Yes, the IRS Identity Protection PIN does change every year. A new six-digit number is generated for your account each calendar year, and the previous year’s PIN stops working the moment the new one is issued. The reset is deliberate: a stolen PIN from last year is worthless for filing this year. How you receive the new PIN depends on how you joined the program.
How You Get Each Year’s New PIN
If the IRS placed you in the program because you were a confirmed victim of tax-related identity theft, a CP01A notice with your new PIN arrives by mail each year, typically between December and January.1Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your CP01A Notice Nothing you do triggers the mailing; it happens automatically before filing season opens. Watch your mailbox in that window and store the notice somewhere safe.
If you signed up voluntarily and obtained your PIN online, the IRS will not mail you a CP01A. You retrieve the new PIN yourself each year by logging into your IRS online account. The “Get an IP PIN” tool is generally available from mid-January through mid-November.2Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN That mid-November cutoff catches people off guard. Wait until December and the tool may be offline while the IRS generates the next year’s numbers.
Retrieving This Year’s PIN
The fastest route is the IRS online account. Once you sign in and complete ID.me verification (a photo of a government-issued ID and a selfie), your current IP PIN appears on the Profile page of your account.3Internal Revenue Service. New Identity Verification Process to Access Certain IRS Online Tools and Services If you already have an ID.me account through another government agency, the same credentials work.
Lost the CP01A notice and can’t get into the online account? Call 800-908-4490, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. If the representative can verify your identity by phone, the IRS mails your PIN within 21 days to the address on file.4Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) The same number handles a minor dependent’s lost PIN.
If the online tool doesn’t work for you and you’d rather not call, Form 15227 is a third option. It has income limits (adjusted gross income below $84,000, or $168,000 if married filing jointly) and requires a working phone number so the IRS can call to verify your identity.5Internal Revenue Service. Form 15227 Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) The PIN then arrives by mail in roughly four to six weeks, so this route can eat into filing season if you leave it late.2Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
What If You Can’t Find the PIN Before the Deadline
An e-filed return with a missing or incorrect IP PIN is rejected immediately, and you’ll need to fix it and resubmit. A paper return without the correct PIN won’t be thrown out, but the IRS will hold it while verifying your identity, and your refund will take significantly longer.6Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) If you truly cannot retrieve this year’s PIN in time, filing on paper is the fallback.4Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
Where the Current-Year PIN Goes on Your Return
The IP PIN is used on federal income tax returns only: Forms 1040, 1040-NR, 1040-PR, 1040-SR, and 1040-SS. Don’t put it on Form 4868 extension requests, estimated tax payments, or your state return.6Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN)
Two points about the annual reset trip people up. First, amended returns still require the PIN. Second, and more important, if you’re filing a prior-year return, you use the current calendar year’s IP PIN, not the PIN from the tax year you’re amending.6Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN) Every person on the return who has an IP PIN needs their own PIN entered, including a spouse on a joint return and any dependents you claim.2Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
Keeping the PIN Safe Between Renewals
Your IP PIN is meant to be known only to you and the IRS.2Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN Share it only with a tax professional you’ve chosen to prepare your return. The IRS will never call, email, or text you asking for it. Any unsolicited contact requesting your PIN is a scam, no matter how official the message sounds.
Store the CP01A notice or your retrieved PIN the way you’d protect your Social Security card. If you think it’s been compromised, pull a replacement through your online account or call 800-908-4490. Because the number resets every calendar year, the exposure window is limited to the current filing season, but acting quickly still matters if someone might file a fraudulent return before you do.