ITINS Will Expire In 2020; IRS Encourages Early Renewal to Prevent Refund Delays More than 1 million Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers are set to expire at the end of 2020 as the Internal Revenue Service completes the expiration of ITINs assigned prior to 2013. The IRS continues to urge affected taxpayers to submit their renewal applications early to avoid refund delays next year. Under the Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes (PATH) Act, ITINs that have not been used on a federal tax return at least once in the last three consecutive years and those issued before 2013 will expire. This year ITINs with middle digits 88 will expire December 31, 2020. Additionally, ITINs with middle digits 90, 91, 92, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98 or 99, that were assigned before 2013 and have not already been renewed, will also expire at the end of the year. Who should renew an ITIN
Family option remains available Taxpayers with an expiring ITIN have the option to renew ITINs for their entire family at the same time. Those who have received a renewal letter from the IRS can choose to renew the family’s ITINs together, even if family members have an ITIN with middle digits that have not been identified for expiration. Family members include the tax filer, spouse and any dependents claimed on the tax return. How to renew an ITIN To renew an ITIN, a taxpayer must complete a Form W-7 and submit all required documentation. Taxpayers submitting a Form W-7 to renew their ITIN are not required to attach a federal tax return. However, taxpayers must still note a reason for needing an ITIN on the Form W-7. See the Form W-7 instructions for detailed information. Spouses and dependents residing outside of the U.S. only need to renew their ITIN if filing an individual tax return, or if they qualify for an allowable tax benefit (e.g., a dependent parent who qualifies the primary taxpayer to claim head of household filing status.) In these instances, a federal return must be attached to the Form W-7 renewal application. There are three ways to submit the Form W-7 application package. Taxpayers can:
Avoid common errors now and prevent delays next year Federal tax returns that are submitted in 2021 with an expired ITIN will be processed. However, certain tax credits and any exemptions will be disallowed. Taxpayers will receive a notice in the mail advising them of the change to their tax return and their need to renew their ITIN. Once the ITIN is renewed, applicable credits and exemptions will be restored, and any refunds will be issued. Additionally, several common errors can slow down some ITIN renewal applications. These mistakes generally center on:
The IRS urges any applicant to check over their form carefully before sending it to the IRS. As a reminder, the IRS no longer accepts passports that do not have a date of entry into the U.S. as a stand-alone identification document for dependents other than U.S. military personnel overseas. The dependent’s passport must have a date of entry stamp, otherwise the following additional documents to prove U.S. residency are required:
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