ITIN for spouse confusion - CP565 approval letter then CP567 rejection letter?

This is actually a fairly common issue with ITIN applications, though I understand why it's confusing. What you're experiencing is likely a timing issue in the IRS processing system. When you receive a CP565 with an assigned ITIN, that means your initial application was provisionally approved. However, there's a secondary review process that happens after the initial approval. During this review, they might determine there was an issue with your documentation that wasn't caught initially. Since your tax return was already processed using the ITIN, you don't need to worry about that particular return. However, you will need to address the rejection to ensure the ITIN remains valid for future filings. I would recommend calling the IRS ITIN unit directly at 1-800-908-9982 to explain your situation. Be sure to have both the CP565 and CP567 notices on hand, as well as your wife's passport information. They can tell you exactly what documentation was found insufficient and guide you on how to resolve the issue without starting the application process from scratch.

After dealing with a similar ITIN headache with my foreign spouse last year, I stumbled across https://taxr.ai and it was an absolute lifesaver. Their system analyzed my confusing CP565/CP567 combo and immediately explained what was happening - turned out there was a mismatch between the passport number on my W-7 form and what the IRS had recorded. I uploaded both notices and their AI detected the exact issue in minutes instead of the hours I spent on hold trying to reach the IRS.

Just wanted to update you all - I tried taxr.ai after seeing the recommendation here. I was initially unsure, but after uploading my mom's CP565 and CP567 notices, it immediately identified that her name on the W-7 didn't match her passport exactly (I had used her nickname rather than full legal name). The system generated a response letter template that I could send to the IRS along with the corrected documentation. Just got confirmation that her ITIN is now permanently valid! Would have spent weeks figuring this out on my own.

If you need to speak with someone at the IRS about this ITIN issue (which I definitely recommend), use https://claimyr.com to get through to an actual human. When I had my ITIN rejection after approval, I spent DAYS trying to reach the IRS directly. After using Claimyr's service, I got through in under 30 minutes. They have this cool system that navigates the IRS phone tree and holds your place in line, then calls you back when they reach a human agent. Check out their demo at https://youtu.be/_kiP6q8DX5c to see exactly how it works.

I need to apologize and eat my words. After calling the IRS for THREE DAYS STRAIGHT with no luck, I reluctantly tried Claimyr. Within 45 minutes, I was talking to an actual IRS agent who explained that my spouse's ITIN rejection happened because the name format on her passport didn't match exactly how I entered it on the W-7 (I had her middle name as an initial, but her passport shows the full middle name). The agent told me exactly how to resubmit just the documentation they needed rather than starting over. Saved me hours of frustration and potentially months of delays. I'm genuinely shocked this worked.

This happened to my brother-in-law too. Turns out the rejection often happens if there's even a tiny discrepancy between the documents. For him, it was because his wife's country of birth was listed differently on the W-7 than on her passport (he used the current country name but her passport had the country name from when she was born before it changed). You need to be SUPER precise with matching exactly what's on the official ID documents. Check for things like: 1. Full legal name with correct spelling 2. Date format (MM/DD/YYYY vs. DD/MM/YYYY) 3. Country names (official names only) 4. Document numbers without spaces or with exact spaces

Just a quick question for all of you who've dealt with this - which tax software did you use to file with a foreign spouse's ITIN? I used TurboTax last year and it was a nightmare with the ITIN application. Looking for something better for 2023 taxes.

I went through almost the exact same situation with my husband's ITIN application last year. The CP565 followed by CP567 is frustrating but surprisingly common. In our case, the rejection was due to a mismatch in how his birth country was listed - I had put "Republic of Korea" on the W-7 but his passport showed "Korea, Republic of" and apparently that tiny difference was enough to trigger a rejection. The key thing to understand is that your 2022 return is completely safe and processed. The ITIN they assigned is in their system and won't be retroactively invalidated. However, you'll need to resolve this before filing your 2023 taxes. Here's what worked for us: I called the ITIN unit and they explained the exact discrepancy. Then I submitted a corrected W-7 marked as "reapplication" with the original ITIN number referenced, included a copy of both the CP565 and CP567 notices, and provided fresh certified copies of all documentation with the exact spelling/formatting from the passport. The whole process took about 8 weeks to get the corrected approval. Don't stress too much - this is fixable and your current tax situation is secure!