This Little-Known IRS Trick Could Protect Your Income Taxes, But You Need to Act Now

Is your Social Security number and other personal information floating around on the dark web? In 2024, we have seen a huge number of data breaches affecting hundreds of millions of people, many of whom are US taxpayers.

This tax year, the IRS recommends that every taxpayer protect their income taxes from identity theft by applying for an IP PIN, a unique identifier that prevents anyone else from filing income taxes with your name and Social Security number. Trick? The program closes for maintenance on Saturday, November 23, with a planned reopening “early January 2025.”

Tax-related identity theft has become a booming business, with the IRS Taxpayer Protection Program flagging 2.8 million tax returns for suspected identity fraud in the 2024 tax season. You may not even know you’ve been scammed until you file a tax return that is rejected due to duplicate personal information. You have the right to appeal to the IRS in case of identity theft, but you will face a lengthy process and your tax refund will be delayed.

Learn how the IRS IP PIN works, why the IRS recommends getting one, and why the IRS can send you one automatically. For more tax tips, find out what the Trump administration could mean for the child tax credit and find out if you have to pay taxes on student loan forgiveness.

What is an IRS Identity Protection PIN?

The IRS IRS PIN is a unique six-digit access code that can protect taxpayers from tax-related identity fraud. The code is known only to the individual taxpayer and the IRS and should only be shared with trusted tax preparers.

Taxpayers who have been victims of tax-related identity fraud in the past can obtain an IP PIN from the IRS. In this case, you should receive a CP01A notice in the mail with a six-digit code every year.

How do I create an IP PIN for my taxes?

Taxpayers can create their own IP PIN in a few minutes on the Get an Identity Security PIN page on the IRS website. You will need to create an online IRS account and first verify your identity if you have not already done so.

If you don’t want to create an IRS account or request an IP PIN online, you can also file IRS Form 15227, which is the “Application for Personal Identification Number for the Protection of Identity,” but only if your adjusted gross income on your last tax return is a refund. was less than $73,000 for single filers or less than $146,000 for married filers filing jointly.

After filing Form 15227, you will receive a call from the IRS to verify your identity, and then you will receive your IP PIN in the mail in about four to six weeks.

You can also obtain an IP PIN from your local IRS Tax Help Center. To find a location and make an appointment, call 844-545-5640. You will need to carry two forms of identification, one of which must be a government-issued photo ID.

How to use IRS IP pin?

Once the IRS has issued you an IP PIN, you will need to enter it on any of the 1040 forms you use to file your taxes, including 1040-NR, 1040-PR, 1040-SR, and 1040-SS. You will enter the IP PIN at the end of the form on the line where you sign your tax return.

If you are using tax software To file your taxes, each program will have a step in the filing process where it asks for your IP PIN. If you and your spouse are filing jointly and both have IP PINs, you will need to enter them both.

If you file your return electronically and do not provide your IP PIN, your tax return will be rejected. If you submit paper forms and forget to provide your IP PIN, your refund will be delayed for additional processing to verify your identity.

Each IP PIN is only valid for one year, so you’ll have to create a new PIN every tax season if you want ongoing identity theft protection. The online IP PIN tool is available from mid-January to mid-November.

If you received an IP PIN from the IRS through Notice CP01A, you will continue to receive a new PIN in the mail each year before tax season in December or January. The IRS says, “Taxpayers who have enrolled in the IP PIN program and have not been a victim of tax-related identity theft may opt out of the IP PIN program through their online account.”

This is the first time I’ve created my own IP PIN for my 2022 taxes. Sure enough, when I logged into my account in April 2024 to file my 2023 taxes, another six-digit code was waiting for me.

What if I lost or never received my IRS IP PIN?

Taxpayers who created an IP PIN or received one from the IRS and then lost or forgot the code will need to obtain it in order to electronically file their taxes.

If you created your IP PIN using the IRS Online Self Service Tool, you can simply return to the IP PIN Generator to find your PIN again. Log into your online IRS account and visit the Get Identity Security PIN page again. The IRS warns: “You may need to re-verify your identity due to increased security of our account.”

If you were sent a Notice CP01A with an IP PIN and you lost it or never received it, you will need to call the dedicated IRS phone number: 800-908-4490. Once the agency has verified your identity, you will receive an IP PIN by mail within 21 days.

The IRS has one strange exception for obtaining an IP PIN from Notice CP01A. You will not be able to obtain an IP PIN after October 14 unless you have filed Form 1040 or 1040 PR/SS for the current and prior year.

In this rare case, the IRS advises you to file your taxes on paper. Filing a paper application without the required IP PIN will delay processing, but will also result in an identity check for your tax return, which will likely resolve your situation.