How to Get an IRS IP PIN Before the Online Tool Closes

Someone filed a return in your name last spring, or you read that it happens to millions of people, and you want it not to happen to you in the coming filing season. The wrong assumption is that you can sort this out in January. The IRS says the IP PIN is generally available in your online account from mid-January through mid-November, so a request in late November or December waits for the tool to come back, and a return filed in that gap without the PIN is the one a thief can beat you to. Get the PIN now, while the tool is open.

Sign in to your IRS online account

Open the IRS page Get an identity protection PIN and choose Get an IP PIN. It sends you to sign in to your IRS individual online account. If you have never used the account, choose Create account and finish the identity check first. Anyone under 18 cannot use the online route and should skip to the paper form or the in-person step below.

Enroll in the IP PIN section of your profile

Once you are signed in, open your Profile page and find the IP PIN section. Choose to enroll. The six-digit number appears on screen right away. Write it down somewhere you will find it in February, because the IRS does not mail it to online enrollees and you will need it before you file.

Enter the PIN on every return you file

When your tax software asks for an identity protection PIN, type the six digits. If a preparer files for you, give them the number. The PIN is used on Forms 1040, 1040-SR, 1040-NR, 1040-PR, and 1040-SS. A return that should carry a PIN and does not will be rejected or held, which is the whole point, so do not leave the box blank.

Get next year's PIN from the same account

The IRS generates a new PIN every year. From mid-January, sign in to the same online account and read the new number from the IP PIN section before you file. If you chose the one-time enrollment option instead of the ongoing one, the IRS says you are opted out at the end of the calendar year and will not get a new PIN unless you enroll again.

If you cannot pass the online identity check. File Form 15227, Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number. As of September 2026 the IRS page limits it to people whose adjusted gross income is below 84,000 dollars, or 168,000 dollars if married filing jointly. The IRS phones you to verify your identity, and the PIN usually arrives within four to six weeks, which is why the paper route is worth starting now rather than in January.

If your income is over the Form 15227 limit and the online check fails. Book a visit at a Taxpayer Assistance Center through the same IRS page and bring one federal or state photo ID plus one other identity document. For a dependent, bring your two documents and two for the dependent, such as a birth certificate and Social Security card. The PIN usually arrives by mail within three weeks.

If a fraudulent return has already been filed in your name. The PIN stops the next one, but it does not undo the first. Follow the steps in report identity theft and get a recovery plan for the IRS affidavit and the FTC report.

Sources. IRS, Get an identity protection PIN, IRS individual online account, Form 15227.