There is no single PIN that locks your Social Security number across every system, but you can put a PIN or lock on your Social Security number in four separate places, each of which shuts down a different kind of misuse. The IRS Identity Protection PIN blocks fraudulent tax returns filed under your SSN. The myE-Verify Self Lock stops someone from using your number to pass a job’s employment eligibility check. The SSA’s Block Electronic Access freezes online and automated phone access to your Social Security record. A credit freeze at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion keeps lenders from pulling your credit to open new accounts. All four are free, and most people who want real protection turn on more than one.
IRS Identity Protection PIN
The Identity Protection PIN is the closest thing to a PIN directly attached to your SSN for tax purposes. It’s a six-digit code the IRS assigns to you, and any federal return filed under your Social Security number or ITIN without the correct PIN is rejected if e-filed or held for manual review if filed on paper.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
The program is open to any taxpayer as a preventive step. You don’t have to have been a victim of identity theft, and you don’t have to be required to file.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
Getting an IP PIN Online
The fastest route is your IRS online account. If you don’t already have one, the IRS uses ID.me to verify who you are: you upload a photo of a government ID and take a selfie with a phone or webcam. If the automated check can’t match your photos, you can finish verification on a live video call with an ID.me agent.2Internal Revenue Service. New Identity Verification Process to Access Certain IRS Online Tools and Services
Once you’re authenticated, the IRS generates the six-digit PIN on the spot. Save it somewhere secure; you’ll need it every time you file. The IRS also mails Notice CP01A as an official record of the number.3Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your CP01A Notice
If You Can’t Verify Online
Two backup routes exist. The first is Form 15227, Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number. You qualify if you don’t already have an IP PIN, you have a valid SSN or ITIN, you have a phone number the IRS can call, and your adjusted gross income on your last filed return was below $84,000 (individual) or $168,000 (married filing jointly).4Internal Revenue Service. Form 15227 – Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number After you mail or fax the form, an IRS agent will call you to verify your identity before a PIN is issued.
If you don’t qualify for Form 15227 and can’t verify online, you can walk into an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center with a government photo ID and a second identification document. The office verifies your identity in person and issues the PIN.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
Renewal and Recovery
Your IP PIN changes every year. Each December or January, the IRS mails a fresh CP01A with a new code, and last year’s number stops working.3Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your CP01A Notice You can also pull the current PIN any time from your IRS online account profile page.
If you lose the PIN and can’t log in, call 800-908-4490, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Once the agent verifies your identity, a replacement is mailed within 21 days.5Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your IP PIN If none of the recovery options work, you can still file a paper return without the PIN; the IRS will review it manually and your refund will be delayed.
myE-Verify Self Lock
Self Lock keeps your SSN from clearing an employment eligibility check. If an employer runs your locked number through E-Verify, the system returns a mismatch, and you learn someone tried to use your SSN to get hired.
You activate it inside a myE-Verify account. During setup, you verify your identity with your SSN, date of birth, and other personal details. Then choose the Self Lock option and answer three security questions. The lock takes effect immediately and stays on as long as the account is valid; there’s no annual renewal.6E-Verify. Self Lock You have to be at least 18 to use it.7E-Verify. Self Check
One thing to remember: if you take a new job with an E-Verify employer, log in and unlock your SSN before your start date so the check can go through. You can lock it again once you’re hired.
SSA Block Electronic Access
The Social Security Administration offers a separate protection that shuts off all online and automated phone access to your Social Security record. Once it’s on, no one, including you, can view or change your information through the SSA website or automated phone system.8Social Security Administration. How You Can Help Us Protect Your Social Security Number and Keep Your Information Safe
To turn it on, call the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778). The agency recommends this step when you already know your Social Security information has been compromised. Because the block is total, it also cuts off your own ability to manage benefits online or check your earnings statement on the SSA site. To lift it later, you contact the SSA and verify your identity.
Credit Freeze at All Three Bureaus
Neither the Self Lock nor the IP PIN stops someone from opening credit accounts in your name. For that, place a credit freeze (also called a security freeze) at each of the three nationwide credit bureaus. A freeze blocks lenders from pulling your credit report, which stops new accounts from being approved under your identity.
Freezes are free under federal law, and you have to place one at each bureau separately.9Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Freezes Are Here You can request them online, by phone, or by mail:
- Equifax: equifax.com or 800-685-1111
- Experian: experian.com or 888-397-3742
- TransUnion: transunion.com or 888-909-8872
Online and phone requests take effect within one business day, and lifting a freeze for a legitimate credit application takes an hour or less by the same channels. Mail requests take up to three business days in either direction. Each bureau will give you a PIN or password to lift the freeze later, so store those where you can find them.
Protecting a Child’s Social Security Number
Children are frequent targets because their SSNs have clean histories and the fraud often goes undetected for years. Two of the four tools apply.
For the IRS side, if your dependent is under 18 or can’t create an ID.me account, request an IP PIN on their behalf using Form 15227, or bring them to a Taxpayer Assistance Center with identity documents for you and two forms of ID for the child, such as a birth certificate, Social Security card, passport, or school records.10Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) A lost IP PIN for a minor can’t be retrieved online; you have to call 800-908-4490.5Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your IP PIN
For credit, a freeze is the only tool available to restrict access to a child’s file at the bureaus.9Federal Trade Commission. Free Credit Freezes Are Here Contact each of the three bureaus and provide proof that you are the child’s parent or legal guardian along with the child’s personal information.
If Your SSN Is Already Being Misused
Act quickly. Turn on the protections above: activate Self Lock, request an IP PIN, consider blocking electronic access to your SSA record, and freeze your credit at all three bureaus. Then:
- File a report at IdentityTheft.gov. The FTC’s site walks you through what happened and generates a recovery plan and an FTC Identity Theft Report you can use with creditors and police.11Federal Trade Commission. IdentityTheft.gov
- Review your Social Security earnings statement for wages from employers you don’t recognize, which can signal someone working under your number.
- Pull your credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com and look for accounts or inquiries you didn’t authorize.
- File a local police report to help when disputing fraudulent accounts with creditors.
Every step in this article is free. The IP PIN, Self Lock, SSA electronic block, credit freezes, and the FTC report all come at no cost, so the only question is how many layers you want in place before something goes wrong.