Every so often we help clients navigate an identity theft issue. As tax advisors for all of our clients, one of the steps we recommend is to obtain an IRS identity theft protection pin number (IP PIN). This is a free program offered directly by the IRS that helps lock down who can file your tax returns. Think of a two-factor pin number we all have for banking, e-mail, etc. The IRS will mail you a letter annually, typically in January, providing you with the current year’s IP PIN. Anyone trying to e-file your tax returns without the IP PIN number will get a rejection, potentially saving you one of the world’s biggest headaches in getting your identity verified with the IRS.

The IRS recently announced that if you have an identity theft protection pin, your account will now receive extra benefits in addition to the added security on your account. One such benefit is the ability to file your tax returns if a dependent accidentally claimed themselves on their tax returns. This could be an innocent mistake made by a dependent or it could be an intentional identity theft issue. Either way, getting your tax returns filed was just made easier with this upgrade. In the past, in the event of a dependent claiming themselves, you would need to amend the dependent’s tax return and paper file your own return. The new identity theft pin upgrade now makes it so that you can still e-file your tax returns while the issue gets resolved. We highly recommend getting an identity theft protection pin to keep your tax filings secure.

Steps and screenshots provided as of 6/10/2025.

If you notice that a step is no longer current, please let us know :)

 Looking to learn more about an IRS identity theft protection pin number? Here is the IRS FAQ. Please reach out to your Brooklyn Fi team member if you have more questions.