IRS Pushes Taxpayers to Open Individual Online Accounts Ahead of Deadline to Minimise Identity Theft

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) recently notified US taxpayers to immediately create an official Individual Online Account ahead of the 15th April deadline to securely file taxes and access related sensitive information. The IRS guidance highlighted that these online accounts will safeguard taxpayers against identity theft.

Threat actors use your Social Security Number (SSN) to file a fake tax return and collect your refund. Affected taxpayers might not even find out about identity theft until they try to file a tax return and the IRS rejects it as a duplicate filing.

For the 2023 tax filing season alone, the IRS flagged over 1 million tax returns for potential identity theft fraud, with over $6 billion in refunds that required additional review. Although the IRS continues to add safeguards to protect taxpayers, impostors continue to leverage evolving technology to commit fraud.

An IRS Online Account Makes Tax Filing Easier

The IRS Individual Online Account offers bank-style convenience and security to taxpayers, according to the agency. The account for individuals is a 'tool that makes it easier for you to manage your personal federal taxes, and save time by going online instead of calling and waiting on the phone,' the IRS said in a recent press release.

This online account comes with a host of features and serves as a central hub for IRS communications and payments. Taxpayers can now use the account to view their adjusted gross income details, request and access an Identity Protection PIN, check refund and amended‑return statuses.

Users can also manage power of attorney, set language preferences, receive and review over 200 types of digital notices, make or cancel payments, and even track their outstanding balances. The IRS believes these accounts could make the process of filing taxes faster and smoother.

Direct access to tax documents through the account also reduces the need to store them in paper copies. In 2025, the IRS expanded the Individual Online Account to include access to certain information return documents filed with the agency. Taxpayers can download forms such as the W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement), 1095-A (Health Insurance Marketplace Statement), and several 1099 forms.

Note that these forms are submitted to the IRS by employers, financial institutions, government agencies, and other payers, providing important information that taxpayers need to file their returns accurately. These documents are currently available for tax years 2023, 2024, and 2025 and can be found under the 'Records and Status' tab within the online account.

How To Create an IRS Online Account?

According to the agency, taxpayers can create an individual online IRS account by accessing the IRS.gov/account webpage and clicking the 'sign in to your online account' option. Following this, taxpayers must submit an approved source of identity to access ID.me for the IRS to verify and secure identity data.

Media outlets reported that the verification through the third-party verification platform might require taxpayers to complete a call with an ID.me video chat agent. While some believe that opening an online account could be perplexing at first, it offers many more benefits and enhanced security in the long term.