Tax ID

EIN or SSN: What Tax ID Goes on a USDOT Application?

The tax ID on a USDOT application should belong to the legal person being registered. Using the wrong number, or filing a second application to "fix" a typo, can create a conflicting or duplicate record.

The tax ID must belong to the legal person who is registering

A corporation or LLC generally uses its Employer Identification Number. Do not put the owner's Social Security number on a company's application, and do not borrow another company's EIN. A sole proprietor should enter the tax ID that actually belongs to that person or sole proprietorship. If you are unsure, see application requirements and pause before you submit.

Confirming whether to use an EIN or, where it actually applies, an SSN takes a pause before you type. The wrong number is not a harmless typo.

Sole proprietors should know the information can become public

FMCSA's MCS-150 instructions warn that if a sole proprietor submits personal information as the business contact information, it can appear on FMCSA websites, including a home address, telephone number, and email. Read the current instructions on the MCS-150 form file before you enter a home address as a business address. Confirm you are looking at the current file, in case FMCSA has replaced it.

Reading the current public-information warning and deciding what to use as the business contact takes a little extra time before you submit.

Changing an EIN because the legal entity changed is not a casual typo fix

A new legal entity is not the same as correcting a digit. FMCSA's policy on name and form-of-business changes is specific and can depend on the facts, including some sole proprietors who change form of business. Do not invent a new-number rule. See FMCSA's name and form-of-business FAQ and, if you may be dealing with two records or a new entity, duplicatedot.com.

A new legal entity can involve FMCSA's name and form-of-business rules. That is a research-and-update process, not a second new-number application.

Do not open a second application to fix a tax-ID mistake

If the EIN or SSN on a filing is wrong, correct or update the existing record. A second USDOT number is not a typo fix. See common application mistakes.

Correcting or updating the existing record means following the current Motus or FMCSA correction path, which is slower than filing again and much easier to unwind.

What FMCSA has published about EIN or SSN updates on an existing record

FMCSA's registration forms table has listed EIN and SSN changes as a ticket-and-supporting-document process, including a government-issued ID and an IRS EIN confirmation letter, with no processing fee. That table predates Motus being the current system. Re-check the current FMCSA page, or the workflow Motus shows for the claimed record, before you assume a paper ticket is still required.

If supporting documents are still required, gathering a government-issued ID and an IRS confirmation letter is its own step. Re-check the current process before you assume a paper ticket is, or is not, needed.

Rather not deal with this? Hand it to a Personal Compliance Specialist.

Talk to a Personal Compliance Specialist

Frequently asked questions

Do I need an EIN to get a USDOT number?

Many legal entities use an EIN. A sole proprietor may be registering with personal tax information; read FMCSA's public-information warning first.

Can I use my Social Security number?

Only if that is the correct tax ID for the legal person being registered, typically a sole proprietor. Companies with an EIN should use the EIN.

Will my home address be published?

FMCSA warns that sole-proprietor personal contact information submitted as business contact information can be publicly available.

The EIN on my record is wrong. Should I apply again?

No. Update or correct the existing record. Do not create a second USDOT number.

Is there a fee to add or correct an EIN?

FMCSA's registration-forms table has listed no processing fee for EIN or SSN updates, with supporting documents required. Re-check that page, or the current Motus workflow, before you file.

Still have questions? A Personal Compliance Specialist can take the filing from here.