ITIN Application Apply for Your ITIN Number

As a Certified Acceptance Agent of the IRS in India and the US, we have over 8 years of experience in the field and have successfully obtained more than 2500 ITINs for our clients. We understand the importance of obtaining an ITIN number in India for NRIs who earn income in the US and need to file taxes there. Our team has the expertise and experience to guide clients through the ITIN application process smoothly and efficiently.

• While the ITIN application or renewal process can be done with any of our tax pros, using a Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA) makes the process a bit easier.
• Your contributors will each need their own StudentAid.gov account too.
• An ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, type of Tax ID or Taxpayer ID) will serve as your identification number for filing your tax returns.

All documents should show your photo, name, address, expiration date, and DOB, and should be valid at the time of submission. I’m a firm believer that information is the key to financial freedom. On the Stilt Blog, I write about the complex topics — like finance, immigration, and technology — to help immigrants make the most of their lives in the U.S. Our content and brand have been featured in Forbes, TechCrunch, VentureBeat, and more.

ITIN Processing Time

If you have a topic-specific question today, please submit it to us by clicking
the “Ask Question” button. You do this by entering your question in the textbox and then simply
clicking “Submit”. Very important, folks, please, please, please do not enter any sensitive or
taxpayer-specific information when you ask your questions.

The discussion of allowable tax benefits has been expanded. For more information see Allowable Tax Benefits in the Instructions for Form W-7PDF. Once the 2024–25 FAFSA form becomes available, you can start your form at fafsa.gov. Learn more about filling out the FAFSA form on the “How To Fill Out the FAFSA® Application” page.

Individual Taxpayer Identification Number

Individuals who are not dependents and who use a Certified Acceptance Agent (CAA) can apply for an ITIN and retain their original documents (they do not have to mail their passports and other original documents to the IRS). As an independent organization within the IRS, the Taxpayer Advocate Service helps taxpayers resolve problems and recommends changes that will prevent problems. If you must send original documents, you can send the IRS a prepaid express envelope with your application to have them returned faster. If you do not want to apply for a PTIN online, use Form W-12, IRS Paid Preparer Tax Identification Number Application. You will need to complete Form SS-5, Application for a Social Security CardPDF. You also must submit evidence of your identity, age, and U.S. citizenship or lawful alien status.

For example, a nonresident with an ITIN who adjusts status to a legal permanent resident becomes eligible for an SSN but could continue to file taxes using an ITIN. You can fill out an application form for an ITIN for you, your spouse, and your dependents when you prepare your tax return with us. When you file your tax return or need to talk to the IRS, you’ll likely have to provide a tax identification number, which is also called a TIN or tax ID number. The application — Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number — asks details about why you need an ITIN and requires you to send in certain documents to prove your foreign status and identity. Applicants who meet one of the exceptions to the requirement to file a tax return (see the Instructions for Form W-7) must provide documentation to support the exception. Acceptance Agents are entities (colleges, financial institutions, accounting firms, etc.) who are authorized by the IRS to assist applicants in obtaining ITINs.

ITIN holders can access their online account

To apply for an ITIN, complete IRS Form W-7, IRS Application for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Form W-7 requires documentation substantiating foreign/alien status and true identity for each individual. The Taxpayer Advocate Service is an independent organization within the IRS that helps taxpayers and protects taxpayers’ rights. We can offer you help if your tax problem is causing a financial difficulty, you’ve tried and been accrued interest journal entry unable to resolve your issue with the IRS, or you believe an IRS system, process, or procedure just isn’t working as it should. If you qualify for our assistance, which is always free, we will do everything possible to help you. The advantage to using Certifying Acceptance Agents (CAAs) is that for primary and secondary applicants (like a spouse), the CAA can certify that your documents are original and make copies to send to the IRS.

How to apply for an ITIN

They verify both the foreign status and the identity of the applicants. They authenticate the
documents provided by the taxpayer. And finally, CAAs complete and submit Form W-7, along with
any required documents and the underlying tax returns directly to the Internal Revenue Service. The Individual Tax Identification Number, or ITIN, allows taxpayers who don’t have a Social Security Number (SSN) to file income tax returns. Unlike other forms of ID, ITINs only have one purpose—tax filing and reporting. Having an ITIN number won’t make you eligible for benefits, such as Social Security or earned income credits that provide refunds to some low-income filers.

In this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the ITIN in great detail and how you can get one for yourself. The above article is intended to provide generalized financial information designed to educate a broad segment of the public; it does not give personalized tax, investment, legal, or other business and professional advice. Get unlimited live help from tax experts plus a final review with TurboTax Live Assisted Basic. Taxpayers filing with an ITIN cannot claim the Earned Income Tax Credit, which requires a valid SSN.

You will usually file an ITIN application, Form W-7, Application for IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number, with your first tax return, which you must file as a paper return, not electronically. All the exceptions are listed in the ITIN application instructions. An ITIN may be assigned to an alien dependent from Canada or Mexico if that dependent qualifies a taxpayer for a child or dependent care credit (claimed on Form 2441). The Form 2441 must be attached to Form W-7 along with the U.S. federal tax return. All Form W-7 applications, including renewals, must include a U.S. federal tax return unless you meet an exception to the filing requirement. Now, the certifying acceptance agents, or CAAs, they must meet with the taxpayers and conduct
interviews.

You’ll be required to have the original document or certified copy with your application. Click in the radio button that you most closely
what you believe most closely answers this particular question. We’ll give everyone just a few
more seconds to make your selection. Get a refund of income tax withholding from the IRS, if you qualify. This may influence which products we review and write about (and where those products appear on the site), but it in no way affects our recommendations or advice, which are grounded in thousands of hours of research.

Your StudentAid.gov Account

You indeed
make our job a lot easier by sharing the information that allows for proper tax reporting. I know we’ve received quite a few questions, so let’s get started so we can get to as many of
these questions as possible. I only use my ITIN on information return like Forms 1099 and the like. • Anyone who needs to file a tax return and doesn’t have a Social Security number needs to obtain an Individual Tax Identification Number, or ITIN.