How to Rescind Your ITIN After Getting an SSN

To rescind an ITIN after getting an SSN, write to the IRS at Internal Revenue Service, Austin, TX 73301-0057, or visit a local Taxpayer Assistance Center, and ask that your ITIN be voided and your tax records merged under your new Social Security Number. The IRS will not do this on its own, and leaving it undone can strand wages and withholdings on the old number.1Internal Revenue Service. Additional ITIN Information

What to Include

Whether you mail a letter or hand documents to an agent, you need the same items:

  • Your full legal name as it appears on both the ITIN and SSN records.
  • Your current mailing address.
  • Your ITIN (the nine-digit number originally assigned).
  • Your new SSN and a copy of your Social Security card.
  • Your CP 565 notice, the ITIN Assignment Notice the IRS sent when your ITIN was issued, if you still have it. It’s not required, but it speeds up matching.2Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your CP565 Notice

Send copies, not originals. If a document gets lost in processing, replacing it turns into a separate problem.

Mailing the Letter

Write a short letter stating that you’ve been assigned an SSN and want your tax records combined. Include your name, address, and ITIN in the body, and attach a copy of your Social Security card along with the CP 565 if you have it.1Internal Revenue Service. Additional ITIN Information

Send it to:

Internal Revenue Service
Austin, TX 73301-0057

Use certified mail with return receipt. The IRS has no online portal for this notification, so the paper trail is your only proof it arrived. Keep copies of everything you send.

Watch the address. The IRS uses different Austin addresses for different ITIN correspondence. W-7 applications, for example, go to P.O. Box 149342, Austin, TX 78714-9342.3Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Form W-7 (12/2024) The rescission letter goes to 73301-0057. Mixing them up can add weeks.

Going In Person

You can also bring the request to a local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center.1Internal Revenue Service. Additional ITIN Information Bring the same documents you’d otherwise mail. Most centers require an appointment, scheduled through the IRS website or by phone. In-person handling is often faster because an agent processes the request on the spot instead of routing it through the mail queue.

What the IRS Does Next

Once the notification is processed, the IRS voids the ITIN permanently and transfers the tax history filed under it to your SSN.1Internal Revenue Service. Additional ITIN Information From then on, your earnings, withholdings, and return history sit under a single identification number. The voided ITIN cannot be reissued.

The IRS does not publish a specific processing timeline for the consolidation. Expect standard correspondence turnaround, which can run several weeks to a few months in busy periods.

Update Everyone Who Reports Your Income

Every return you file after receiving your SSN must use the SSN, not the ITIN. That covers federal returns, state returns, and any amended returns for prior years. If your tax software has the ITIN stored, change it before you file anything new.

Give your employer a new W-4 with your SSN. Employers report wages using the number on the W-4, so updating it keeps future wage reports lined up with your consolidated IRS record. Banks, brokerages, and anyone else who issues you a 1099 should also get the new number.

Past Years and the EITC

Getting an SSN now does not open the Earned Income Tax Credit for years you filed under an ITIN. The EITC requires a valid SSN, and the PATH Act blocks retroactive claims for years when you or a qualifying family member didn’t hold one. You generally don’t need to amend prior returns just because your identification number changed; the record consolidation handles the linking. Amend a past return only if it contained an error unrelated to the ITIN switch, or if you’re now eligible for a credit or deduction you didn’t originally claim.

Mistakes That Delay Processing

The most common one is doing nothing. The Social Security Administration and the IRS do not handle this transition automatically, so records stay split until you write in or show up. Every year of delay is another year of potentially divided history.

The second is sending the letter to the wrong Austin address. The third is mailing originals of your Social Security card or CP 565 instead of copies. All three are easy to avoid, and avoiding them is the difference between a clean merge and a months-long correction.