Mid-November is the last stretch for looking up an Identity Protection PIN in an IRS online account. After that, the number stays out of view until mid-January, when the next window opens. The IRS says the six-digit code is “generally available to view in your online account starting in mid-January through mid-November.”
The IRS Identity Protection PIN page gives no exact day for either end of the window, so the dates are the agency’s own loose wording. The page was last reviewed on August 4. It describes the PIN as a number that stops anyone else from filing a return under your Social Security number or taxpayer identification number.
The question for most people is whether to get a PIN before the window closes, and how. Anyone with a Social Security number or an individual taxpayer identification number who can prove who they are can have one. Each person gets an individual PIN, so a married couple needs two.
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A viewing window, not a sign-up deadline
The mid-November date is about looking at the number online, not about whether a person can join the program. The IRS page does not say enrollment ends then. What it says is that the online account shows the current PIN on the Profile tab during those months.
A PIN is good for one calendar year, and a new one is generated every year. Someone who joined before and wants this year’s number has to log in during the window. People who sign up through the one-time enrollment option are removed from the program at the end of that year.
Confirmed victims of tax-related identity theft are handled differently. The IRS enrolls them itself and mails a CP01A notice each year with the new PIN. People who opted in on their own get no letter and must retrieve the number online.
Three ways to get one
The IRS calls the online account the fastest route. A person without an account has to register and pass identity checks first. The Taxpayer Advocate Service, an independent office inside the IRS, says online enrollment provides the PIN immediately.
Form 15227 is the second route, for people who cannot use the online tool. The adjusted gross income on the last filed return must be under $84,000 for a single filer or $168,000 for a married couple filing jointly. The IRS verifies identity by phone and mails the PIN, usually within four to six weeks.
The third route is an appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center, the IRS walk-in offices. After identity is verified there, the PIN usually arrives by mail in about three weeks, according to the Taxpayer Advocate’s February blog post. The post, written by Toshia Hansen, said more than 10.4 million taxpayers had obtained an IP PIN as of July 2024.
Mail time matters here. A person who files a form or books an appointment in late November could be waiting into January for the number.
Dependents have their own rules. The IRS FAQ says a dependent who is 18 or older can request a PIN online, while a dependent under 18 can use Form 15227. A parent or caregiver who claims a dependent with a PIN has to enter it when e-filing.
Anyone who later decides the PIN is more trouble than it is worth can leave the program. The IRS says people can check whether they are eligible to opt out in the IP PIN section of the online account profile, or call 800-908-4490 if they cannot log in. Eligibility depends on having enrolled voluntarily and not having been a victim of tax-related identity theft. After an opt-out, the agency says to allow up to 72 hours before e-filing without a PIN.
What a wrong PIN does to a return
Once someone has a PIN, it goes on every return. The IRS says a missing or incorrect PIN causes an e-filed return to be rejected, and a paper return is held until the agency can validate it. The IRS FAQ adds that on a joint return, each spouse who has a PIN must enter it, and a claimed dependent’s PIN goes on the e-filed return as well.
Lost numbers have a fix that does not require a form. The IRS says not to file Form 15227 for a new PIN. People can view the number online or call 800-908-4490, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. An assistor verifies identity and mails the PIN.
If the online tool is down or a person cannot get in, the IRS says the same phone number is the first stop. The other routes are Form 15227 or a visit to a Taxpayer Assistance Center, where identity documents are required.
The IRS also says it will never ask for an IP PIN. A phone call, email or text asking for one is a scam. The code belongs only on a tax return and in the person’s own online account.
Is your return locked before someone else files it?
The online window is the easy way in, and it has a few weeks left.
The IP PIN is built to stop a thief from filing a return first under a stolen Social Security number. A PIN does not help if the number is already out in the open, though, or if a scam call has already collected personal details.
The Senior Fraud Defense & First-Hour Recovery Kit is for that second problem, before anything has gone wrong or after it has. It includes the first-hour recovery plan and the free credit-freeze steps, so a freeze is in place alongside the PIN.
Freeze your credit and work the first hour with the Senior Fraud Defense Kit →
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This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
