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An LEI, EIN and state registration number are different identifiers. An LEI is a unique 20-character global identifier linked to public legal-entity reference data. An EIN is a federal tax identification number issued by the IRS. A state registration or file number identifies the entity in the relevant state business registry. One identifier does not replace another.
LEI: Identifies a legal entity globally and connects the code with verified public reference data.
EIN: Identifies a business or other entity for U.S. federal tax administration. It is issued by the IRS.
State registration number: Identifies the entity within the state registry where it was formed or registered. Its name and format vary by state.
A U.S. company may need a state registration number to maintain its state business record and an EIN for federal tax purposes. It may also need an LEI when a financial regulation, bank, broker, counterparty or transaction requires global legal-entity identification. Not every U.S. company automatically needs an LEI.
An LEI record can include the authoritative registration authority and the local registry identifier used to validate the legal entity. For a U.S. corporation or LLC, this will normally relate to the applicable state business registry. Do not state that the company’s EIN is automatically displayed in its public LEI record.
Having an EIN or state registration number does not mean that the company already has an LEI. Search the exact legal company name before starting a new application.
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No. An EIN is a federal tax identifier, a state registration number belongs to a state business record, and an LEI is a global legal-entity identifier.
It depends. A business may need an EIN and state registration number for normal U.S. tax and business purposes. It needs an LEI only when a financial rule, institution, counterparty or transaction requires one.
An LEI record can reference the applicable registration authority and local registry identifier. An EIN should not automatically be described as publicly displayed LEI reference data.