The IRS says the online system for getting an identity protection PIN will be unavailable for annual maintenance in mid-November, and that it is generally available again beginning in mid-January. Taxpayers who want the six-digit number in place before the 2027 filing season have about two weeks to request it online. The agency did not give an exact day for either end of the outage.
The warning came in IRS news release IR-2026-127, issued Oct. 22. IRS Chief Executive Officer Frank J. Bisignano said in it: “Protecting sensitive financial information is essential to preventing unauthorized users.”
What the IP PIN does
The IP PIN is a six-digit number that prevents someone else from filing a federal tax return using another taxpayer’s Social Security number or individual taxpayer identification number. It is known only to the taxpayer and the IRS. A return filed in someone else’s name is how a thief collects that person’s refund, so the PIN closes the door before the return is filed.
The IRS says a taxpayer can get one even if no federal return is required. Tax software asks for the number when the return is prepared, or a tax professional can be given it at filing time. The IRS also says it will never call, email, text or use social media to ask for an IP PIN, so any contact that does is a scam.
Who needs to move before mid-November?
The people with a deadline are those who want a PIN for the first time and plan to file early in 2027, since the online tool is the fastest route. The same goes for anyone who needs a fresh number for the new season: the IRS says a new IP PIN is generated each year, and that the PIN is generally viewable online from mid-January through mid-November.
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Anyone who already has a PIN and files early in January will want to watch for the tool’s return. Because the number changes every year and the viewing window runs from mid-January, a taxpayer who uses the online tool to look up the PIN cannot count on seeing the new number before the system comes back.
How to get the PIN online
The fastest method is an online account, in the IP PIN section of the profile. Anyone with a Social Security number or ITIN who can verify identity is eligible, and the IRS says a taxpayer without an account on IRS.gov must register to validate identity first. That registration step can take time, which is another reason to start now rather than in the last days before the tool closes.
Parents and legal guardians can request one for a dependent. Children under 18 cannot use the online option, so the alternatives below apply to them.
What to do if the online tool is already closed
The IRS lists two other routes, both slower. Form 15227 is open to taxpayers whose adjusted gross income on the last filed return was below $84,000 for an individual or $168,000 for a married couple filing jointly. The taxpayer needs a valid Social Security number or ITIN and a telephone, because the IRS calls to verify identity, and the PIN arrives by mail, usually within four to six weeks.
For anyone who cannot verify online or is not eligible for Form 15227, the IRS says an appointment at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center is possible. The taxpayer brings one federal or state photo ID and one additional ID, and the PIN usually arrives by mail within about three weeks. For a dependent, two forms of ID for the dependent are required, such as a birth certificate and Social Security card.
The numbers explain the urgency. A mailed PIN that takes four to six weeks, requested after the tool closes in mid-November, would arrive between mid-December and the end of December, close to the start of filing season. The step-by-step enrollment options are on the IRS Get an Identity Protection PIN page.
A lost PIN is a different case. The IRS says not to file a new Form 15227 to replace one, and points to its page for people who did not receive or lost their PIN.
Is the IP PIN in place before the tool closes?
An identity thief who files first takes the refund and leaves the real taxpayer to untangle it for months. The mid-November outage shrinks the quick route for getting the PIN, and a PIN is only one lock on the door; credit reports and online accounts are others.
Scam-Proof Your Accounts in a Weekend lays out ten moves in the order that protects the most money first. It covers how to get an IRS Identity Protection PIN so no one can file a return in your name and how to freeze your credit at all three bureaus, free by federal law, and it ends with a first-hour plan if a scam gets through anyway.
Get the IP PIN and credit-freeze steps in the Scam-Proof weekend guide →
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Warren Cohen is a finance writer based in Phoenix, Arizona, covering personal finance topics including credit, banking, and beginner investing. He earned his degree in business administration from Arizona State University and began his career working in consumer finance, where he gained direct experience with lending and credit systems. He now writes for personal finance websites and fintech platforms, focusing on clear, practical content that helps readers make informed financial decisions.
