Where to Fax IRS Form 2553: Fax Number, Steps, and Deadlines
Fax IRS Form 2553 to 855-887-7734 if your corporation's principal office is in the Kansas City service area, or 855-214-7520 if it falls under Ogden. Your state decides which number applies.
The election is due within two months and 15 days of the start of the tax year it should cover, which is March 15 for calendar year companies.
Faxley
Faxend Editorial · Updated August 18, 2026
The two IRS fax numbers for Form 2553
Form 2553 goes to one of two IRS fax numbers, 855-887-7734 for Kansas City or 855-214-7520 for Ogden. Which one you use depends on the state where your corporation keeps its principal business, office, or agency.
The IRS confirmed both numbers on its Where to file Form 2553 page, last reviewed June 28, 2026. There is no third number, and there is no general IRS fax line that will route the form for you.
| Service center | Fax number | Mailing address |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City, MO | 855-887-7734 | Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Kansas City, MO 64999 |
| Ogden, UT | 855-214-7520 | Department of the Treasury, Internal Revenue Service, Ogden, UT 84201 |
Fax and mail are alternatives, not a pair. Pick one. If you fax the election, the IRS asks you to keep the signed original with your corporate records rather than mailing a second copy.
Faxing is the faster route for a deadline week. A single page usually reaches the service center in under a minute, while paper mail adds days you may not have.
How to pick the right number for your state
Match the state of your principal business location to a service center, then use that center's fax number. The state of incorporation does not decide this. Where the company actually operates does.
Kansas City handles the eastern block. That list covers Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. All of those fax to 855-887-7734.
Ogden takes everything else. That means Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Those fax to 855-214-7520.
A Delaware LLC run from Austin files with Ogden, because Texas is where the office is. A New York corporation with a warehouse in Nevada still files with Kansas City, because the principal office governs.
Moved recently? Use your current principal location, and make sure the address on line A of the form matches it. A mismatch between the address you print and the center you fax is one of the easier ways to slow your own election down.
Form 2553 deadlines and how late is too late
File Form 2553 no more than two months and 15 days after the start of the tax year the election should cover. For a calendar year company electing S corporation status for 2026, that date is March 15, 2026.
You also have a second, easier window. Any time during the tax year before the one you want the election to cover is valid. Filing in October 2026 for a 2027 calendar year is on time.
A brand new entity gets a different starting gun. Its first tax year begins on the earliest of three events. When it first had shareholders. When it first had assets. When it first began doing business.
Miss the window and the election generally slides to the following tax year. But late relief exists. Under the rules described in the Instructions for Form 2553, a company can still get the earlier effective date if it shows reasonable cause, acted quickly once it noticed the problem, and files within three years and 75 days of the date on line E.
Where the reasonable cause goes: write it on line I of the form or attach a short statement. Vague wording gets pushback, so name the actual reason and the date you discovered the miss.
All shareholders from the gap period also need to confirm they reported income consistently with S corporation treatment. Column K on the form handles that if everyone signs.
What your Form 2553 cover sheet should include
Your cover sheet needs five things, and all five exist so a clerk can match the fax to your file if pages separate. Corporation name exactly as it appears on line A. Your EIN. The IRS fax number you dialed. A callback number. The total page count including the cover.
Write "Form 2553, Election by a Small Business Corporation" on the subject line. If you are requesting late election relief, add "Late election relief requested under Rev. Proc. 2013-30" so the reviewer sees it before opening page two.
Cover sheet template
To: Internal Revenue Service, [Kansas City, MO or Ogden, UT]
Fax: [855-887-7734 or 855-214-7520]
From: [Corporation name], EIN [XX-XXXXXXX]
Callback: [your phone number]
Date: [today]
Pages: [total, cover included]
Re: Form 2553, Election by a Small Business Corporation
Keep the cover to one page. Extra pages give the fax more chances to fail partway, and nobody at the service center needs a paragraph of context.
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How to fax Form 2553 step by step
Faxing Form 2553 works in five short steps, starting with signatures and ending with the confirmation receipt you keep. Nothing here needs a fax machine or a trip to a print shop.
1. Complete and sign every required line
Part I needs the corporation name, address, EIN, date incorporated, state of incorporation, and the effective date on line E. Every shareholder signs column K. An officer signs the bottom of page one. An unsigned consent is the single most common reason these come back.
2. Scan at 200 to 300 dpi in black and white
Fax transmission is monochrome, so color scans just add file size without adding clarity. Straighten the pages and check that handwritten signatures did not wash out. If your phone camera is the scanner, shoot on a dark surface in even light.
3. Confirm your service center one more time
Look at the state on line A, not the state on your incorporation certificate. Kansas City is 855-887-7734. Ogden is 855-214-7520. Faxing the wrong center does not automatically get forwarded.
4. Send with a cover sheet and keep the receipt
Attach the cover page in front of Form 2553 and send the whole set as one transmission. Save the confirmation page, screenshot, or email receipt. That timestamp is your proof of filing date if the election is ever questioned.
5. File the original in your corporate records
Do not mail a duplicate after faxing. The IRS treats the fax as the filed election, and a second copy arriving weeks later can create a duplicate record.
No fax machine anywhere in the building? That is normal in 2026. Faxend sends the completed form from your iPhone or from any browser, so a scanned PDF and a phone are enough to hit a March 15 deadline. The step by step iPhone walkthrough covers the mobile path in more detail, and the web send page works if you are already at a desk.
Cost matters when this is a once a year task. A five page send on the $2.99 Basic plan covers a signed Form 2553 with room for a cover sheet and a consent continuation page, without opening a subscription. Full plan details sit on the pricing page, and there is a separate breakdown of fax options with no monthly commitment if that is the sticking point.
What happens after the IRS receives your fax
The IRS generally decides on an S corporation election within 60 days of receiving Form 2553. Approval arrives by mail as a CP261 notice, which is the acceptance letter you want in your permanent records.
Checking box Q1 in Part II changes the clock. That box asks for a business purpose fiscal year, and it adds roughly 90 days because the request goes through a ruling letter.
Heard nothing after two months? The instructions tell you to follow up by calling 1-800-829-4933. If box Q1 was checked, wait five months before you chase it. Have the fax confirmation timestamp in front of you when you call, because the first question is usually when and how you filed.
The IRS does not fax an answer back. Everything comes by mail to the address on line A, so an outdated address here turns a 60 day wait into a much longer one.
Until acceptance lands, file as though the election is pending. Most practitioners keep withholding and payroll unchanged rather than guessing, then correct once the notice arrives.
Mistakes that get Form 2553 kicked back
Missing shareholder signatures in column K cause more rejections than anything else on this form. Every person who owned stock on the effective date has to consent, including spouses in community property states.
The second most common problem is an EIN that does not exist yet. You cannot file Form 2553 with "applied for" in that box. Get the number first through the IRS EIN application, which issues it immediately online.
A few smaller ones that still cost weeks:
- Wrong service center. Faxing Ogden's number from a Wisconsin address puts your form in the wrong queue.
- Line E set to the wrong date. The effective date drives the whole deadline calculation, so a January 1 entry when the company started trading in March creates a conflict.
- Illegible scan. Light pencil signatures and low contrast photos disappear in transmission.
- Officer signature left blank. Column K consents do not replace the officer signature on page one.
- Both faxed and mailed. Two filings for one election generate two records and two chances for confusion.
Run a check on the scan before sending. Open the PDF, zoom to 100 percent, and read the EIN and every signature. Thirty seconds there beats a rejection letter in September.
Fax stays in tax practice for a plain reason. It produces a timestamped transmission record that both sides can point to, and the underlying T.38 protocol confirms delivery page by page. Email attachments give you no equivalent. More on how the editorial team here approaches document workflows on the author page.
One last practical note. If you are electing S corporation status close to the March 15 line, send in the morning rather than at 11 p.m. Service center fax queues run long near deadlines, and a busy signal at midnight is a worse story than a confirmation at 9 a.m.
Frequently asked questions
What is the fax number for IRS Form 2553?
There are two. Use 855-887-7734 for the Kansas City service center and 855-214-7520 for Ogden. The state where your corporation's principal office sits determines which one applies.
Can I fax Form 2553 from my phone?
Faxend lets you fax Form 2553 from your iPhone in about a minute, and the $2.99 Basic plan covers a five page send with no subscription. Scan the signed form, add a cover sheet, and send it to the number for your state.
Do I need to mail Form 2553 after faxing it?
No. The IRS treats the fax as the filed election. Keep the signed original in your corporate records instead of sending a duplicate by mail.
How long does the IRS take to respond to Form 2553?
Usually within 60 days, by mail. If box Q1 in Part II is checked, expect roughly 90 extra days. Call 1-800-829-4933 if nothing arrives within two months.
Can I still fax a late Form 2553?
Yes, if you qualify for late election relief. You need reasonable cause, prompt action once you noticed the miss, and a filing within three years and 75 days of the date on line E.
Does Form 2553 need a cover sheet?
A cover sheet is not legally required, but it is strongly recommended. Include the corporation name, EIN, destination fax number, callback number, and total page count so the service center can match separated pages.
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