Verifying for the IRS – ID.me Help Center

As an IRS technology provider, ID.me offers secure and convenient identity verification options. Members can choose between self-service or a video call with a live agent. Both options meet the required government standards for accessing online government services.

You only need to verify your identity once—then you can use your ID.me account for the IRS and anywhere else ID.me is accepted.

To access the IRS online services, you’ll need to:

Create an ID.me account using your personal email address.
Verify your identity
Consent to share your identity information with IRS

Note: If you are an existing ID.me member, follow the steps on Internal Revenue Service and ID.me.

Create an ID.me account

To help ensure you always have access to your ID.me account, we recommend creating your ID.me account using your personal email address.

Note: If you need to use your account to access a business, organization, or non-profit, visit Setting up your ID.me account for work to learn how to add your work email address to your ID.me account.

After your account is set up, you can verify your identity. To create a new account:

Go to the IRS application login page and select Sign in with ID.me.
Enter your personal email address and a strong password, then select Create account. Learn how to create a strong password.
Follow the prompts to finish setting up your ID.me account and to confirm ownership of your email.

Verify your identity

You can verify your identity using Self-Service or on a video call with an ID.me agent. Select the tab below for an overview of each verification method:

Note: If you live outside of the United States and don’t have a US phone number, mailing address, or Social Security number, you can still verify your identity. For step-by-step instructions, visit Verifying if you live outside the United States.

Self-Service is the most common verification method and takes 5-10 minutes to complete. To verify, you’ll need:

A mobile phone that has a camera or a computer with a webcam
Email address
Government-issued photo ID (U.S. driver's license or state ID, U.S. passport, or U.S. passport card)
Social Security number.

Note: If you don’t have a Social Security number, select Continue by entering your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

To verify your identity using Self-Service:

Go to the IRS application you’d like to access. When prompted, select Verify with ID.me.
Sign in to your ID.me account and set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to further protect your account.
Select Self-Service.
Follow the prompts to upload your US driver’s license or state photo ID, or select Change Document to upload a passport or passport card. Learn how to take photos of your documents.
Take and submit a video selfie. Your selfie will only be used to confirm that the person in the selfie matches your government ID. You may request that ID.me delete your Biometric Data at any time.
Enter your Social Security number.
Review and confirm that all of your information is accurate, then select Yes. After ID.me verifies your identity you will receive a confirmation message as a way to protect you from fraud.
From the Authorize screen, review the information that the IRS will receive and then select Allow to consent to share that information with the IRS, completing the identity verification process.

Note: If unsuccessful, you may need to verify on an extended video call. During this process, you may be asked to provide a selfie.

During a video call, you’ll upload a document and connect with a live agent to verify your identity without uploading a selfie. To verify, you’ll need:

A mobile phone that has a camera or a computer with a webcam
Email address (To successfully verify your identity for IRS , the email address on your IRS application must be used on your ID.me account)
Government-issued photo ID (U.S. driver's license or state ID, U.S. passport, or U.S. passport card)
Social Security number

Note: If you don’t have a Social Security number, select Continue by entering your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN).

After you’re signed in to your ID.me account, you can verify your identity on a video call. To verify:

Go to the IRS application you’d like to access. When prompted, select Verify with ID.me.
Sign in to your ID.me account and set up multi-factor authentication (MFA) to further protect your account.
Select Video Call.

Note: If you don’t have the required identity documents, select I don't live in the United States to verify on an extended video call.
Select Get Started, accept ID.me's consent to collect personally identifiable information, then select Continue.
Follow the prompts to upload your US driver’s license or state photo ID, or select Change document to upload a passport or passport card. Learn how to take photos of your documents.
Enter your remaining information, including your Social Security number, then select Continue. Learn why ID.me asks for your Social Security number.

Note: If unsuccessful, you may need to verify on an extended video call. During this process, you will upload additional identity documents and show your documents to the Video Chat Agent.

Connect with a Video Chat Agent

During the call with your Video Chat Agent, the agent will compare you to your uploaded identity document. To connect to a video call:

After your information is confirmed, you will be prompted to join a video call. Select Join video call to proceed.
Wait for the next Video Chat Agent to be available.

Consent to having your call recorded, select Continue, then select Join video call when prompted.
Stay on the call as the Video Chat Agent compares you to your identity document photo. This should only take a moment.

Share your information with the IRS

Finally, you must consent to share your information with the IRS. After your video call, you'll receive an email from ID.me with the subject "Action Required: Complete your IRS verification." Follow the instructions in the email to share your information with the IRS. You will then be able to access the IRS online service.

Do you have multiple ID.me accounts?

If you already created a duplicate ID.me account using your work email address or another email address that you own, follow the steps in How to use an email address that’s on your duplicate account to make your email address available to add to your original ID.me account.

Getting help

ID.me does not process or handle any documents pertaining to your tax records or filing status. As a technology provider, ID.me only provides identity verification for IRS applications.

ID.me Support can help with questions related to:

The verification process
Your ID.me account settings
Deleting your ID.me account
Other questions involving the use of ID.me

To contact ID.me Support, go to our contact page and sign into your account.

You will need to contact the IRS for questions regarding:

Account balances
Payments and payment plans - For example, if you want to know if you owe anything to the IRS.
Questions about your tax records - Getting your tax transcripts from current or past years or checking on your tax refund
How to get your IRS IP PIN
If you were asked to verify your tax return information
IRS letters or other notices

To find alternative options to complete your task without an account:

Visit the IRS tool or application login page.
Find and select the “What if I can’t verify my identity?” section.
Select the “Alternative options” link.

To contact the IRS, you can call the phone number on a notice or letter you received from the IRS. You can also visit the IRS website to learn more about online tools and resources, or receive telephone or local assistance.