A criminal with your Social Security number can try to file a tax return in your name. The IRS offers a tool meant to block that. It is called an Identity Protection PIN, or IP PIN. The IRS presents it as a way to help guard against tax-related identity theft.
This guide covers what the sources we reviewed support. They are mostly page titles and headlines from the IRS. The body text of the how-to pages was not available to us. So we will not invent steps. We will tell you where the steps live and what to check when you get there.
What an IP PIN is for
The IP PIN is a number tied to you and your tax filings. The IRS describes it as protection against tax-related identity theft. The idea is simple. A fraudster who has your Social Security number should not be able to file as you without the extra number.
The IRS has also encouraged all taxpayers to sign up for an IP PIN for the 2025 tax season. That is a notable shift from the older idea that only confirmed victims should have one. Check the IRS site for the current year, because that announcement is tied to a specific season and may be out of date by the time you read this.
One IRS item says the IRS online account and IP PINs protect against fraudsters. We could not confirm from the text available how the two connect in practice. Treat them as related tools until the IRS pages tell you more.
Where to find the official steps
Start with the IRS page titled Get an Identity Protection PIN. That is the page the IRS provides for requesting one. Our sources did not include its body text, so we cannot list the steps or the identity checks it requires.
Two other IRS pages are worth bookmarking. The frequently asked questions page is the place to look for rules and edge cases. The page for people who did not receive or lost their PIN covers recovery.
Before you act, look at the date on the page. The IRS updates these pages, and a step that worked last year may have changed.
Questions to answer before you start
Several basics are not stated in the sources we had. Check each one on the IRS pages.
- Who is eligible to get an IP PIN, and whether it is optional or required for your situation.
- Whether the PIN is good for one tax year or must be renewed each year.
- What identity verification the IRS asks for.
- Whether there is any cost.
- What your options are if you cannot use the online tool, such as paper or phone routes.
That last point matters. A Kiplinger headline asks whether people are protected as the IRS PIN portal goes offline. The text we could access was only page navigation, so we cannot say when, why, or for how long. If the online option is down when you try, the IRS pages are where any alternative would be listed. We could not confirm one.
Keep the PIN in context
An IP PIN is one layer. The IRS also has a reminder to take steps now to protect tax information. Read it alongside the PIN pages. It is the IRS's own broader checklist.
Be careful where you type your details. Go to IRS pages by typing irs.gov yourself or using the links above, rather than through a link in a message. Our sources did not cover scams that imitate IP PIN requests, so this is general caution, not IRS guidance we can quote.
If you think your identity has already been misused, a PIN alone is not the full answer. The IRS lost-or-missing PIN page and the IRS identity theft pages are the next stop. We did not have their text, so we cannot say what they require.
The short version: the IRS offers the IP PIN to guard against tax-related identity theft, and it has urged everyone to sign up for the 2025 season. The details of how to get one sit on IRS pages we could not read in full. Open them, check the date, and follow what they say today.
