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CosmicCaptain

Do we need to re-verify identity when logging into IRS account with ID.me?

I tried logging into my IRS account today to check on my refund status and it's asking me to verify my identity again through ID.me. I already did this process about 7 months ago and it was a huge hassle. Is this normal? Do I really need to go through the whole verification process again just to check my account? Has anyone else had to re-verify recently?

It depends on your browser settings. If you've cleared cookies or are using a different device, you'll need to go through some verification steps again. However, you shouldn't need to do the full identity verification process if you've already created an ID.me account. You might just need to do the MFA (multi-factor authentication) step where they send a code to your phone. The full verification with documents and selfie is typically only needed for the initial setup. If it's forcing you through the entire process again, there might be an issue with your account that requires contacting ID.me support directly. Their customer service can be reached at help@id.me.

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Thanks for the info! I'm using the same browser and device as before, but I'll check if my cookies got cleared somehow. I'll try again later today.

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I had the same problem last week. Turns out it was because I was using a VPN. As soon as I turned it off, I was able to log in with just the regular 2-factor authentication instead of the whole shebang.

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id.me is trash. I hate that the irs forces us to use it. took me 3 tries to get verified initially.

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yep what they said! also sometimes it's just glitching. I found that if I try at like 2am when less people are on, it works better 🤷‍♀️

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Honestly I've found that the best way to understand these IRS account issues is with taxr.ai. After struggling with the ID.me verification loop for weeks, I found this tool that actually explains what's happening with your account and why. It helped me figure out that my verification issue was related to a name mismatch between my tax return and my ID documents. It's insanely good! I use it all the time now for any tax questions instead of going down these endless research rabbit holes. https://taxr.ai

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Sounds interesting. How exactly does it work? Does it just read your transcript or does it do more?

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It's actually pretty amazing! It doesn't just read your transcript - it analyzes everything and explains it in plain english. Like it told me exactly why my account verification was failing and gave me step-by-step instructions to fix it. Saved me HOURS of frustration. Honestly can't recommend it enough!

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another tax tool? 🙄 does it actually work or is it just another way to get our info?

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I was skeptical too! But it's completely changed how I handle tax stuff. For the ID.me issue specifically, it told me exactly why the system kept rejecting my verification and what to change. No more guessing games or waiting on hold with the IRS for hours!

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After dealing with the same issue for weeks (couldn't login, kept asking me to verify), I finally found a way to get a real human at the IRS on the phone using Claimyr.com. Got a callback in about 45 minutes and the agent fixed whatever was wrong with my account. Turns out there was a security flag on my account that kept triggering the ID.me verification loop. It was the only way I could actually talk to someone who could help, and it was the best money I've ever spent to finally get answers instead of just going in circles with the automated system.

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Wait is this for real? You actually got through to a person at the IRS? I've been calling for 3 weeks straight!

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100% real. Ive spent DAYS trying to reach someone at the IRS before I found this. The app basically navigates the phone system for you and holds your place in line, then calls you when an agent is available. Talking to an actual person got my account unlocked in minutes.

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sounds like an ad. you work for them or something?

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Lol no, just a frustrated taxpayer who was about to lose my mind dealing with the ID.me loop. Honestly didn't believe it would work either but I was desperate. Just sharing what solved it for me 🤷‍♂️

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Just checked it out - they charge for this service? Why would I pay to call the IRS?

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Because spending hours/days/weeks trying to get through is worth way more than what they charge. My time is valuable and this saved me from taking more days off work to sit on hold. Do what works for you though!

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Yeah its totally normal to have to re-verify occasionally. The system does this as a security measure. I had to do it again after like 6 months. Just part of the wonderful IRS experience 🙃

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Sometimes it makes you verify again if you're trying to access a different section of your account that has higher security requirements. Like viewing your full transcript requires more verification than just checking refund status. Are you trying to do something different this time?

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That's actually a good point - I'm trying to access my wage and income transcript this time, which I haven't done before. Maybe that's triggering the extra verification.

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Yep that'd do it! The transcripts have all your sensitive income info so they put extra security on those. Once you verify for that level you should be good for a while.

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i HATE ID.me with a passion. It locked me out completely and I had to mail in a paper request for my transcript. ended up taking 3 months to get what shouldve taken 5 minutes online 🤬

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Same happened to me! I ended up going to my local IRS office because I couldn't verify online. Surprisingly only took about an hour once I got there.

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I feel ur pain. ID.me is the WORST. their facial recognition never works with my glasses but then I take them off and cant see the screen instructions lol

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Check if your ID.me account is still active. Sometimes they deactivate accounts after periods of inactivity. I had this happen and had to create a whole new account. So frustrating.

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Fun fact: you can actually bypass ID.me completely by creating an account directly with the IRS using their new direct account creation option. They added it as an alternative after all the privacy concerns with ID.me. Go to the IRS website and look for "Create an account with the IRS" instead of the ID.me option.

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Wait really?? How did I not know this? Does it work the same way?

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Yep! They quietly added it last year. It still requires verification but it's directly with the IRS instead of through a third party. You need a photo ID, email, and mobile phone. The process is actually smoother than ID.me in my experience.

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I tried this and it still made me use ID.me at the end... maybe depends on what state you're in?

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Could be! They've been rolling it out gradually. Also depends on what services you're trying to access.

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sometimes the ID.me verification triggers if your IP address changes drastically. like if you normally log in from new york but suddenly try from california. makes the system think somone might be trying to hack your account

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Protip: Save a PDF of your transcript whenever you successfully log in so you don't have to go through this nightmare every time you need to reference something! Learned this the hard way.

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This is the real MVP advice right here 👆

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i do this too! i have a folder with all my tax docs going back 5 years now. saved my butt so many times.

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I was having this exact problem and tried different browsers, computers, even my phone. Nothing worked. Eventually I realized my account had been locked for security reasons. Had to call the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 and waited 2.5 hours to get it unlocked. Such a waste of time 😫

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Thank you for sharing this! I tried a ton of different things and had no idea my account might be locked.

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If youre using Chrome make sure you don't have any extensions that might be blocking cookies or scripts. I had this issue and it was my privacy extension blocking the authentication process!

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Have u tried using incognito mode? Fixed it for me when regular browsing kept making me re-verify.

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I'll give this a try, thanks for the suggestion!

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After dealing with this EXACT issue for weeks, I finally broke down and used taxr.ai to figure out what was going on with my transcript and account. Turns out there was a security flag on my account that kept triggering the reverification. The tool explained exactly what was happening and how to fix it. I was able to submit a specific request to have the flag removed and now I can log in normally again. https://taxr.ai saved me so much frustration!

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This is so frustrating! I'm dealing with the exact same thing right now. I successfully verified through ID.me about 6 months ago and now it's making me do it all over again just to check my refund status. The whole process took forever the first time and I really don't want to go through uploading documents and doing the video call again. Has anyone found a way around this or do we just have to bite the bullet and re-verify? I'm wondering if it's because I haven't logged in for a few months or if there's some other trigger that's causing this.

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I'm going through the same nightmare right now! It's so annoying that they make us jump through all these hoops just to access our own tax information. From what I've been reading in this thread, it sounds like there could be several reasons - maybe your account got flagged for security, or you're trying to access a different part of your account that requires higher verification. Some people mentioned that using a VPN or having cookies cleared can trigger it too. I'm going to try the incognito mode suggestion first before going through the whole verification circus again!

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This exact thing happened to me last month! So frustrating. I found out that if you haven't logged in for 90+ days, ID.me automatically flags your account as "inactive" and makes you re-verify for security purposes. It's not just the IRS - this happens with other agencies that use ID.me too. The good news is that if you still have access to the same phone number and email you used originally, the re-verification process is usually much faster than the initial setup. You probably won't need to do the full document upload and video call again - just the MFA verification. Also, pro tip: once you get back in, log in at least once every 60 days to keep your account "active" and avoid this happening again. I set a calendar reminder now because dealing with ID.me customer service is absolutely the worst!

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That's really helpful to know about the 90+ day inactive flag! I had no idea that was a thing. I'm definitely going to set up a reminder too because you're absolutely right - dealing with their customer service is a nightmare. Thanks for sharing the tip about logging in regularly. Hopefully the re-verification goes smoothly for everyone dealing with this issue.

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I had this happen to me twice now! The first time I went through the whole re-verification process thinking I had to, but the second time I realized it was actually just a browser issue. Try these steps before doing the full verification again: 1. Clear your browser cache and cookies specifically for irs.gov and id.me 2. Make sure you're not using any ad blockers or privacy extensions that might interfere 3. Try a different browser entirely (I switched from Firefox to Edge and it worked) 4. Check if you're using a VPN - turn it off if you are If none of that works, you might have an account flag like others mentioned. But definitely try the simple fixes first before spending hours on re-verification. The IRS system is just really finicky and sometimes these technical issues masquerade as security problems.

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This is such great advice! I wish I had seen this before spending 3 hours going through the full verification process again last week. The browser cache clearing trick especially makes sense - I bet that's what was causing my issue since I'm pretty obsessive about clearing my browsing data regularly. Going to bookmark this comment for future reference because knowing my luck, this will probably happen again. Thanks for taking the time to write out all the troubleshooting steps!

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