Social Security & Taxes
Get an IRS Identity Protection PIN
An IRS Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) is a six-digit number that helps stop someone else from filing a tax return using your Social Security number or ITIN. This Guide shows how to get one, including for a dependent, and how to use it each year.
Is this Guide for you?
You want to protect yourself from tax-related identity theft, even if you don't have to file a tax return. Anyone with a Social Security number or ITIN who can verify their identity can get an IP PIN.
This Guide helps you
- Get an IP PIN through your IRS online account
- Find other ways to get one if you can't sign up online
- Get an IP PIN for a dependent
- Find your current IP PIN each year
You'll answer 3 short questions. Then you'll get a plan with the steps in order. Your answers stay in this browser tab. They aren't saved, and they aren't sent to Defend.
Based on guidance from Internal Revenue Service. Sources last checked October 8, 2026.