No. A solo creator can accept fan payments using only a Social Security number; the IRS requires an Employer Identification Number (EIN) only in specific cases, such as hiring employees, forming a partnership or corporation, or owing certain federal taxes. An EIN is optional for most creators and mainly useful for privacy, banking, or a later structure change.
An EIN question tends to come up the first time a creator fills out a W-9 for a brand deal, tries to open a business bank account, or just wants their Social Security number off of paperwork. None of those situations automatically require an EIN, but each is a reasonable moment to get one anyway.
Do you need an EIN to accept fan payments?
No. A solo creator does not need an EIN to accept fan payments: a sole proprietor with no employees can be paid, file taxes, and complete a W-9 using a Social Security number alone. The IRS treats an EIN as an identification number, not as permission to earn income.
The US Small Business Administration states that a person conducting business without registering another structure is automatically treated as a sole proprietor (sba.gov). That default status carries no separate registration step, no filing fee, and no EIN requirement on its own.
The tax obligation attaches to the income, not to the number. The IRS requires a person to file an income tax return and pay self-employment tax once net earnings from self-employment reach $400 or more in a year (irs.gov). That $400 filing trigger applies identically whether the creator holds an EIN or reports under a Social Security number.
Operating without employees is the norm rather than the exception among US small businesses. The US Census Bureau counted 29.8 million nonemployer businesses in the United States in 2022, most of them unincorporated sole proprietorships. Getting an EIN changes how a creator is identified on paperwork; it does not change whether that creator is allowed to be paid.
What does the IRS actually require an EIN for?
The IRS requires an EIN only in a published set of situations: having employees, owing employment, excise, alcohol, tobacco, or firearms taxes, withholding tax on income paid to a non-resident alien, or operating as a partnership, corporation, tax-exempt organization, estate, trust, or retirement plan (irs.gov).
"You need an EIN if you: Have employees. Will need to pay employment, excise or alcohol, tobacco, and firearms taxes. Withhold taxes on income, other than wages, paid to a non-resident alien." — IRS, Employer identification number (irs.gov)
A single creator with no employees, no non-resident-alien payments, and no partnership or corporation falls into none of those categories. That is why many individual creators go a long way — sometimes indefinitely — without ever needing an EIN.
Holding an EIN also does not change what a creator owes. The IRS sets the self-employment tax rate at 15.3%, composed of 12.4% for Social Security and 2.9% for Medicare (irs.gov). That 15.3% rate applies to a sole proprietor's net earnings regardless of whether the return carries an EIN or a Social Security number.
| Situation | Requires an EIN? | What most solo creators use instead |
|---|---|---|
| Solo creator with no employees, filing as an individual | No | Social Security number |
| Hiring an employee (not a contractor) | Yes | EIN, before the first payroll |
| Forming a partnership or corporation | Yes | EIN, as part of that filing |
| Forming a single-member LLC with no employees or excise tax | Generally no | SSN, or an EIN if the bank requires one |
| Opening a business bank account or keeping an SSN off a W-9 | Not required, but common | EIN obtained voluntarily |
| Creator based outside the United States | Not applicable | Tax ID issued by that creator's own national tax authority |
When does an EIN actually help, even if it's optional?
An EIN is worth getting voluntarily in three situations: opening a business bank account under a business name, keeping a Social Security number off brand and client paperwork, and preparing to hire a first employee. Each is a general small-business convenience rather than a FanBell or platform requirement.
Banking is the clearest voluntary reason. The SBA notes that pairing a DBA (assumed business name) with a federal tax ID number lets a sole proprietor open a business bank account under that name rather than their own. If a business account is the goal, do you need a business bank account to accept fan payments covers what banks actually ask for.
The other common reason is privacy on paperwork: a brand or agency requesting a completed W-9 for a paid collaboration will accept an EIN in the taxpayer-ID field instead of an SSN. Neither banking nor privacy changes what a creator is legally allowed to do without an EIN — both are conveniences, not requirements.
Does an EIN keep your Social Security number off brand paperwork?
Yes. On IRS Form W-9, a sole proprietor who holds an EIN may enter that number in the taxpayer identification field instead of a Social Security number. The form accepts either one, so obtaining an EIN before a brand deal keeps a personal SSN off collaboration paperwork.
The current version of the form is Form W-9 (Rev. March 2024), and its instructions state which number belongs in the taxpayer identification field (irs.gov).
"For individuals, this is generally your social security number (SSN). For other entities, it is your employer identification number (EIN)." — IRS, Form W-9 instructions (irs.gov)
A sole proprietor is allowed to put an EIN on a W-9 instead of an SSN once that EIN exists; the form does not require incorporating first. Form W-9 requests are separate from FanBell payments — a W-9 is paperwork a brand or agency asks for directly, not something a fan paying through a creator page triggers.
Does FanBell require an EIN to get paid?
No. FanBell does not require an EIN, a registered business, or an LLC before a creator sets up paid interactions. Creators connect an individual Stripe account during setup, and a sole proprietor can complete onboarding and receive payouts using their own legal name and Social Security number (how it works).
A creator selling Paid Private Questions, Personalized Shoutouts, or Creator Services can start receiving payouts as a sole proprietor. FanBell charges no monthly fee, has no follower minimum, and takes a 12% platform fee only when a fan actually pays — and none of those terms vary with a creator's business structure (pricing). If a creator later forms an LLC or gets an EIN for unrelated reasons, that decision does not change how FanBell payouts work.
Does getting an EIN mean you've formed an LLC?
No. An EIN is a federal tax identification number issued by the IRS, while an LLC is a legal entity created by a state filing. Applying for an EIN does not form an LLC, a partnership, or a corporation, and a sole proprietor can hold an EIN with no state registration at all.
The two are frequently confused because many creators encounter both around the same time, but they answer different questions. An LLC is a state-level filing that can change liability and, depending on elections, how income is taxed. An EIN is simply a federal number the IRS uses to identify a taxpayer.
If you're weighing whether to form an LLC at all, do I need an LLC to accept fan payments covers that decision directly, and sole proprietor vs LLC for creators compares the two structures side by side. One sequencing detail matters: if a sole proprietor later incorporates or forms a partnership, the IRS generally requires a new EIN at that point rather than reuse of the number issued to the sole proprietorship (irs.gov).
How do you get an EIN if you decide you need one?
Apply directly at irs.gov. The IRS issues EINs at no charge through its online application, delivers the number immediately on approval, and does not require a third-party filing service. A sole proprietor applies as an individual, and the application is normally completed in a single session with no waiting period.
The IRS states that an applicant can get an EIN "directly from the IRS in minutes for free," and that the agency issues the number immediately online once the application is approved (irs.gov). The IRS also limits applicants to 1 EIN per responsible party per day (irs.gov), so a creator setting up several entities cannot batch the applications into one afternoon.
The online tool is not open around the clock. IRS Publication 1635 states that the online EIN application is available Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Eastern time. Publication 1635 also states that an applicant who submits Form SS-4 by fax can receive the EIN within four business days (irs.gov), which is the fallback when the online tool is closed or unavailable.
Applicants whose principal business is located outside the United States can apply for an EIN by phone at 267-941-1099, available Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern time (irs.gov). Because the IRS itself charges nothing, paying a third-party site to "process" an EIN application buys convenience only, not access.
Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the EIN questions creators ask most: whether a Social Security number is enough on its own, whether a single-member LLC changes the answer, what Stripe onboarding through FanBell actually asks for, and what a brand's W-9 request requires. Each answer below cites the IRS or FanBell's own documentation.
Can a sole proprietor use their Social Security number instead of an EIN?
Yes. A sole proprietor with no employees can legally file taxes and get paid using only a Social Security number; the IRS does not require an EIN for that status (irs.gov).
Does forming a single-member LLC automatically require a new EIN?
Generally no. The IRS states that the sole owner of an LLC with no employees and no relevant excise tax liability does not need a separate federal tax ID number (irs.gov), though a bank or a state agency may still ask for one. See sole proprietor vs LLC for creators for how the two structures compare.
Do you need an EIN to open a Stripe account through FanBell?
No. FanBell's Stripe onboarding supports individual sole proprietors using a Social Security number; an EIN or registered business is not required to receive payouts.
Will a brand ask for an EIN before paying for a collaboration?
Some brands request a completed Form W-9, which accepts either an SSN or an EIN depending on how the payee is organized (irs.gov). Getting an EIN ahead of that request lets a creator list the EIN instead of a personal SSN on that specific form.
How much does an EIN cost?
Nothing. The IRS issues EINs free of charge and delivers the number immediately through its online application (irs.gov).
Does FanBell charge extra if you don't have an EIN?
No. FanBell is free to start with no monthly fee, and the 12% platform fee applies the same way whether a creator has an EIN, an LLC, or neither.
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