What is a Responsible Party? | Who can be a Responsible Party?

A responsible party is someone who is able to act on behalf of an entity, such as a company. When it comes to filing a Tax ID or Federal EIN Number, the responsible party is the person filing for the EIN on behalf of the company and the person who is responsible for any questions regarding the company’s filings. Usually, the responsible party is a key stakeholder within the business, such as an owner or a partner.

When applying for an EIN using the online SS-4 Form, the responsible party should be the person who is in primary control of filing for the EIN. In the past, this could be confused with the nominee, and thus clarifications have been made to the process. The responsible party should be someone who can manage and direct the assets of the organization, rather than just someone who has been elected to fill out paperwork, such as a manager or an administrator.


Apply for Federal Tax ID Number
Apply for Federal Tax ID Number






Written by Maurice Mallory

Gov Easy LLC is an Authorized E-File Provider and helps clients obtain Federal Tax ID Numbers from the IRS. We are a business-to-business (B2B) application assistance and filing service and are not affiliated with the IRS or any other federal or state organizations. We do not provide legal, financial or other professional advice. We are not a law or an accountancy firm nor are we affiliated with either. Users are able to obtain a Tax ID number on their own by working directly with the IRS, but they will not be able to use the streamlined application process or engage with e-mail support.