IRS Identity Pin is 1 Digit Longer than Turbo Tax E File Pin

[SDP62]

I requested and received an Identity Protection Pin from the IRS back in September.  The number they gave me is 1 digit longer than the E filing pin on Turbotax and won't fit. My IRS pin is 6 digits and Turbotax requires 5 digits. What do I do?? 

Thank you!

[rjs]

An Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) and an e-filing PIN are two different things. An IP PIN is 6 digits and an e-filing PIN is 5 digits. You get the IP PIN from the IRS and you choose the e-filing PIN yourself.

To enter your 6-digit IP PIN go to Federal Taxes > Other Tax Situations > Identity Protection PIN.

[SDP62]

Thank you! I didn't expect a quick response. 

I actually found where to put it and is in there now.  Is a crazy day! 🙂

[TEFurman]

According to the IRS web site, if you have an IP PIN from them it should be used for the E File PIN. Here's the text from the web site:

"If you have an Identity Protection (IP) PIN (via a CP01A or the Get an IP PIN Tool), you must enter it when prompted by your software. It will serve to verify your identity instead of your prior-year AGI or prior-year Self Select PIN."

TurboTax only allows a 5 digit pin number and the IP Pin is 6 digits long. The taxes are rejected immediately before they have even looked at the 1040 form where the IP Pin follows my name in the signature area. If this can be fixed fairly quickly it should be, otherwise it looks like I'll have to print and mail our return this year.

[DoninGA]

@TEFurman The IP PIN has been included in the TurboTax software since the time the IRS initiated these PIN's.

To e-file your tax return you need to do a minimum of two things if you received an IP PIN from the IRS.  You need to enter your IP PIN using the procedure in the TurboTax program AND you need to enter your prior year AGI to be able to e-file the the tax return.

The 2023 AGI is the amount from your 2023 federal tax return, Form 1040 Line 11

You enter IP PIN that you received from the IRS using this procedure in TurboTax -

To enter, edit or delete a 6 digit IP PIN

Click on Federal Taxes (Personal using Home and Business)
Click on Other Tax Situations
Scroll down to Other Return Info
On Identity Protection PIN, click the start button

[TEFurman]

I followed your instructions and when I scrolled down to the Identity Protection PIN line it  said "Edit" and not "Start". I had already entered the IRS IP PIN number while getting my taxes ready. I also checked and the AGI from 2023 was also already in the 2024 tax file.

This is the first year that I've had the IRS IP PIN so maybe there is something else I need to do to switch to using it while e-filing rather than a private 5 digit pin. I tried to leave that field blank and TurboTax wouldn't allow it.

[rjs]

@TEFurman 

You have to enter both PINs - the 6-digit IP PIN and a 5-digit e-file PIN. One is for identity protection and the other is for e-filing. I know what you saw on the IRS web site, but it doesn't work that way, at least not in TurboTax.

[TEFurman]

Twice yesterday my e-file return was immediately rejected, even thou all 3 of the items mentioned, i.e., the IRS 6 digit pin, the AGI from 2023, and the 5 digit personal pin had all been entered.

Today when I started TurboTax it installed some updates. I went ahead and e-filed my taxes again and so far everything appears to be working. No rejection e-mail or any thing. Wondering if some bug was fixed in TurboTax related to e-fileing returns.

[TEFurman]

In the previous message the returns were rejected. It just took longer than before.

Good News!! I finally solved the problem. I logged into my IRS account and they had a new IP PIN number for me. I was using the one I got in the mail last summer. I assumed it was good for a year and they would send a new one during the summer.

From the web site it looks like they assign new numbers in January. I made note of the new PIN and updated my return with it. I just received an e-mail from TurboTax that the return has been accepted.

[Klipetsky]

omg thank you so much for this. My return kept getting rejected because of this and its crazy the software doesn't tell you where to update this. THANK YOU!

[SDP62]

Just so everyone knows... I pay my estimated taxes through the IRS site. I got the pin last September but they changed it. I had to go into my profile to see the new one.  I guess I'll have to do the same next year. 

Thank you everyone for your responses.  Once I put the correct IRS Identity Pin in everything went through. Who knew?! Now we know! LOL

[Michael_T]

My eFile was rejected twice because I had not entered the 6 digit IRS Pin. Turbo Tax never directed me to the "The Other Tax Situations" section requesting that I input the 6 digit Pins - either upon initial data entry or sending me back to "correct the IND-181-01" error received when my eFile was rejected. 

The Turbo Tax Helpline Support Person quickly took me to to right place to enter the 6 digit IRS Pin! After that my eFiling was accepted!!! (There should be some notification on the eFile Pin page about the pin differences and where to enter the IRS Pin in the Turbo Tax Program IMHO.)

[gfleischer]

I ran into the same issue, a rejected eFile tax return - I had never had this happen in the 30+ years I have been using TurboTax (and its predecessor Parsons Technology).  I was unaware of the need for the IP PIN as I never received CP01A notice by IRS. Luckily, both I (and my spouse) do have online IRS accounts (maybe this automatically assigns the IP PIN?), so I was able to quickly retrieve these 6-digit numbers (in addition to the regular 5-digit Self-Select PIN). Only by reading this thread did I understood where to enter.  Thanks!

Very frustrating but finally resolved and the submitted tax return was then accepted. But I'm not pleased with TurboTax. I'm not sure why the software didn't prompt me for these?

[rgmhtt]

I have entered my 6-digit PIN on the proper place on the Info worksheet for the IRS provided information.

When I go through the E-file steps, I keep getting asked for my 5-digit personal PIN and the filing does not proceed without one, and then it uses that 5-digit PIN, not my 6-digit PIN.

I am looking at the IRS CP01A letter dated Jan5, 2025 for my PIN.

[rgmhtt]

I just got into IRS and confirmed my 6-digit PIN.

So HOW do I get TurboTax 2024 to use my IRS PIN on e-file instead of its 5-digit PIN?

Do I have to pay for TurboTax support to figure out what looks like a bug?