without your SSN? | Not relevant, you have one | Yes |
| How you apply for the EIN | Online, in one sitting | By phone, fax or mail |
| Your personal number on tax forms | SSN | ITIN, using Form W-7 |
| Who issues the number | SSA issues the SSN | IRS issues the ITIN and the EIN |
The row that matters is the second one. The company's requirement is identical in both lanes. What differs is which personal number you hold and how long the paperwork takes.
Common mistakes
🇺🇸 If the IRS counts you as a U.S. person
- Handing out your SSN as if it were the business's number. Once you have an entity, use the EIN.
- Naming your accountant or your formation company as the responsible party on Form SS-4. The IRS wants the person who controls the entity.
- Arriving in the United States on an immigrant visa without having requested the SSN on the visa application, then losing weeks to an SSA appointment.
🌏 If it does not
- Believing you cannot form or run a U.S. company without an SSN. You can. The company's EIN does not depend on your personal number.
- Applying for an ITIN first and the EIN second, because you assume one requires the other. It does not.
- Trying to force the online EIN tool to work, then concluding you are blocked. Your route is phone, fax or mail.
- Treating an ITIN as work authorization, or as a fix for a bank rejection. It is neither.
FAQ
Can I form a U.S. LLC without a Social Security number?
Yes. Forming the company happens at the state level, and no state asks the owner for an SSN. The federal number your company needs is the EIN, and the IRS will issue an EIN to a company whose responsible party has no SSN.
Do I need an SSN to get an EIN?
No. The IRS asks for "the Social Security number or taxpayer ID number of the responsible party." An ITIN is a taxpayer ID number. And if the responsible party has neither, Form SS-4 still has a route through, but you have to file by phone, fax or mail instead of using the online tool.
What is the difference between an SSN and an EIN?
An SSN identifies a person. The Social Security Administration issues it, and it is tied to permission to work in the United States. An EIN identifies a business entity. The IRS issues it, and it has nothing to do with immigration status.
Is an ITIN the same as an SSN?
No. Both are nine digits and both look alike when written out, but an ITIN begins with a 9 and does only one thing: it identifies you to the IRS on a tax form. It does not give you permission to work, it does not entitle you to Social Security benefits, and you cannot claim the earned income credit with it.
I have a visa but no work authorization. Can I get an SSN?
Generally no. The SSA issues numbers to noncitizens who have permission from the Department of Homeland Security to work. Being lawfully present is not the same thing as being authorized to work. You can still do many things without the number, including holding a driver's license, enrolling in school, and buying private insurance.
Should I get an ITIN before I apply for the EIN?
Usually not. The two are independent, and doing the ITIN first adds weeks for no benefit. Get the EIN when the company needs it, and get the ITIN when a filing actually asks for your personal number.
Will an ITIN let me open a U.S. bank account?
Not on its own. Banks reject non-resident founders for identity-verification and physical-presence reasons, not because of a missing tax number. An ITIN does not change that answer.
Can I use someone else's SSN on the responsible party line?
No. The responsible party is the person who actually controls the entity. Putting a U.S. friend, a lawyer, or a formation agency there because they have an SSN misstates who runs your company on a federal form.