Glossary
Entity ID number
The unique number a state assigns to a business record when it is first filed.
Also called: Filing number, File number, Charter number, Document number, SOS ID, Control number.
Names can be nearly identical. The ID number never is. It stays with the business through name changes, so searching by number is the surest way to land on the right record.
Each state has its own name and format for it, such as a filing ID, charter number or document number. It is not the same as a federal EIN, which the IRS issues for tax purposes, and it is not a state tax account number.
Keep it handy: annual reports, amendments and certificate orders usually ask for it.
Where you'll see it in a business search
Beside the business name in search results, and at the top of the detail page.