IDme Account Already Exists - Do I Still Need to Verify for IRS Portal?

This is absolutely correct. The technical term for this is "service-specific authorization" - IDme verifies your identity once, but each government agency requires explicit consent to access your verified credentials. I was surprised by this requirement initially as well.

Haha, I remember thinking I was stuck in some kind of government website purgatory when this happened to me. "I ALREADY VERIFIED WHO I AM!" I yelled at my computer. But yep, just had to click through those consent screens and was good to go. No need to do the whole verification song and dance again.

But what if it keeps looping back to the verification page even after logging in with existing credentials? Is that a browser issue or something else entirely?

Had this exact prob last month. Try clearing cookies/cache or use incognito mode. Sometimes the IRS site gets confused with existing sessions. Worked for me right away after that!

I'm not entirely convinced a third-party tool would have access to the internal verification systems between IDme and the IRS. Seems like it might just be providing general guidance that you could get from the IRS site itself, wouldn't you think?

OMG I'm having the EXACT same problem right now! So frustrating! Did taxr.ai actually fix the issue or just tell you what was wrong? I'm desperate enough to try anything at this point!

This is really helpful advice! I'm also an expat and had similar issues. One thing I'd add is to check your IDme account settings to make sure your phone number is still current - sometimes the IRS verification requires SMS verification as a secondary check, and if your number changed when you moved abroad, that could cause the loop. Also, @520e1ca3c235 is spot on about using the direct IRS portal link - I was using an old bookmark that had some session parameters that kept causing issues.

This is exactly what I needed to hear! I'm dealing with this same issue right now from the UK. The part about the consent screen specifically mentioning IRS is key - I think I've been clicking through too quickly and missing that step. Quick question though - when you mention the address formatting, did you have to use the US address format or your actual international address? I've been going back and forth on whether to list my UK address or my last US address from before I moved.

@e7b7369ca681 Great question! You should use your current UK address in your IDme profile - that's what the IRS expects for international filers. The key is making sure it matches exactly how you wrote it on your most recent tax return (Form 1040). So if you filed using your UK address, use that same format in IDme. The IRS system cross-references your IDme address with what's on file from your tax return, so consistency is crucial. If you've been using your old US address in IDme but filed your taxes with your UK address, that mismatch could definitely be causing the verification loop. Update your IDme profile to match your current international address as it appears on your tax forms, then try the IRS portal again.

@e7b7369ca681 Great question! You should definitely use your current UK address in IDme - that's what the IRS expects for international filers. The key is making sure it's formatted consistently between your IDme profile and your tax returns. So if you filed your taxes with your UK address written as "Flat 2, 123 Main Street, London, UK SW1A 1AA" then your IDme profile should have that exact same format. Don't try to use an old US address because that creates a mismatch between your current filing status and your identity verification. The IRS systems are designed to handle international addresses, but they need the formatting to be consistent across all their records. Hope that helps clear things up!

@e7b7369ca681 Great question! You should use your actual current UK address in your IDme profile, but make sure it's formatted exactly as you wrote it on your most recent tax return. The IRS system matches the address data between IDme and your filing records, so consistency is key. If you used your UK address on your last return (which you should have as your current address), then that's what needs to be in IDme. If there's any discrepancy, that's often what causes the verification loop. I had to update my German address formatting in IDme to match exactly how I wrote it on my 1040 - down to the specific way I abbreviated "Str." for street. Once that matched perfectly, the authorization went through smoothly.

@e7b7369ca681 Great question! For international filers, you should use your current actual international address (so your UK address in your case). The IRS expects your IDme profile to match what you put on your most recent tax return. When filing from abroad, you would have used your UK address as your current address on forms like 1040, so that's what should be in IDme. The key is making sure the formatting is exactly the same - so if you wrote "Flat 2A" on your tax return, don't put "Apartment 2A" in IDme. Also make sure you're including the postal code in the exact same format. The IRS system is pretty strict about exact matches, especially for international addresses since they're already flagged for additional verification. Hope that helps!

@e7b7369ca681 Great question! You should definitely use your current international address (UK address in your case) in your IDme profile, not your old US address. The key is making sure whatever address you have in IDme matches exactly what you put on your most recent tax return. So if you filed your last return with your UK address, use that same format in IDme. The IRS system cross-references this information during the verification process. I made the mistake initially of using my old US address in IDme while filing with my German address, and that's what caused my verification loop. Once I updated IDme to match my current international address (formatted exactly as I wrote it on Form 1040), the authorization went through smoothly.

@e7b7369ca681 Great question! You should use your current UK address in your IDme profile - that's what the IRS expects for expats. The key is making sure it matches exactly how you wrote it on your most recent tax return. So if you used "Flat 2A" on your tax forms, don't put "Apartment 2A" in IDme. The IRS system is very literal about address matching. I made the mistake of trying to use my old US address initially, thinking it would be "easier" for the system, but that actually caused more problems because it didn't match my current filing information. Also make sure you include the full postal code format (like "SW1A 1AA" not just "SW1A") exactly as you did on your return. Once I updated my IDme address to match my tax return exactly, the verification loop stopped immediately.

@e7b7369ca681 Great question! You should use your actual current international address (UK address in your case). The key is that whatever address you have in your IDme profile needs to match exactly what you put on your most recent tax return. So if you filed your taxes with your UK address listed as your foreign address, use that exact formatting in IDme. The IRS system cross-references this information during the authorization process. If there's a mismatch, it can definitely cause that verification loop. I made the mistake initially of trying to use my old US address thinking it would be "easier" for the system, but that just created more problems since it didn't match my actual tax filing.