ID Verify IRS
Contents
The Internal Revenue Service may ask you to verify your identity in some cases. The purpose of this is to prevent identity theft, as you should be the one that receives your tax refund. Here is everything you need to know about verifying your identity with the IRS and situations that require this.
IRS letters that require ID verification
The following IRS letters require taxpayers to verify their identification. These letters are as follows.
- 5071C
- 5747C
- 6331C
- 5447C
In addition to receiving these letters, your phone and financial information must be US-based.
IRS directs you to verify your identity
Other than these letters received from the Internal Revenue Service, you may need to verify your identity if an IRS representative directs you to ID verification. This mostly happens through the phone when you call the Internal Revenue Service.
How to verify identity with the IRS
Even though ID verification online is straightforward, you need a couple of things for verification. Make sure you have the following to verify your identity.
- Form 1040 for the tax return shown on the letter
- ID.me or IRS username
If you don’t have an ID.me or IRS username at the time of verification, you need to provide photo identification to verify your identity.
Start verifying yourself online.
Non-online ways to verify identity
The non-online identity verification should be done by taxpayers that can’t verify their identity online. This can happen due to a problem you face on the online tool or not having the required documentation – either way, contact the phone number you see on the letter.
Before calling, gather the following documentation that will help you verify your identity.
- The letter you received, whether 5747C, 6331C, or another.
- Original tax return shown on the letter or another prior tax year return.
- The supporting documents like the 1099s, W-2, or Schedule 1, etc.
Even when providing these to the Internal Revenue Service, there is still a chance that it won’t work out. In these situations, the IRS may schedule an appointment at a local IRS office to verify your identity in person.
