The IRS announced in late 2021 that it would be partnering with ID.me to provide identity verification and sign-in processes. ID.me, previously known as TroopSwap and TroopID, has been providing digital identity verification for active military and veterans since 2010. It uses well known and established methods of verifying an individual’s identity to provide them with a digital ID that can be used across an array of services, now including a few from the IRS such as:
- Child Tax Credit Update Portal
- Online Account
- Get Transcript Online
- Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN)
- Online Payment Agreement
The IRS plans to expand this list over the next year.
A big benefit to the IRS moving towards this new ID verification system is the ability for the same ID.me account to be used across any of the supported IRS tools. This means that if you have an existing ID.me account used to access the Child Tax Credit Update Portal, you can use the same account to login to the IP PIN portal.
Verifying your identity with ID.me requires you to submit a photo of an identity document such as a driver’s license, state ID, or passport. You’ll also need to take a video selfie using your smartphone or webcam. If you run into any issue or have questions about the process, you can search the ID.me IRS self-help website, or submit a request for help on the Contact Us page.
While it’s convenient having a singular account that can be used across many different tools and applications, it also makes it convenient for a cyber-criminal if they gain access to this account. For this reason, it is important to use a unique and strong password with your ID.me account and to be cautious of any unsolicited emails asking you to sign into your ID.me account. These could be phishing emails sent from a cyber-criminal. For more information on phishing emails and identity theft, see our previous article ‘Phishing from Home’ and ‘Preventing IRS Identity Theft’.