Ok. Just figured this out myself. You need both pins. The 5 digit and the 6 digit.
The IP Pin is entered here: Federal Taxes> Other Tax Situations> Identity Protection PIN
The 5 digit pin is entered while answering the questions to efile. Normal normal.
The kicker is that the IP Pin is valid only for the current CALENDAR YEAR. It expires 12/31 every year.
So if you applied for your IP pin in 2024 - like me - it is NO LONGER VALID. Just go into your IRS account, navigate to where you can get an IP PIN, and when you scroll down, you'll see the IRS has issued you a new pin.
I re-efiled with this 2025 pin and it was accepted.
