Taxpayers Now Need to Call the IRS to Retrieve Lost or Forgotten IP PINs

The IRS announced yesterday that they would be temporarily suspending the IRS.gov Identity Protection PIN tool while they work to improve security for the application. Stressing that only five percent of the 2.7 million IP PIN holders have used the tool to retrieve a PIN, the IRS indicated that there was minimal risk to the program as a whole resulting from prior use of the online PIN-retrieval tool.

The Identity Protection PIN is designed to improve security for those who have been victims of tax-related ID theft: The six-digit number is required on returns submitted for PIN holders, acting as a security measure against would-be identity thieves who, presumably, would not have access to the PIN.

The program includes victims of tax-related ID theft, select victims of non-tax-related ID theft, and participants in the pilot program. Below is specific guidance related to the IP PIN program:

• Lost or misplaced IP PIN letters. Taxpayers who are IP PIN holders but who lost their CP01A letters containing the IP PIN will need to call the IRS. If they can verify their identity, they will be mailed their IP PIN. If they have moved since Jan. 1, 2016, they must file a paper tax return, which will receive additional scrutiny and take longer to process because we don’t normally accept these returns without an IP PIN.

• Florida, Georgia and District of Columbia participants. Taxpayers who live in Florida, Georgia or the District of Columbia and who already have retrieved an IP PIN should include it on their tax returns. Taxpayers in those locations who have not retrieved an IP PIN will be unable to access the tool at this time but may file their tax return as normal.

• Other taxpayers. Taxpayers who filed a Form 14039 citing non-tax identity theft issues (Box 2) and who already have retrieved an IP PIN should include it on their tax returns.

To learn more about the IP PIN program, consult the official statement on IRS.gov.

Source: Internal Revenue Service