IRS Online Account: What You Can Do and How to Set One Up

You don't need to call the IRS to find out what you owe or to get a transcript. Your IRS Online Account, officially the IRS Individual Online Account, is a free, secure account for individual taxpayers on IRS.gov. Use it to see what you owe, make payments, view tax records and transcripts, check your refund, and read many IRS notices. You sign in with ID.me. The IRS runs the account, not FileTax.com.

What Can You Do in Your IRS Online Account?

See How Much You Owe the IRS

Your account balance shows what you owe for each tax year. Check it before you pay so you send the right amount.

If you can't afford to pay what you owe, try the IRS Tax Debt Help Tool.

Make and Manage Tax Payments

Your Online Account lets you pay from your bank account and keep track of every payment:

• Make a same-day payment.
• Schedule payments up to 365 days ahead, and cancel payments before the payment date.
• See pending and scheduled payments.
• Review up to five years of payment history, including estimated tax payments.

Save the confirmation for every payment you make.

Expert Insight

Andrew Walsh, CPA, CFP®, CTFA
CPA, CFP CTFA & Tax Content Specialist

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A common reason I send clients to the IRS Online Account is to pull W2’s and 1099 information when they have lost contact with their previous employer or the business has shuttered. Here you can pull transcripts and information on W2’s and 1099’s reported for you in each applicable tax year. It is a good place to start when you are searching for tax documents and can’t reach the other party.

View Tax Records and Get Tax Transcripts

Your account shows tax account information, including your adjusted gross income (AGI) from your return. You can also view account transcripts and other transcripts, a tax compliance report, and the Forms W-2 and certain 1099s that employers and other payers sent to the IRS, such as Form 1099-NEC, Form 1099-MISC, Form 1099-INT and Form 1099-DIV. If you bought health coverage through the Marketplace, you can also find Form 1095-A.

A transcript summarizes your tax return or tax account. You might need one to verify your income for a loan or to look back at a past year. It isn't a copy of your original return.

Check Your Refund or Return Status

Your account shows your refund status and the status of an amended return. For certain audits done by mail (correspondence examination audits), it also shows your audit status.

You don't have to sign in just to check a refund. Where's My Refund? on IRS.gov works without an account. For more on how refunds are paid, read our guide to IRS refunds and paper refund checks.

Read IRS Notices and Letters Online

Your account holds over 200 IRS digital notices, under "Notices and Letters." You can also go paperless for certain notices and get email notifications when something new posts to your account.

Not every notice is online, so keep checking your mail. A notice that comes by mail won't always show up in your account.

If your notice shows the CP number CP53E, it's about your refund. See our guide to the CP53E notice.

Approve Requests From Your Tax Professional

When your tax professional needs your authorization, you can approve and e-sign it in your account. The two authorizations are:

• Form 2848, Power of Attorney and Declaration of Representative.
• Form 8821, Tax Information Authorization.

You can also see authorization requests from lenders.

Read each request before you approve it. Depending on the form, an authorization lets someone see your tax information or act for you with the IRS.

Use Other IRS Services

• Get an Identity Protection PIN (IP PIN): Request one from your account. Learn how to get an IRS IP PIN.
• Manage a payment plan: Apply for or revise an online payment agreement. See our guide to IRS tax payment plans and penalties.
• Sign and submit select forms: Complete, sign and submit select IRS forms without mailing them.
• Submit a Trump Account election: You can submit Form 4547, Trump Account Election(s), and check its status. See our guide to Trump Accounts for children.

The IRS adds features over time, so check IRS.gov for the current list.

Which IRS Tool Do You Need?

Not every IRS task needs your Online Account. Find what you want to do in the left column.

How to Create an IRS Online Account

Setting up takes two parts. First you create your sign-in, then you verify your identity once.

1. Go to IRS.gov yourself and select the IRS account or service you need.
2. Select Sign in or create account.
3. Follow the prompts to create an ID.me account, or sign in to the one you have.
4. Set up your sign-in with a personal email address and a unique password of at least 8 characters. Then turn on multi-factor authentication, such as an authentication app, face or touch unlock, or a cell phone that gets texts.
5. Verify your identity with your Social Security number (SSN) or ITIN and a valid government-issued photo ID, such as a driver's license, state ID, passport or passport card.
6. Finish the remaining prompts. ID.me may ask you to upload a document or take a video selfie.

One ID.me account works for most IRS accounts and services. If you already have one, use it.

The IRS says ID.me automatically deletes selfie, video and biometric data for people who verify for the IRS, except where there's suspicious or fraudulent activity. Read the IRS's account creation and privacy guidance.

What If You Can't Verify Your Identity Online?

If ID.me can't verify you, try one of the routes below. The right one depends on what you need.

Try Another Verification Option

If you can't finish the check on your own, ID.me may offer a video call with an agent. Look for the options shown during verification.

The IRS also lets you get some information without signing in. On IRS.gov, select Sign in or create account, then choose the link to get your information without signing in.

Request Tax Records Without Signing In

You can get a transcript without your account in three ways:

• Get Transcript by Mail: The IRS mails it to the address on file within 5 to 10 calendar days. You'll need the mailing address from your latest tax return.
• Form 4506-T: Request any transcript type by mail.
• Automated phone line: Call 800-908-9946 to order a transcript by mail.

If you need an IP PIN and can't get into your account, see our guide to IRS IP PIN options.

What Your IRS Online Account Can't Do

• It doesn't file your tax return. You file through tax software, a tax professional or by mail.
• It doesn't show every IRS notice. Some notices come only by mail.
• It doesn't solve every problem. For some account or tax issues, you'll need to contact the IRS directly.
• It isn't the Business Tax Account. Business owners should see our IRS Business Tax Account guide.

What Is the IRS App?

The IRS app puts the same Individual Online Account on your phone. It isn't a separate service, and you don't need a different IRS account to use it. You sign in with your ID.me account.

Check your tax information. View tax records, transcripts and information returns.

Manage payments. Pay a balance, schedule a payment and review your payment history.

Follow up on a return. Check refund and amended-return status, read IRS notices, and update your email address and bank account.

Without signing in, you can make a guest payment, find free filing options and open popular IRS.gov topics.

The IRS app became available on September 25, 2026. It was formerly called IRS2Go. If you use IRS2Go and have automatic updates turned on, the IRS app arrives as a normal app-store update. You don't need to install anything new.

How to Sign In Safely

Always type IRS.gov into your browser yourself. The IRS emails or texts you only if you opt in, so don't sign in from a link in a message. No legitimate service needs to set up your IRS account for you.

If a message asks for your sign-in details or personal information, don't reply or click its links. Read our guide to tax scams to watch for.

Expert Insight

Lea Uradu, JD
Tax Content Reviewer

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Before contacting the IRS, taxpayers should take a few minutes to review their online account. Checking the account balance, reviewing recent notices, and accessing wage and income transcripts can help identify missing information or outstanding issues before they become bigger problems. Having those records available can also make conversations with the IRS or a tax professional more productive.

Your Next Step

Before you file, sign in and confirm your balance, your tax records and the W-2 and 1099 information the IRS has for you. With those in hand, your return is easier to get right.