I want to lock my SSN to prevent my ex from using it to ruin my credit. But not sure if I should lock it now or after I file my taxes. I don't trust him to not to try to ruin my credit or anything else given that he has my information.
Locking your SSN with credit bureaus have no effect on the IRS who used the Social Security Administration data base to match your SSN.
I think the question is referring to locking SSN with the government, not the credit bureaus. There is a way to lock your SSN with DHS. E-Verify is a Department of Homeland Security program administered by USCIS in partnership with the Social Security Administration.
Do I have to unlock my SSN with my E-Verify before filing taxes?
You should get an IP PIN from the IRS to keep anyone from filing a return using your SS# ...
https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/get-an-identity-protection-pin
Yes, I do have my PIN from e-verify. My question is, when am I prompted to submit the PIN? Is it through Turbotax? I want to make sure everything is OK before I submit.
@galb0058 E-Verify is an internet-based system that compares information from your Form I-9, Employment Eligibility Verification, to records available to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Social Security Administration (SSA) to confirm that you are authorized to work in the United States.
E-Verify is not used by the IRS.
The IRS will supply a 6 digit Identity Protection PIN only on request.
Go to this IRS website for IP PIN FAQ's - https://www.irs.gov/identity-theft-fraud-scams/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-identity-protection-personal-identification-number-ip-pin
A 6-digit PIN is an Identity Protection PIN (also called an IP PIN) that the IRS provides for victims of ID theft whose cases they are working with. That is entered in a completely different program area--not in the efile section.
The regular Efiling PIN is 5 digits and will be encountered during the process of efiling.
If you have a 6-digit IP PIN to enter, here's where to enter it.
@lsuki You do not "unlock" your PIN. You enter your six digit PIN.
If you have a 6 digit PIN issued to you by the IRS you need to enter it in order to e-file. Go to Federal>Other Tax Situations>Other Return Info>Identity Protection PIN and enter the six-digit PIN.