To protect you from identity theft, the IRS needs to verify your identity before they process the income tax return, issue a refund, or apply the overpayment to next year’s estimated tax.

Learn more about IRS Identity Protection PINs to help prevent misuse of your taxpayer identification number on fraudulent federal income tax returns.

The IRS received an income tax return using your name, Social Security number (SSN) or individual taxpayer identification number (ITIN).

The first thing to do is to check the return address to be sure it’s from the Internal Revenue Service and not another agency.

Go to Identity and Tax Return Verification Service to verify your identity and the tax return. You must let the IRS know if you did or didn’t file a tax return. It’s quick, secure, and available 24 hours a day.

• New IRS online users must create an account. You will need your valid government-issued photo ID (examples driver’s license, state ID, passport, passport card).
• Existing IRS online users sign in with your username and password.

If you have trouble signing in, check the frequently asked questions.

After signing in, you’ll then answer questions about the tax return.

• If you DID file a tax return, have a copy of your CP 5071 notice and a copy of the tax return for the tax year shown in the notice.
• If you DIDN’T file a tax return, you may be a victim of identity theft. You can indicate that you didn’t file a return on the website.

Important: If you did file, the IRS won’t be able to process your tax return until you answer the tax return questions. If you verified your identity, but didn’t answer the tax return questions, you must sign in again and answer the questions.

Someone may have filed a fraudulent tax return using your name SSN or ITIN. If you didn’t file a tax return for the tax year shown on your notice, let the IRS know immediately as you may be a victim of identity theft.

Online

Use the IRS’s secure Identity Verification Service. It’s quick, secure, and available 24 hours a day.

Have a copy of the CP 5071 notice you received and a copy of the tax return for the tax year shown in the letter.

By phone

Call the toll-free IRS Identity Verification telephone number in the CP 5071 notice within 30days from the date of this letter.

The toll-free number IRS Identity Verification number is for Identity Verification only. No other tax-related information, including refund status, is available.  

Once you have successfully verified your identity, it may take up to 9 weeks for you to receive your refund or apply the overpayment to next year’s estimated tax. However, if there are other issues, you may receive a notice asking for more information, and this may delay your refund.

If the IRS can’t verify your identity over the phone, they may ask you to schedule an appointment at your local IRS office to verify your identity in person. You will need to bring the documents listed above. You can make an appointment by calling toll free 1-844-545-5640.

•  The Cp 5071 notice.
• The Form 1040 (series) income tax return referenced in the letter (Form 1040, 1040A, 1040-EZ, 1040-PR, 1040-NR, etc.) and all supporting documents (Form W-2, Form 1099, Schedules C or F to list a few). Note: A Form W-2 or Form 1099 is not a tax return.
• A prior year’s income tax return, other than the year in the letter and all supporting documents.