For taxpayers who receive an IRS IP PIN annually, be on the lookout in January 2022 for a letter from the IRS with your 2021 IP PIN number. These letters, IRS Notice CP01A, are sent out annually to taxpayers via the US mail. Be sure to retain this notice with your other annual tax documents and provide a copy to your tax preparer this winter as the IP PIN is needed to file your tax return electronically.
The purpose of the IP PIN is to enhance security when electronically filing your tax return. The 6-digit number prevents someone else from filing a fraudulent tax return using your social security number. Each year the IRS will send taxpayers a new 6-digit code to be used on their individual tax return. Prior to January 2021, IP PINs were only available to taxpayers that had a prior year tax return fraudulently filed using their social security number. Beginning with personal tax returns being filed for the 2020 tax year, the IRS expanded their security program by allowing all taxpayers to obtain an IP PIN.
Taxpayers can obtain their own IP PIN at: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin
Or if you never received your annual IRS Notice CP01A from the IRS or lost your copy of the notice, you can retrieve your current year IP PIN at: https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/retrieve-your-ip-pin