From ITIN to EIN to Your Own Business: The Path With No Social Security Number

Somebody at our front desk in Pilsen asks a version of this every week: "can I open a business if I don't have a Social Security number?"

Yes. No SSN is fine. The state of Illinois does not ask for one to form an LLC, the IRS issues business tax numbers without one, and plenty of banks open accounts without one. What you need is the right order, and the right number at each step.

This guide is that order. It is written by the Lobi Space compliance team, current as of October 2026, with every fact checked against the IRS and the Illinois Secretary of State. It is general information, not legal or tax advice.

The three numbers, in one minute

• SSN. Your Social Security number, from the Social Security Administration. For citizens and people authorized to work. If you don't have one, you don't need one for anything below.
• ITIN. Your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, from the IRS. Nine digits, always starting with 9. It is a personal tax number for people who need to file U.S. taxes and cannot get an SSN.
• EIN. Your Employer Identification Number, also from the IRS. It belongs to the business, not to you. Banks ask for it, and you need it to hire.

An ITIN is for you. An EIN is for your company. Most owners without an SSN end up with both. Our ITIN and EIN guide covers each one in detail.

Step 1: Your ITIN

If you already file U.S. taxes without a Social Security number, you probably have an ITIN. Check an old return or the IRS letter, notice CP565, that assigned it.

If you don't have one, you apply on IRS Form W-7, which also comes in Spanish as Form W-7(SP). It usually goes in with your federal tax return. You prove who you are with a passport, or with two other documents from the IRS list, one with your photo. Originals or copies certified by the agency that issued them. The IRS does not accept notarized copies.

You do not have to mail your passport to Texas. IRS Taxpayer Assistance Centers check your documents in person and hand them back, for free, by appointment at 844-545-5640. Chicago has one. Certifying Acceptance Agents do the same for a fee. The IRS says to expect your letter in about 7 weeks, or 9 to 11 weeks during tax season or from abroad.

Two limits to know. An ITIN does not authorize work and does not change your immigration status. It is a tax number, nothing more. And it expires if you go three tax years in a row without using it on a federal return.

Step 2: Your LLC

Here is the part that surprises people. Forming an Illinois LLC does not require a Social Security number. The Articles of Organization, Form LLC-5.5, ask for your company name, addresses, your registered agent and the names of the people in charge. The state fee is $150.

Three things do matter:

• A name that is free. It has to be different from every other Illinois entity and end in LLC or L.L.C.
• A registered agent. Illinois requires an agent with a street address in the state, open during business hours. A P.O. box does not count. You can be your own agent, but your address becomes public.
• A business address. It goes on public record. Many owners use a business address instead of their home for exactly that reason.

The full walkthrough is in our Illinois LLC formation page, and the costs are on formation pricing.

Step 3: Your EIN

Once the state approves your LLC, the company needs its own tax number. The EIN is free from the IRS. How you apply depends on what you have.

With an ITIN. You enter your ITIN on Form SS-4 as the responsible party. If the business has a U.S. address, the IRS online application works, and you get the number at the end of the session.

With no SSN and no ITIN. The online application is closed to you, because it needs an SSN, ITIN or EIN for the responsible party. The paper route is open. The IRS instructions for line 7b say to write "foreign" or N/A when the responsible party does not have and cannot get an SSN or ITIN. By fax, the EIN usually comes back in about 4 business days. By mail, about 4 weeks.

Which situation fits you depends on your own taxes, and that is a question for a tax professional or a free VITA site. One rule holds either way: the business name on the SS-4 has to match your approved state filing exactly.

Step 4: Your bank account

Bring the approved Articles of Organization, the EIN letter from the IRS, your operating agreement and your ID. Federal bank rules let a bank verify a non-U.S. person with an ITIN, a passport number or another government ID instead of an SSN. Each bank still sets its own policy, so call the branch before your appointment and ask what they accept. Our guide to opening a business bank account in Illinois has the full checklist.

Step 5: Keep it current

The business is open. Three dates keep it that way.

• The Illinois annual report. $75 a year, due before the first day of your anniversary month. Miss it and the state can declare you not in good standing, which is how people get surprised by a bank or a lender. See our guide to the certificate of good standing.
• Your registered agent. If the agent quits or moves and nobody replaces them, the state can eventually dissolve the company.
• Your ITIN. Use it on a federal return at least once every three years, or renew it with Form W-7.

Where we fit

Lobi Space is a staffed business center at 1655 S Blue Island Ave, in Pilsen. We work with people who are new here, in English and Spanish, at a front desk you can walk into. You can do every step above yourself. If you would rather hand off the business side, this is what it costs, straight from our price list:

• EIN filing without an SSN: $145, one time.
• Formation, EIN and registered agent, without an SSN: $345, plus state fees.
• Illinois formation, Starter: $145, one time, plus the $150 state fee. Your LLC or corporation filed in any state, with your EIN, by a team you can call.
• Illinois formation, Pro: $195, one time, plus the $150 state fee. Everything in Starter, plus the documents your bank asks for and a registered agent.
• Illinois formation, Premium: $275, one time, plus the $150 state fee. Everything in Pro, plus your first annual report filed and the documents to run the company.
• Illinois registered agent: $95 a year per entity.

For the ITIN application itself, we can walk you through your options, including the free IRS ones in Chicago. Call (312) 248-7020, or talk to our bilingual front desk. ¿Prefiere español? Lea el número ITIN: qué es y cómo sacarlo y qué es una LLC y cómo abrir la suya.

Sources, checked October 2026

• IRS, How to apply for an ITIN
• IRS, Publication 1915, Understanding Your ITIN
• IRS, Acceptable documents for your ITIN application
• IRS, How to renew an ITIN
• IRS, Instructions for Form SS-4
• Illinois Secretary of State, Form LLC-5.5
• Illinois Secretary of State, LLC annual report instructions
• 31 CFR 1020.220, customer identification rules for banks

By the Lobi Space compliance team. Current as of October 2026. Lobi Space is not a law firm or a tax preparer, and this article is not legal or tax advice. We prepare and file documents at your direction.