The IRS online account is a self-service portal where you can check your federal tax balance, view payment history, pull transcripts, read notices the IRS has sent you, and set up a payment plan without calling or mailing anything. To use it, you first verify your identity through ID.me, the agency’s identity-proofing partner. Once you’re verified, you sign in through ID.me each time and land on your dashboard.
What the Account Shows You
Your dashboard breaks down what you owe by tax year, so you can see which return produced a liability and how much is still unpaid. You can also view up to five years of payment history, including estimated tax payments made during the current year.1Internal Revenue Service. Online Account for Individuals
Your adjusted gross income sits on the Tax Records tab. That matters if you need last year’s AGI to e-file and can’t find your prior-year Form 1040.2Internal Revenue Service. Validating Your Electronically Filed Tax Return Digital copies of IRS notices also appear in the account, so a misplaced CP2000 (underreported income) or CP501 (balance due reminder) is a click away instead of a phone call and a wait.1Internal Revenue Service. Online Account for Individuals
Transcripts You Can Pull
Transcripts are one of the most common reasons to log in, since lenders, schools, and financial aid offices routinely ask for them. The year ranges differ by type:
- Tax return transcript: current year and three prior years.
- Tax account transcript: current year and nine prior years.
- Record of account transcript: current year and three prior years.
- Wage and income transcript: current year and nine prior years.
- Verification of non-filing letter: available after June 15 for the current year, or anytime for the three prior years.
For anything older than what the portal offers, mail Form 4506-T. If you need an actual photocopy of the return rather than a transcript, that’s Form 4506, which carries a processing fee.3Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Types for Individuals and Ways to Order Them
Making a Payment or Setting Up a Plan
You can pay directly from the account using Direct Pay (linked to a bank account) or a debit or credit card. Direct Pay handles payments up to $9,999,999.99, which covers essentially everyone. Payments submitted after 8 p.m. Eastern typically post the next business day.4Internal Revenue Service. Direct Pay Help The Electronic Federal Tax Payment System (EFTPS) is another option but requires separate enrollment.
If you can’t pay in full, you can apply for a payment plan inside the portal. Setup fees depend on the type of plan and how you apply:
- Short-term plan (180 days or less): no setup fee when you apply online.
- Long-term installment agreement with direct debit: $22 online, $107 by phone or mail.
- Long-term installment agreement without direct debit: $69 online, $178 by phone or mail.
Low-income taxpayers (adjusted gross income at or below 250% of the federal poverty level) have the direct-debit setup fee waived entirely. For non-direct-debit plans, low-income filers pay a reduced $43 fee that may be reimbursed once the plan is completed.5Internal Revenue Service. Payment Plans – Installment Agreements The dashboard tracks your balance and remaining payments in real time. Applying online is always cheaper than by phone or mail, which is one of the strongest practical reasons to create the account before you need it.
Creating the Account Through ID.me
To reach any of these features, verify your identity first. The IRS uses ID.me for identity proofing, though Login.gov works as an alternative sign-in method for some IRS applications.6Login.gov. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Most people go through ID.me because it handles the full identity check.
Start at IRS.gov and choose the option to sign in to your individual account. You’ll be redirected to ID.me to create an account with your email and a password. From there, the system asks you to upload a photo of your government-issued ID; a driver’s license or state ID needs both front and back. Clear, well-lit images matter. Blurry uploads are the most common reason people stall here.
After the document step, ID.me prompts you for a selfie or a live webcam capture, and compares that image against the ID you uploaded. The facial-recognition check is required because the IRS credential must meet NIST 800-63-3 identity assurance standards.7Internal Revenue Service. Creating an Account for IRS.gov If you don’t want to use biometric verification, ID.me offers a recorded video call with a live agent who reviews your documents manually.
Once verified, you authorize ID.me to share your credential with the IRS. A confirmation email arrives, and your browser redirects to the IRS dashboard. Each future login goes through ID.me.
Documents to Have Ready
You’ll need a Social Security number or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, a current email, and at least one unexpired government-issued photo ID.7Internal Revenue Service. Creating an Account for IRS.gov Accepted primary IDs include a state driver’s license, a state-issued ID card, or a U.S. passport. A smartphone or a computer with a working camera is also required for the selfie step.
If the automated path can’t verify you (older IDs, name changes, and poor image quality are common causes), you’ll be routed to a video call. For that call you need either two primary IDs or one primary ID plus a secondary document. Secondary documents include:
- Social Security card showing your full name and SSN.
- A health insurance card: medical, dental, vision, Medicare, or Medicaid.
- A W-2 showing your name, address, and employer information.
- A birth certificate with an official seal from the issuing authority. Hospital certificates don’t qualify.
- A bank or financial institution statement showing your name, address, and at least four digits of your account number, no older than one year.
Having a secondary document lined up before you start saves time if the self-service path fails. Most attempts that fail the first time succeed on the video call.
Login Security and the IP PIN
Every sign-in uses multi-factor authentication on top of your password. You choose how to receive the one-time code: text, phone call, or an authenticator app such as ID.me Authenticator.7Internal Revenue Service. Creating an Account for IRS.gov Password and email changes happen inside your ID.me profile, not on the IRS site, because ID.me handles the authentication layer.
One of the most underused features inside the account is the Identity Protection PIN. An IP PIN is a six-digit number the IRS requires on your tax return before processing it, which blocks anyone who has stolen your Social Security number from filing a fraudulent return in your name. The fastest way to get one is through the IP PIN section of your online account profile.8Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN A new IP PIN is issued each year, and the online tool is available from January through mid-November. Once you opt in, the IRS will not mail the number to you, so log in each year before filing season to retrieve it.
Warning signs that your account has been touched include password reset emails you didn’t request, alerts about logins you didn’t make, or anyone contacting you offering to help with your online account. If you suspect unauthorized access, change your password through your ID.me profile, report it at IdentityTheft.gov, and request an IP PIN to lock down future filings.9Internal Revenue Service. Identity Theft Guide for Individuals The IRS identity theft line is 800-908-4490; general account questions go to 800-829-1040.
Approving a Tax Professional
The account is also where you approve authorization requests from a CPA or enrolled agent. When your tax pro needs Power of Attorney (Form 2848) or Tax Information Authorization (Form 8821), they submit the request through the IRS Tax Pro Account. You then log in, go to the Authorizations section, and approve it.10Internal Revenue Service. Tax Pro Account This replaces mailing or faxing signed paper forms, which used to take weeks. Even if you didn’t have an account when the request was submitted, you can create one and approve it after the fact.
What the Individual Account Doesn’t Cover
The individual online account only covers personal tax filings tied to your Social Security number. Business filings such as Form 941 (employment taxes) or Form 2290 (highway use tax) require a separate Business Tax Account linked to an Employer Identification Number. Sole proprietors who file Schedule C or Schedule F on their personal returns can register for both. One current gap: LLCs filing as sole proprietors with Schedule C or Schedule F aren’t yet eligible for the Business Tax Account.11Internal Revenue Service. Business Tax Account
If You Can’t Verify Online
Not everyone gets through ID.me. If your ID is expired, you don’t have a camera, or verification simply won’t cooperate, most of the same information is still available through other channels. Order transcripts by calling the automated phone service at 800-908-9946 or by mailing Form 4506-T; expect five to ten calendar days for mail delivery.3Internal Revenue Service. Transcript Types for Individuals and Ways to Order Them Pay by phone through EFTPS at 800-555-3453 (enrollment required) or mail a check with a payment voucher. Payment plans can be set up by phone or by mailing Form 9465, though the setup fees are higher than the online rates.