To get an IRS Identity Protection PIN, verify your identity through your IRS online account and use the Get an IP PIN tool, which displays your six-digit code on screen right away.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN If you can’t verify online, you can apply by mail using Form 15227 or in person at a Taxpayer Assistance Center. The IP PIN is a six-digit code that locks your Social Security number or ITIN so no one else can file a federal return in your name, and the IRS issues a fresh one every calendar year.
Who Can Get One
Anyone with a valid Social Security number or ITIN who can pass identity verification can join the program voluntarily. There’s no fee, no minimum age, and no requirement that you suspect fraud.2Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number
If the IRS has already confirmed you as a victim of tax-related identity theft, you’re enrolled automatically and receive a new IP PIN by mail each year. You can’t opt out in that situation, because the IRS treats your account as permanently at risk.3Internal Revenue Service. How IRS ID Theft Victim Assistance Works
Apply Online Through Your IRS Account
The fastest route is the Get an IP PIN tool on IRS.gov, available from mid-January through mid-November each year. If you already have an IRS online account, log in and request your code. New users first create an account through ID.me, which verifies identity using either a self-service process (a photo of a government-issued ID plus a selfie) or a live video call with an ID.me agent.4Taxpayer Advocate Service. Identity Verification and Your Tax Return
The tool also asks for your prior-year adjusted gross income, which appears on line 11 of your most recent Form 1040.5Internal Revenue Service. Adjusted Gross Income Once you pass verification, your six-digit IP PIN appears on screen immediately. Print or save that page. You’ll need the code when you file.
Apply by Mail With Form 15227
If you can’t verify online, you can apply using Form 15227 as long as your adjusted gross income on your most recently filed return is below $84,000, or $168,000 if married filing jointly. The form asks for your legal name, current mailing address, and a phone number where the IRS can reach you. Mail or fax the form (not both) to the IRS processing center in Fresno, California.6Internal Revenue Service. Form 15227 – Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number
An IRS employee will call to verify your identity. After that call, the agency mails Notice CP01A with your IP PIN to the address on file.7Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your CP01A Notice
Apply in Person at a Taxpayer Assistance Center
If neither the online tool nor Form 15227 works for you, schedule a visit at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center through the office locator on IRS.gov. Bring identity verification documents. After the IRS confirms your identity, your IP PIN arrives by mail, usually within three weeks.1Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
Choose Continuous or One-Time Enrollment
When you sign up through your online account, you pick between two options. Continuous enrollment keeps you in the program indefinitely, with a new IP PIN generated automatically each January. One-time enrollment covers only the current calendar year, and you’re removed at year’s end.2Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number
If you’re on continuous enrollment and want out, you can opt out from the IP PIN section of your online profile, or by calling 800-908-4490. Allow up to 72 hours for the change to take effect. Opting out is only available if you joined voluntarily.
How to Use It When You File
Enter your six-digit code next to the signature line on your federal return. The IP PIN is used on Forms 1040, 1040-SR, 1040-NR, 1040-PR, and 1040-SS.2Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number Tax software prompts you for the number during the filing process.8Internal Revenue Service. IRS Online Account and Identity Protection PINs Protect Against Identity Thieves and Scammers
On a joint return, each spouse who has been issued an IP PIN must enter their own. The code also applies to prior-year and amended returns filed during the current year. Don’t share it with anyone other than your tax preparer.
What Happens If You File Without It
An electronic return submitted with a missing or wrong IP PIN is rejected outright by the e-file system.9Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your Identity Protection PIN You’ll need to retrieve the correct code and resubmit.
A paper return without the correct code isn’t rejected, but processing takes significantly longer while the IRS validates your information through other means, which can push your refund back by weeks or months.
Getting an IP PIN for a Dependent
Children’s Social Security numbers are common targets because the fraud can go undetected for years. You can request an IP PIN for any dependent you claim.
For dependents 18 or older, the simplest path is for the dependent to log into their own IRS online account and request the code. If they don’t have an account, they can create one through ID.me.
For dependents under 18, or anyone who can’t set up an ID.me account, you have two options. Submit Form 15227 on their behalf and the IRS will call the number on the form to verify identity, or schedule an in-person appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center. For the in-person route, bring your own identity documents plus two documents for your dependent, such as a birth certificate, Social Security card, passport, bank statement, or school records. Proof of legal guardianship may also be required if you’re not the child’s parent.2Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number
One limitation: you cannot retrieve a minor dependent’s IP PIN through the online tool. If you lose the code for a child under 18, call 800-908-4490.9Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your Identity Protection PIN
Retrieving a Lost IP PIN
If you misplace Notice CP01A or forget the number, log into the Get an IP PIN tool on IRS.gov. It shows your current code as soon as you verify your identity.9Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your Identity Protection PIN
If you can’t use the online tool, call 800-908-4490, staffed Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Once the phone agent verifies your identity, a replacement notice is mailed within 21 days to the address on file. If neither option works, schedule an in-person visit at a Taxpayer Assistance Center with your identity documents.
If Someone Already Filed Using Your SSN
If an e-file rejection tells you a return has already been submitted under your Social Security number, an IP PIN is only part of the fix. File Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit, to alert the IRS that a fraudulent return was submitted using your information. You can submit it online, by mail, or by fax.10Internal Revenue Service. Identity Theft Affidavit Use this form if a fraudulent return was filed under your SSN, if you or a dependent were incorrectly claimed on someone else’s return, or if your SSN was used for fraudulent employment. Don’t file Form 14039 just to enroll proactively; request an IP PIN through the normal steps instead.
You can also call the IRS identity theft line at 800-908-4490 for help resolving account issues caused by the fraud.11Internal Revenue Service. Reporting Identity Theft Once the IRS confirms you as a victim and closes out the case, you’re enrolled in the IP PIN program automatically and receive a new code by mail each year.