Lost Your IRS IP PIN? Here’s How to Retrieve It

If you’ve lost your IRS IP PIN, the fastest way to get it back is to log in to your IRS online account at irs.gov, where the current PIN appears on your profile page. If you can’t verify your identity online, call 800-908-4490 or book an appointment at a local Taxpayer Assistance Center, and the IRS will mail a replacement to the address on file within about 21 days. Speed matters here: any e-filed federal return missing a required IP PIN is rejected on the spot.¹

Get It Back Online in Minutes

Sign in to your account at irs.gov and look under the IP PIN section on your profile. Your current PIN is displayed there, and you can return to view it as often as you need.²

No account yet? You’ll set one up through ID.me, the identity verification service the IRS currently uses. Have a government-issued photo ID ready (driver’s license, state ID, or passport) and a phone or webcam for a selfie.³ It’s a one-time setup.

Fail identity verification twice in 24 hours and you’re locked out of the tool for another 24 before you can try again.² At that point, move to phone or in-person retrieval.

Call the IRS for a Mailed Replacement

Call 800-908-4490 Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time (Alaska and Hawaii use Pacific). International callers use 267-941-1000, which isn’t toll-free, from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Eastern.⁴

The representative verifies your identity over the phone, but won’t read the PIN aloud. It’s mailed to the address the IRS has on file, and delivery takes up to 21 days.⁴ Plan around that window if a filing deadline is close.

Go In Person to a Taxpayer Assistance Center

If online and phone options both fail, schedule an appointment at a local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center.²

Bring one government-issued photo ID plus a second form of identification. If you’re also handling a dependent’s PIN, bring two forms of ID for the dependent, such as a birth certificate and Social Security card.² Once verified, the IRS mails your PIN in about three weeks. Going forward, a new PIN arrives by mail each year automatically.

What About a Spouse’s or Dependent’s PIN?

A joint return needs both spouses’ IP PINs if both were issued one. Leave either off and the IRS rejects the e-filed return.¹ Your spouse retrieves theirs through the same three channels.

The same rule covers dependents. If a dependent claimed on your return has an IP PIN, enter it on Form 1040, and on Form 2441 (Child and Dependent Care Expenses) and Schedule EIC (Earned Income Credit) where they apply. Missing it kills the whole return.¹

Minor dependents generally can’t set up their own IRS online account, so you can’t pull a child’s PIN through the online tool. Call 800-908-4490 or visit a Taxpayer Assistance Center instead.⁵ Check for dependents’ PINs before you sit down with your tax software; families are often caught off guard.

If the Filing Deadline Is Close

An e-filed return without a required IP PIN is rejected, and the rejection message names the missing or incorrect PIN as the reason.¹ Retrieve the current PIN and resubmit, or file on paper.

One point worth keeping straight: IP PINs change every year. Only the current year’s number works, so last year’s PIN on Notice CP01A won’t help you now.¹

Also useful to know: the IP PIN only applies to federal returns. A lost PIN doesn’t hold up your state filing.²

Paper Filing as a Fallback

You can still file a paper federal return without the PIN. That sidesteps the e-file rejection, though the IRS may take extra time to verify your identity before processing.² Paper returns generally run six weeks or more, versus roughly 21 days for e-file, so a refund will take longer.

Paper Beats Late

If the replacement PIN is still in transit and the deadline is here, file on paper rather than late. The failure-to-file penalty is 5% of the unpaid tax for each month or partial month the return is overdue, up to 25%.⁶ A slower paper return costs less than the penalty math.

Form 15227 Isn’t the Fix

You may see IRS Form 15227 while searching for help, but that form is for first-time enrollment in the IP PIN program. Its instructions specifically say not to submit it if you’ve already been assigned a PIN.⁷ For a lost PIN, use the online account, the 800-908-4490 phone line, or a Taxpayer Assistance Center. Form 15227 also carries income limits (AGI on your last filed return below $84,000, or $168,000 for married filing jointly) and applies only to initial enrollment.²

1
Internal Revenue Service. Frequently Asked Questions About the Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN)
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Internal Revenue Service. Get an Identity Protection PIN
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Internal Revenue Service. New Identity Verification Process to Access Certain IRS Online Tools and Services
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Internal Revenue Service. Retrieve Your Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
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Taxpayer Advocate Service. Protect Yourself From Tax-Related Identity Theft: Get an Identity Protection PIN
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Internal Revenue Service. Failure to File Penalty
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Internal Revenue Service. Form 15227 – Application for an Identity Protection Personal Identification Number (IP PIN)