The IRS announced this week that starting in January 2021, the Identity Protection (IP) PIN opt-in program will be expanded to all taxpayers who can properly verify their identities. The IP PIN is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers to help prevent the misuse of their Social Security number on fraudulent federal income tax returns. An IP PIN helps the IRS verify a taxpayer’s identity and accept their electronic or paper tax return.
The fastest way to get an IP PIN is through the IRS’s “Get An IP PIN” tool. Expected to be available in mid-January, the tool uses Secure Access authentication, which verifies a person’s identity through several different methods. Once received, an IP PIN is valid for one year; taxpayers must obtain a newly generated IP PIN each January. The IRS plans to offer an opt-out feature to the IP PIN program in 2022 if taxpayers find it is not right for them.
More information is available here.