The USPS EIN number is 41-0760000. It appears in Box b of every W-2 the Postal Service issues, on 1099 forms sent to vendors and contractors, and in the organization’s public financial filings.1United States Postal Service. USPS Periodic Report 8-K (May 12, 2025) One number covers the entire Postal Service, no matter which facility you worked at or invoiced.
One EIN Covers the Entire Postal Service
The Postal Service is an independent entity within the executive branch of the U.S. government.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 39 USC 201 – United States Postal Service It files federal employment taxes as a single organization. Local post offices, regional distribution centers, and headquarters all report under 41-0760000. No individual post office or facility has its own EIN, so if a form asks for the tax ID of the specific location you dealt with, the answer is still 41-0760000.
Finding the EIN on Your W-2
The IRS requires employers to print the EIN in Box b of Form W-2.3Internal Revenue Service. 2026 General Instructions for Forms W-2 and W-3 On a USPS W-2, Box b reads 41-0760000. Enter it into your tax software exactly as printed, including the hyphen. A typo here can delay processing or generate an IRS notice asking you to verify the employer information.
The field label in tax software varies. It may say “Employer identification number,” “Employer ID,” or “EIN.” All three want the nine-digit number from Box b. None of them want your USPS Employee Identification Number, which is a separate internal ID for HR systems and has no role in tax filing.
Retirees: Do Not Use the USPS EIN on a 1099-R
This is where people make the most common mistake. If you retired under FERS or CSRS, your annuity payments come from the Office of Personnel Management, not the Postal Service. OPM issues your Form 1099-R, and the payer EIN on that form is OPM’s, not USPS’s.4U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Get Your 1099-R Tax Form Typing 41-0760000 into your software when it asks for the payer ID on a 1099-R will produce a mismatch with what the IRS already has on file.
Thrift Savings Plan distributions come with their own 1099-R carrying the TSP’s EIN. The rule is simple: use the EIN printed on the specific form in front of you. You can access your OPM 1099-R through Retirement Services Online or by calling OPM’s Retirement Operations Center at 1-888-767-6738.
Getting a Duplicate W-2 If You Cannot Find Yours
Current Employees
The fastest route is PostalEASE. You can also call the employee self-service line at 877-477-3273 and select option 1 to request a duplicate by mail. For questions about specific items on the W-2, such as incorrect withholding or deduction errors, the Accounting Help Desk is at 866-974-2733.5USPS. Postal Bulletin 22667 – Tax Information
Former Employees
Once you leave, PostalEASE access ends. For W-2s covering tax years 2018 through the present, mail a written request to:
Financial Reporting Section (W-2)
Eagan Accounting Services
2825 Lone Oak Parkway
Eagan, MN 55121-9617
Include your full name, current mailing address, Social Security number or Employee ID, the tax year needed, and your signature.5USPS. Postal Bulletin 22667 – Tax Information Requests for W-2s from 2017 or earlier go to the National Personnel Records Center Annex in Valmeyer, Illinois, with stricter identity requirements.
Vendors and Contractors
If you provide services to the Postal Service and receive at least $600 in a year, USPS is required to issue you a Form 1099-NEC.6Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC (04/2025) The payer EIN on that 1099 will be 41-0760000. During vendor onboarding, the USPS procurement team provides a completed Form W-9 containing the EIN, legal name, and address, and that document is what you should keep on file for your own records.
Getting a taxpayer identification number wrong on an information return you file carries real cost. For returns due in 2026, IRS penalties run:
- Up to 30 days late: $60 per return
- 31 days late through August 1: $130 per return
- After August 1 or never filed: $340 per return
- Intentional disregard: $680 per return
Those amounts apply separately to the copy filed with the IRS and the copy given to the payee, so a single botched form can be penalized twice.7Internal Revenue Service. Information Return Penalties Separately, a vendor who fails to provide a valid TIN during onboarding can be subject to 24% backup withholding on every payment until the record is corrected.8Internal Revenue Service. Publication 15 (Circular E), Employer’s Tax Guide You recover that money when you file, but the cash-flow hit lasts all year.
Numbers That Look Like the EIN but Are Not
Two identifiers get confused with the EIN often enough to be worth naming.
The USPS Employee Identification Number is the internal ID assigned for accessing PostalEASE and other HR systems. It has no role in federal tax reporting. When tax software asks for an Employer ID, it wants 41-0760000, not your personal Employee ID.
The Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) is the government contracting ID issued through SAM.gov, and it replaced the old DUNS number on April 4, 2022.9U.S. General Services Administration. Unique Entity Identifier Update The UEI exists for procurement and award tracking; the EIN exists for the IRS. Neither one substitutes for the other on a form that asks for a taxpayer identification number.