Hi Shar55,
An EIN is not required unless you have at least one employee. However, using the EIN instead of the SSN offers you more security against fraud or identity theft. The IRS says that you should have a profit in 3 of 5 years in which you are in business and filing a tax return. In order to claim your expenses, you would need to complete IRS form Schedule C to show the amount of income received and the expenses incurred for that year.