IRS IP PIN Renewal: How to Retrieve, Reissue, or Replace It

To retrieve your IRS IP PIN, log into your IRS Online Account and open your Profile page, where the current six-digit code is displayed. That option runs from mid-January through mid-November each year.¹ If the online tool isn’t an option for you, three backups exist: call 800-908-4490 for a mailed reissue, submit Form 15227 by mail or fax, or book an in-person appointment at a Taxpayer Assistance Center. Each backup takes weeks rather than minutes, so the channel you choose matters more the closer you are to a filing deadline.

Retrieve It Online Through Your IRS Account

The fastest path is the “Get an IP PIN” tool on IRS.gov. If you already have an IRS Online Account, sign in, go to your Profile page, and the current-year IP PIN appears there.² Print or save the screen. The IRS does not mail a separate confirmation to taxpayers who pull the code online.³

If you don’t have an account yet, you’ll first go through ID.me identity verification. That means uploading a photo of a government-issued ID, taking a selfie, and providing your Social Security Number along with a phone number or email for verification codes. The first pass is slow. Every retrieval after that takes about two minutes.

One rule catches households off guard: each spouse and each dependent with an IP PIN has to verify independently. You cannot retrieve someone else’s code through your own account.³

Call the IRS for a Mailed Reissue

If you lost your CP01A notice or never saved the online screen, call 800-908-4490 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. From outside the U.S., use 267-941-1000. After the representative verifies your identity, the IRS mails the IP PIN to your address on file within 21 days.²

Two situations block phone reissue. The IRS will not mail a replacement if you opted into the program online after 2019, or if it is past October 14 and you still have not filed your current or prior-year return. In either case, you’re sent back to the online tool.²

Form 15227 and In-Person Visits When Online Verification Fails

Not everyone clears ID.me. Two slower channels exist for those cases, and both need lead time.

Form 15227

Form 15227 is available if your adjusted gross income on the most recent filed return is under $84,000 for an individual or $168,000 for married filing jointly.¹ You can submit it electronically through the IRS website, or download the PDF and send it by mail or fax.⁴

Mailed forms go to the Department of the Treasury, IRS, Fresno, CA 93725. Faxes go to the toll-free number 855-807-5720 with a cover sheet marked “Confidential.”⁵ Pick one channel. Don’t send the same form through more than one.

After the IRS receives the form, an agent calls the number you listed to verify your identity. Once you pass, the IP PIN arrives by mail in four to six weeks.¹ Start early if a deadline is close.

Taxpayer Assistance Center

If your income is above the Form 15227 thresholds or the callback verification doesn’t work, book an in-person appointment. Use the IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center Locator tool online, or call 844-545-5640.⁶

Bring one government-issued photo ID and one additional piece of identification. The IP PIN is then mailed to your address on file within about three weeks.¹

Retrieving a Dependent’s or Minor’s IP PIN

Dependents age 18 and older can create their own ID.me account and use the online tool the same way an adult filer does. For a child under 18, or any dependent who can’t complete online verification, a parent or legal guardian submits Form 15227 on the child’s behalf. The IRS calls the number on the form to verify the parent before issuing the child’s code.⁶

The in-person route also works, but the document load is heavier. The parent brings their own ID plus two documents for the dependent, such as a birth certificate and Social Security card, and may need proof of legal guardianship.⁶

To retrieve a minor’s IP PIN that was previously assigned but lost, call 800-908-4490. The online tool does not support retrieval of a minor dependent’s IP PIN.²

If You Can’t Retrieve It Before Filing

When every channel fails and the deadline is on top of you, mail a paper return without the IP PIN. The IRS accepts it and manually verifies your identity before processing, which delays any refund.² It’s a last resort, but it beats missing the deadline. An e-filed return without the correct current-year code is rejected outright.¹

Why Last Year’s IP PIN Won’t Work

The IRS issues a new IP PIN every calendar year, so the code from last filing season is dead.³ How you receive the new one depends on how you entered the program. Taxpayers enrolled by the IRS because of confirmed tax-related identity theft get a CP01A notice by mail each December or January with the new code.⁷ Anyone who signed up voluntarily has to log in and retrieve it.

The current-year code applies to every federal return you file during that calendar year, including prior-year and amended returns. Filing a late 2024 return in 2026 still means using the 2026 IP PIN.⁶

Watch for Fake Retrieval Requests

The IP PIN is essentially a password for your tax identity, and scammers know it. Common phishing tactics use an email or text posing as the IRS and direct you to a fake site to “verify” or “update” your code. The IRS does not initiate contact by email, text, or social media.⁸ Any unsolicited message asking for your IP PIN is fraudulent. Share the number only with the IRS itself and, if applicable, the tax professional preparing your return.

If you believe your IP PIN has been compromised, call 800-908-4490. The current code becomes useless at the end of the calendar year regardless, and the IRS will issue a new one once the situation is resolved.

1
Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
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Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
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Internal Revenue Service. An Identity Protection PIN Helps Shield Taxpayers From Tax-Related Identity Theft
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Internal Revenue Service. Form 15227
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Internal Revenue Service. Form 15227, Application for Identity Protection Personal Identification Number
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Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN)
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Internal Revenue Service. Understanding Your CP01A Notice
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Internal Revenue Service. Ways to Tell if the IRS Is Reaching Out or if It’s a Scammer