An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN), a unique six-digit number known only to the taxpayer and the IRS, helps prevent the misuse of a taxpayer’s Social Security number on fraudulent federal income tax returns, according to a recent blog by National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins. In calendar year 2022, about 525,000 taxpayers opted in to the IRS’s IP PIN program.

“When the taxpayer files their return, they include their IRS-provided IP PIN, signaling to the IRS that the return is authentic,” Collins wrote. “If a taxpayer has an IP PIN but does not include it on their return at filing, this signals to the IRS that the return may be fraudulent.”

My daughter, Holly, had her identity stolen and now has a brand-new shiny IP PIN for her 2023 tax return.  Better to have an IP PIN for you and your client before something goes bad.