Bipartisan legislation incrementally expands and makes permanent the IRS’ Identity Protection PIN pilot program
WASHINGTON-Bipartisan legislation authored by U.S. Senators Doug Jones (D-Ala.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) to thwart identity theft tax refund fraud and prevent American taxpayers and seniors from falling victim has been signed into law by President Donald Trump. Senators Jones and Collins’ legislation was included as a provision in the Taxpayer First Act.
The Taxpayer Identity Protection Act will require the IRS to expand its Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN) pilot program nationwide over the next five years. An IP PIN is a six-digit number assigned to eligible taxpayers that allows their tax returns and refunds to be processed without delay and helps prevent the misuse of their SSNs on fraudulent income tax returns. Under this act, taxpayers will be allowed to opt-in to the IP PIN pilot program if they desire an extra layer of identity protection.
“This new law will save over a billion dollars in taxpayer money and help protect against identity theft,”Senator Jones said. “I’m glad the President has signed our bipartisan legislation and that these additional protections will be available to all taxpayers.”
In addition to the Taxpayer Identity Protection Act, the Taxpayer First Act contains a number of other provisions designed to modernize the IRS in areas such as customer service, taxpayer rights during the enforcement process, information technology, and electronic systems.
Media Release/Caroline Stonecipher/Senator Doug Jones