You can apply for an EIN "right now" if you want, at https://www.irs.gov/businesses/small-businesses-self-employed/apply-for-an-employer-identification-n... and it doesn't cost you a penny. You'll have your EIN within an hour too. Just make sure you tie that EIN to the same exact SSN you have been using on your SCH C in the past, and you won't have any issues at all.
