The IRS IP PIN Website Is About to Go Offline. Are You Covered?

As tax fraud remains a growing threat, taxpayers have only a brief period to lock down their identities for the next filing season.

Picture a criminal filing a tax return in your name and taking your refund before you even know it happened. For an increasing number of Americans, that is an annual nightmare — and sorting it out can be exhausting.

A recent report from the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) says tax-related identity theft cases take roughly two years on average to resolve. Much of that time is spent waiting for assistance while cases move through administrative delays.

The problem is made worse by staffing shortages. Last year, the IRS lost nearly 300 trained identity theft assistors through the Deferred Resignation Program alone, part of broader workforce reductions that cut the federal tax agency by nearly 30,000 employees.

With fewer staff available to help victims of fraudulent filings, taking preventive action matters more than ever. One of the IRS’s strongest safeguards is the Identity Protection PIN, or IP PIN, which can stop scammers from filing in your name. But the online portal used to request one is set to shut down soon.

Identity theft causes financial strain for taxpayers

Tax identity theft is often simple in practice: the first return filed wins the refund. Criminals do not wait for the usual spring rush.

IRS Security Summit guidance notes that fraudsters spend late fall preparing bogus returns so they can submit them as soon as tax season opens in January.

• Scammers collect names, birth dates, and Social Security numbers from corporate data breaches or dark-web databases.
• They then create fake Form W-2 or 1099 wage information, inflate withholding amounts, and claim refundable credits so the refund is sent to an untraceable account or prepaid debit card.
• Most victims do not discover the theft until they try to file and learn the IRS has already rejected their return because someone else used their Social Security number.

National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins described these cases and the resulting refund delays in a congressional report as financial hardships, saying the process is frustrating, burdensome, difficult to navigate, and time-consuming.

The cost is significant for everyone involved. Over the past two years, the IRS paid more than $124.2 million in refund interest because delays slowed resolution, according to TIGTA.

Although the agency protected $7 billion in fraudulent refunds across two recent years, taxpayers still have one of the best available defenses: the IRS IP PIN. This six-digit code blocks electronic filing unless the correct number is included.

However, the online Get an IP PIN tool is taken offline each year for scheduled maintenance. Anyone who misses the deadline may head into filing season with their Social Security number unprotected.

What is being taken offline?

Beginning in mid-November, the IRS will shut down its online Get an IP PIN tool until mid-January for routine maintenance.

An IRS IP PIN is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers to help prevent fraudsters from using their Social Security numbers on bogus federal income tax returns.

Once an IP PIN is linked to a Social Security number, the IRS e-filing system automatically rejects any return that does not include the matching code, even if it is submitted first. After enrollment, taxpayers receive a new IP PIN each January.

But there is one key requirement: you must enroll.

• If you have never signed up for an IP PIN, you will not automatically receive one in the new year.
• That gives criminals a window to use stolen personal information and file a fake return as soon as the IRS begins accepting tax-season submissions.
• For that reason, the IRS has repeatedly said an IP PIN is one of the most effective ways for filers to protect themselves from identity theft.

“By safeguarding their online account credentials and obtaining an IP PIN, taxpayers can help stop tax-related identity theft, file their tax return with greater confidence, and know they have done what they can to protect themselves from bad actors,” IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano said in a recent press release.

The encouraging news is that getting an IRS IP PIN is now easier than it used to be. When the program first began, taxpayers generally had to be victims of tax fraud or meet certain location-based requirements.

Now that the program is open to everyone, about 51 million people use an IRS Individual Online Account to manage their tax information and secure their filings. Through that portal, verified users can check balances, review past records, and voluntarily join the IP PIN program, even if they are not required to file a federal return in the current year.

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What to do now

If you want to sign up for an IP PIN, there is still time, though not much, before the mid-November maintenance shutdown. Follow these steps before the IRS portal goes offline.

1. Create and verify your IRS Individual Online Account. Visit IRS.gov and set up your account using ID.me to confirm your identity. If you already have an account, log in now to make sure your credentials and multi-factor authentication are working properly.
2. Use the Get an IP PIN tool. Open the profile or security settings in your online account and request your six-digit PIN before the maintenance freeze begins.
3. Protect your January code. Once the IRS issues your new annual PIN in early January, treat it like a bank PIN or password. Share it only with a trusted, verified tax preparer when you are ready to file, if needed.
4. Safeguard dependents and non-filers. Children and older dependents are common targets because their unused Social Security numbers can be valuable to fraudsters. Ask adult dependents to log into their own IRS accounts and enroll as well.

For minor children, an IP PIN can be requested by mail using Form 15227 if adjusted gross income is below $84,000 for single filers or $168,000 for married couples. Anyone who cannot verify online or who exceeds those income limits must make an in-person verification appointment at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center.

As the IRS prepares for another heavy filing season and lingering backlogs, taxpayers can still take steps to strengthen their defenses. Spending a few minutes now to secure an IP PIN before the portal closes may be the most effective way to keep a refund out of the wrong hands.