IRS Launches New Identity Verification Process for Accessing Online Accounts
The IRS has recently implemented a new identity verification process for taxpayers who want to access their online accounts and self-help tools.
The verification process includes taking a selfie and submitting a photo of the taxpayer’s driver’s license or passport to the third-party service ID.me. The IRS emphasizes that this process is not needed to file and pay taxes online, only for accessing IRS online accounts and self-help tools.
Self-help tools that require the new process include Get Transcript, the Child Tax Credit Update Portal, Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) and Online Payment Agreement. The IRS has also integrated the identification system into the new account-creation process of several tools used by tax professionals. These tools include those used to request powers of attorney or tax information authorizations online using the Tax Pro Account and to submit Forms 2848 and 8821 online.
The IRS announced the new process last November in response to data breaches of some of its online tools in recent years.