First, if it's any consolation, my e-filed returns were rejected 9 times during the last two days because I did not realize that there are 2 different PIN's that you need in order to e-file (yeah, confusing, right?)
It's important to understand the difference between the "PIN's" that you need.
1. The IRS Identity Protection PIN is a 6 digit number that you can either create or retrieve from the IRS.GOV website.
You will be prompted to enter your IP PIN under the following menu tabs within TurboTax:
1. Federal Taxes > Other Tax Situations > Other Return Info > Identity protection PIN
2. Select "Update"
3. Click "Yes, at least one of us got an IP PIN; Continue
4. Under "Tell us your IP PIN", select "What if I lost my IP PIN"
5. This will open the following help information:
What if you lost your IP PIN?
Retrieving a lost or misplaced IP PIN
Beginning Jan. 14, 2015:
- If you received a CP01A Notice, you can register and create a user profile to get your current IP PIN issued to you this year. The registration process will require that you provide the IRS with specific personal information and answer a series of questions to verify your identity. This process is essential to protect your personal and tax information.
- If you received a CP01F Notice or participated as a resident of FL, GA or DC, and you already have an online account, simply log into your account with your username and password. Follow the prompts to retrieve your IP PIN.
Replacing a lost IP PIN
If you are unable to retrieve your IP PIN or use the Get an IP PIN online tool, you will need to contact the IRS Identity Protection Specialized Unit at [phone number removed] to obtain a replacement IP PIN.
A replacement IP PIN will allow you to file your return electronically or by paper, although your return may take longer to process while the IRS makes sure that your return is truly yours.
If an IP PIN is missing or incorrect, you will not be able to e-file and must instead file your return by mail. However, filing a paper return without a required IP PIN may also take longer for the IRS to process.
Please note that the words "get your current IP PIN" in paragraph 1 and "Get an IP PIN online tool" in paragraph 2 are clickable.
Use these clickable words to go to the online irs.gov site and create an IRS account (or sign on to your existing IRS account) and find your IP PIN. Sorry, I'm not going to cover all of those details here. Good Luck!
After retrieving your 6-digit IP PIN, go back to the TurboTax Federal Taxes section and enter them on the "Tell us your IP PIN" page. Then finish by going to the File tab and e-file your taxes as before.
So...BEFORE I MOVE ON TO THE SECOND PIN, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU ENTER THIS 6-DIGIT PIN WITHIN TURBOTAX UNDER FEDERAL TAXES, OTHER TAX SITUATIONS, etc...Got it?
P.S.: My wife and I are "Married filing jointly", so we each retrieved our 6 digit IP PIN's from the IRS for entry into TurboTax. In other words, there were two separate boxes on the "Tell us your IP PIN" page. Not sure what would happen if I only entered mine or hers, but not both...
2. The "Other" PIN is your e-filing PIN. This is a 5 digit number that you use when you file your taxes. Apparently, as far as I know, this number can be ANYTHING YOU WANT THEM TO BE! They are for your records. The good news is that, as I am typing out this reply, I just received my email notification that my "Federal Tax Return was accepted by the IRS". Victory!
Hope this helps!
