An Online IRS Account Can Make Tax Time So Much Easier. Here’s How to Create One

THE 2026 tax season is in high gear, and if you have not yet filed your 2025 tax return, there’s no time like now to start. If you don’t know how to do this start with your income taxesThere’s one step I highly recommend: create your own IRS account online.

Creating an online account with the IRS takes a little time, but it gives you access to information that makes filing a lot easier. Once you have an IRS account, you can find the information you’ll need to report — like your adjusted gross income (AGI) from last year — as well as all of your tax records from previous years.

Learn more about the benefits of creating an IRS account online and how the registration process works.

Why should I create an IRS account online?

The main reason to create an IRS account is to quickly find your personal tax information. Once registered, you can access a wide range of your tax information. This includes:

• Your adjusted gross income.
• Details of your latest tax return.
• Payment history for the last five years.
• Amount of taxes currently owed.
• Digital versions of certain IRS notices.
• Professional tax authorizations.

In addition to viewing your personal tax information, you can make payments online, go digital for certain IRS notices, and approve authorization requests from your tax professional.

You can download instant copies of tax records, such as transcripts from past tax returns and wage and income statements. With an IRS account, you can also request a Identity Protection PIN to add an extra layer of security to your tax records.

Tax experts advise creating an IRS online account in case you encounter a tax problem in the future. Better to have an account already created than to be forced to register online under the stress of a tax difficulty already in progress.

What information do I need to create an IRS account online?

Creating an IRS account online takes about 15 to 30 minutes, if all goes well. Before you begin the process, you will need to collect some documents and information. Here’s what you’ll need:

• A valid email address.
• Your postal address.
• A U.S. passport, passport card, or state driver’s license.
• Your social security number or tax identification number.
• A cell phone registered with you.

How do I create my IRS account online?

The IRS offers a number of ways to create an account online. The easiest way is to visit the Your Online Account page of the IRS website. To start the registration process, click on the blue “Log in or create account” button.

After the waiting page is redirected, you will be taken to a page asking you to sign in to an existing ID.me account or IRS account, or to sign up for a new ID.me account. ID.me is a third-party identification service now required for all IRS accounts.

ID.me registration should take about five minutes and requires photos or scans of your ID. Click the ID.me “Create Account” button circled in green to continue. Here are the basic steps:

1. On the ID.me page where you create your account, enter your email address and choose a password.

2. Next, confirm your email address.

3. Now enable multi-factor authentication with your phone.

4. Choose identity verification: self-service with “video selfie” or video chat with an ID.me agent.

5. Upload photos of your ID.

6. Take and upload a “selfie video” or wait for a video chat interview.

7. Enter your social security number.

8. Finally, allow IRS access to ID.me verification.

Once you have authorized the IRS to access your ID.me information, your online IRS account should be up and running and you should be able to access all information and features provided by the IRS.

How does ID.me verify identification for the IRS?

ID.me is a third-party identity verification company that works with the IRS, Social Security Administration, Department of Veterans Affairs, and 50 state government agencies, primarily for unemployment benefits. The company uses a technology partner called Paravision to manage the facial recognition aspect of its identity verification process.

The IRS began using ID.me for identity verification as a pilot program in 2017 and has since expanded it to encompass all new accounts. Former IRS users who created online accounts prior to the implementation of ID.me will now be required to register with ID.me to use IRS online services.

In early 2022, ID.me and the IRS received criticism over the mandatory video selfie, a mandatory registration step that involves facial recognition technology. Politicians and advocacy groups have strongly opposed the practice, saying a private company should not collect biometric data on millions of Americans.

The agency followed up in February 2022 by announcing that taxpayers signing up for IRS accounts would have the option of a “video chat interview” instead of the automated facial recognition step. The decision to use the video selfie or video chat interview now comes at the beginning of the IRS account registration process.

Does the IRS offer online accounts for businesses?

Yes. In October 2023, the IRS launched the first phase of its business accounts through its online portal. Initially, business accounts were available to sole proprietors who file their taxes with employer identification numbers and to partners or shareholders who have Schedule K-1 for the years 2019-2022.

In December 2023, the agency expanded business accounts to include “individual partners of partnerships and individual shareholders of S corporation businesses.” In December 2024, the IRS announced even more new features for online business accounts, including Spanish language support.

Business accounts with the IRS provide many of the same services as personal accounts, such as viewing tax history, making payments, and authorizing tax preparers. However, all of the specifics of your business tax account depend on the type of business you run and the role you play in that business.

Business owners can also make payments or schedule estimated payments online using the Electronic Federal Tax Payment System.