What the IRS says: “Your annual Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) for filing this year's return.” Here’s what it actually means, your deadline, and exactly how to respond.
Not a problem — protection. The six-digit IP PIN changes every year, arrives each December/January, and must go on your return or e-filing rejects. Lose it and retrieval is online (or a mailed CP01A reissue if you can't verify).
Notice family: Identity Verification — The IRS suspects a return filed under your SSN might not be yours and won't process anything until you verify. Fast to fix when you follow the exact channel the letter names — and your refund waits until you do.
Store it where your tax preparer/software will find it at filing time
Enter it exactly — a wrong IP PIN rejects e-file
Lost: retrieve via the online IP PIN tool
It changes yearly — last year's PIN never works
Nothing to respond to. If a return rejects because someone already used your SSN, that's when the identity-theft playbook (14039, verification) starts.
Your annual Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) for filing this year's return. In practice: Not a problem — protection. The six-digit IP PIN changes every year, arrives each December/January, and must go on your return or e-filing rejects. Lose it and retrieval is online (or a mailed CP01A reissue if you can't verify).
There is no fixed response deadline on this notice, but acting promptly keeps your options open. The respond-by date printed on your own notice always controls.
Nothing to respond to. If a return rejects because someone already used your SSN, that's when the identity-theft playbook (14039, verification) starts.