Two businesses, one or two EINs?

[house]

Hello all,
Thank you for any advice you can offer to me. If I have two businesses, one that is a single-member LLC, with no employees, and one that is a sole proprietorship, do I get two different EINs? Or use the same for both businesses?

Thanks for any advice you can give!

[tmerrill]

It mostly depends on your tax situation, so it is something you should discuss with your accountant. That said, you don't really need an EIN for your sole proprietorship unless you hire employees for the sole proprietorship. You would simply use your Social Security # for your sole proprietorship. The single member LLC is probably being taxed as a sole proprietorship so it is up to you whether you get an EIN for it or not. Again, you can use your Social Security #. Which option you choose really depends on how much and what kinds of tax you have to pay, so I would talk to an accountant.