Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
A six-digit number that must be entered on your return to file it. Anyone who can verify their identity can enroll — it is not limited to identity theft victims.
Full Definition
An Identity Protection PIN is defined by the IRS as "a six-digit number that prevents someone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN)."
Eligibility is broader than the name suggests. The IRS states: "Anyone who has an SSN or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN) and is able to verify his/her identity is eligible to enroll into the IP PIN program" — enrollment is voluntary and open, not something granted only after a reported identity theft incident. Form 14039, the Identity Theft Affidavit, separately encourages victims to enroll, but does not gate enrollment to victims only.
Once you have one, using it is not optional on a return that has it. The IRS states: "Enter the six-digit IP PIN when prompted by your tax software product or provide it to your trusted tax professional preparing your tax return," and that "correct IP PINs must be entered on electronic and paper tax returns to avoid rejections and delays." A missing or wrong IP PIN does not just fail to add protection — it stops the return from processing correctly.
What to do next
If you already have an IP PIN from a prior year, confirm you have the current one before filing — the program issues one per filing season, and providing the wrong one causes the rejection the program exists to prevent.
Sources
- Get an identity protection PIN (IP PIN) — Internal Revenue Service, retrieved 2026-08-24
Last reviewed 2026-08-24 by Tax Resolution Clarity editorial.
Sourced to primary IRS materials and editorially reviewed. Not reviewed by a tax professional. Not tax advice.
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Where to go next
The IRS publishes the rules this page describes. Your own notice governs your dates.