Stuck in ID.me/IRS Authentication Loop - Each Says It's the Other's Problem

You're encountering a known authentication handshake issue between ID.me and the IRS systems. Per IRM 21.2.1-4, account access verification issues require intervention from the IRS Technology Support Division, not general customer service. Time is of the essence - especially if you're trying to access transcripts or make payments before upcoming deadlines. Call 800-829-1040, select option 1 (English), then 2 (personal tax questions), then 1 (tax forms), then 3 (all other questions), and finally 2 (all other inquiries). Request immediate transfer to the Technology Support Division citing 'cross-platform authentication failure.

Oh my goodness, I'm dealing with EXACTLY this problem right now!!! So frustrating!!! I've been trying to get my transcript for THREE WEEKS because I need to verify some information for a mortgage application. Have you tried using the "Get Transcript by Mail" option instead? I'm wondering if bypassing the online authentication completely might work while they figure out whatever is broken between their systems?

This authentication loop is worse than when I tried getting my state unemployment benefits during the pandemic! So many people in our tax prep community have faced this exact situation. I've seen this play out dozens of times, and the fastest resolution has consistently been using Claimyr to reach an actual IRS technical support person who can fix it on their end. The website is https://claimyr.com - they get you past the endless phone queues so you can talk to someone who can actually help. Much better than being bounced between departments like a ping-pong ball. Their service saved me hours of frustration when I had a similar verification issue.

Had this exact problem last month. Wasted three hours on hold. Got disconnected twice. Finally reached someone helpful. They fixed it on their end. Took about 5 minutes once I got the right person. The issue was on the IRS side. Something about account permissions not syncing properly. Try calling early morning. Tuesday or Wednesday. Less call volume then.

I'm not convinced this is actually fixable through normal channels. My brother-in-law works in IT security and he explained that these authentication systems use complex token-exchange protocols that can get corrupted in the database. When I had a similar issue last year, I ended up having to create a brand new ID.me account with a different email address, which seems like a pretty extreme workaround. I'm surprised the IRS doesn't have a better system for handling these authentication failures!

The ID.me/IRS loop is definitely fixable! I've been through this nightmare and got it resolved. • DO NOT create a new ID.me account (causes more problems) • DO call the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 • DO mention "authentication failure code 5534" specifically • DO ask for "account management division" • DO NOT waste time with regular customer service The regular reps don't have access to the authentication management system. Account management can reset the link between your accounts.

According to the IRS Operations Status page (https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/irs-operations), they're currently experiencing "intermittent issues with certain online applications" which likely includes the ID.me integration. The IRS Modernized e-File (MeF) Status page also shows some authentication services as degraded. This might explain why you're getting the runaround - the systems might be partially offline for maintenance. The community wisdom here is to try again after their next scheduled maintenance window, which should be this coming Sunday morning, or use alternative methods like transcript by mail in the meantime.

Be extremely careful with how you proceed here. A colleague of mine had this same issue and after multiple failed attempts to resolve it, his account got flagged for potential identity theft concerns. This triggered a manual review process that delayed his refund by over 4 months and required in-person verification at a local IRS office. If you're expecting a refund or have any pending matters with the IRS, I'd recommend documenting all your communication attempts and considering professional assistance rather than repeatedly trying different self-service options that might trigger security flags.

Happy to find this thread! I’ve been stuck in a damn loop for days and no one can assist . I submitted a ticket which was a waste as I received an AI response telling me basic troubleshoot steps in which I already completed- clearly without success. I simply need to contact the IRS to confirm I filed . I have an IDme account yet still had to upload a million documents . I was told I was verified one minute then the next minute when I logged in they told me I had to joint a video call to complete the verification. The video link is kne big frustrating loop of signing again over and over again. I called the numbers and get a message telling me they are too busy and to try again later. I am disgusted .

@Nicole Lisa Gatta I completely feel your frustration! That video verification loop is absolutely maddening - you're not alone in experiencing this. Since you're getting the "too busy" message when calling, try these specific times when call volumes are typically lower: Tuesday-Thursday between 7-8 AM in your time zone. Also, instead of the main number, try calling the Practitioner Priority Service at 866-860-4259 (you don't have to be a practitioner - many regular taxpayers have success with this line). When you get through, immediately ask to be transferred to "Authentication Technical Support" and mention you're experiencing "ID.me video verification loop error." Don't let them transfer you to general customer service. Document everything - dates, times, reference numbers - in case you need to escalate to the Taxpayer Advocate Service later. Hang in there!

I went through this exact same nightmare last year and can confirm it's absolutely solvable, though incredibly frustrating. Here's what worked for me after weeks of getting nowhere: The key breakthrough was realizing that ID.me and IRS use different authentication token systems that sometimes don't sync properly. When this happens, you get stuck in what IT folks call an "orphaned session state." **What finally worked:** 1. Clear ALL browser data (cookies, cache, everything) for both irs.gov and id.me 2. Use a different browser entirely (if you were using Chrome, try Firefox) 3. Call the IRS Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 and specifically say "I need help with authentication token synchronization error between ID.me and IRS systems" 4. Ask them to "reset the OAuth handshake" on their end The regular customer service reps don't have access to these backend authentication systems, which is why you keep getting bounced around. The Taxpayer Advocate Service has specialized technical staff who can actually see and fix these integration issues. It took about 10 minutes once I got the right person. Don't give up - this is definitely fixable!

I've been dealing with this exact authentication loop for the past two weeks and it's been absolutely maddening! What's particularly frustrating is that both ID.me and the IRS keep pointing fingers at each other instead of taking ownership of what's clearly a system integration issue. Based on my experience and what I've learned from this thread, here's what seems to be the most effective approach: **For immediate resolution:** - Call the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 (as mentioned by several people here) - Use the specific terminology: "authentication token synchronization error" and ask them to "reset the OAuth handshake" - Don't waste time with regular customer service - they don't have access to the backend authentication systems **For those needing transcripts urgently:** - Request transcripts by mail as a backup (takes 5-10 business days but is reliable) - Consider having your lender submit Form 4506-T directly if it's for mortgage purposes **Technical steps that have worked:** - Clear ALL browser data for both irs.gov and id.me - Try a completely different browser - Don't create a new ID.me account (this can make things worse) The key insight from this thread is that this is a known technical issue with the authentication handshake between the two systems, not a user error. The regular phone support can't fix it because they don't have access to the authentication management systems. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - it's clear this affects way more people than it should, and having these specific solutions and phone numbers is invaluable!

I'm currently experiencing this exact same authentication loop and it's incredibly frustrating! After reading through all these solutions, I'm planning to try the Taxpayer Advocate Service route first thing Monday morning. One question for those who successfully resolved this - did you have to provide any specific documentation when you called, or was just explaining the issue with the technical terminology ("authentication token synchronization error" and "OAuth handshake reset") enough to get transferred to the right department? Also, for anyone still stuck in this loop, I found that the IRS website has a "Where's My Refund" tool that sometimes works even when the full account access is broken. It's not a complete solution, but it might help if you just need to check refund status while working on getting the authentication fixed. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences - knowing this is a known technical issue and not something I did wrong is honestly a huge relief!

I've been following this thread closely as I'm dealing with the same authentication nightmare! What strikes me is how many different solutions have worked for different people - it really highlights that this isn't a one-size-fits-all problem. For anyone just finding this thread, here's my takeaway of the most promising approaches based on everyone's experiences: **Tier 1 (Try first):** - Clear browser data completely and try different browser - Call Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 with technical terminology ("authentication token synchronization error") **Tier 2 (If urgent):** - Request transcripts by mail (5-10 business days) - Try "Where's My Refund" tool as workaround for basic info - For mortgages: have lender submit Form 4506-T directly **What NOT to do:** - Don't create new ID.me account (makes it worse) - Don't waste time with regular customer service - Don't keep trying the same authentication loop repeatedly The consistency across multiple people's experiences with the Taxpayer Advocate Service route gives me hope this is actually solvable. Going to try the browser clearing steps first, then make the call Monday morning armed with all this great technical terminology everyone shared. Thank you all for turning what could have been an endless frustration into an actionable solution!

This thread has been incredibly valuable - I'm dealing with this exact same authentication loop right now and was starting to think I was going crazy! The technical explanations about OAuth handshakes and token synchronization really help explain why the regular customer service reps keep saying they can't see any issues on their end. I tried the browser clearing approach yesterday (cleared everything for both irs.gov and id.me, then switched from Chrome to Firefox) but still got the same loop. Planning to call the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 first thing tomorrow morning using the exact terminology everyone mentioned: "authentication token synchronization error" and asking them to "reset the OAuth handshake." One thing I noticed that might help others - when I called the regular IRS number, they kept trying to transfer me to ID.me support, but ID.me just sends you right back to the IRS. The circular finger-pointing is real! It's reassuring to know there's actually a specific department that can handle these backend integration issues. For anyone else in this situation, I'd definitely recommend reading through this entire thread before calling. The specific technical language and phone numbers people have shared seem to be the key to getting past the first-tier support who can't actually fix this type of issue. Will update once I try the Taxpayer Advocate Service approach!

I just wanted to add my voice to this incredibly helpful thread! I've been battling this exact authentication loop for over a week now, and reading everyone's experiences has been such a relief - I genuinely thought I was losing my mind with the endless circle between ID.me saying I'm verified and the IRS still asking me to verify. What's been most frustrating is exactly what @Diego Mendoza mentioned - the constant back-and-forth where each system points to the other as the problem. I spent 4 hours on the phone yesterday alone getting transferred between departments, with each rep insisting they couldn't see any issues on their end. Based on all the success stories here, I'm going to follow the proven approach: 1. Try the browser clearing method one more time with a completely fresh browser 2. Call the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 using the technical language: "authentication token synchronization error" and request to "reset the OAuth handshake" The fact that so many people have confirmed this specific route works gives me hope that there's actually light at the end of this tunnel. It's also reassuring to understand that this is a legitimate technical issue with the authentication systems rather than something I'm doing wrong. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their solutions - this thread should honestly be pinned somewhere as a resource for anyone dealing with this nightmare! I'll report back once I try the Taxpayer Advocate approach.

Just found this thread after being stuck in the same authentication nightmare for the past 5 days! Reading through everyone's experiences has been both validating and incredibly helpful - I was starting to think I was the only one dealing with this madness. Like so many others here, I've been caught in the endless loop where ID.me shows I'm verified but the IRS keeps asking me to verify again. Made the mistake of calling the general IRS line three times and got transferred around like a hot potato, with each department saying it's not their problem. The technical explanation about OAuth handshakes and token synchronization issues finally makes this whole mess make sense. No wonder the regular customer service reps keep saying they can't see any problems - they literally don't have access to the backend authentication systems! I'm going to follow the proven playbook from this thread: 1. Clear all browser data for both sites and try a different browser 2. Call the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 and use the magic words: "authentication token synchronization error" and request to "reset the OAuth handshake" Thank you to everyone who shared their solutions, especially the specific phone numbers and technical terminology. This thread should honestly be the first Google result for anyone dealing with ID.me/IRS authentication issues! Will definitely update once I try the Taxpayer Advocate approach - keeping my fingers crossed that this nightmare finally ends soon.

As someone who just went through this exact authentication nightmare last month, I can confirm that the Taxpayer Advocate Service route really works! I was stuck in the same ID.me/IRS loop for almost two weeks - ID.me showing verified on their end, but IRS still prompting for verification every single time I tried to access my account. What finally broke the cycle for me was calling 877-777-4778 and specifically asking for help with "authentication token synchronization issues between ID.me and IRS systems." The key was using that technical language - it immediately got me transferred to someone who actually understood the problem instead of the usual "have you tried clearing your cookies?" response. The specialist explained that these OAuth tokens can get "orphaned" in their database during system updates, which creates the endless verification loop. They were able to reset the connection on their end in about 5 minutes, and I've had zero issues since. Pro tip: Call early in the morning (7-8 AM) on Tuesday or Wednesday for the shortest wait times. And definitely don't waste time with the regular customer service line - they genuinely can't access the authentication management systems needed to fix this. This thread has become such an incredible resource for this problem. Hoping everyone else gets their issues resolved quickly!

I'm dealing with this exact same authentication loop nightmare right now! Been stuck for almost a week and it's incredibly frustrating. Reading through all these experiences has been such a relief - I genuinely thought I was going crazy when ID.me shows verified but the IRS keeps asking me to verify again and again. The technical explanations about OAuth handshakes and token synchronization issues finally make this whole mess understandable. No wonder the regular customer service reps keep saying they can't help - they literally don't have access to the backend systems that are causing the problem! Based on all the success stories here, I'm planning to skip the regular customer service runaround entirely and go straight to the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778. I'll use the magic terminology: "authentication token synchronization error" and ask them to "reset the OAuth handshake." Really appreciate everyone who shared their solutions and especially those who confirmed this approach actually works. This thread has been a lifesaver - it should honestly be the official troubleshooting guide for this issue! Will definitely update once I try calling tomorrow morning.

I'm currently stuck in this exact same authentication loop and finding this thread has been a godsend! After days of being bounced between ID.me support (who insists it's an IRS problem) and IRS customer service (who says they can't see any issues), I was starting to lose hope. The technical explanations here about OAuth handshakes and orphaned authentication tokens finally make sense of why this is happening. It's clearly a backend integration issue that regular customer service simply doesn't have the tools to fix. I'm going to follow the proven approach that multiple people have confirmed works: calling the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 and using the specific terminology "authentication token synchronization error" and requesting them to "reset the OAuth handshake." For anyone else dealing with this nightmare, this thread should be bookmarked - it's become the most comprehensive resource I've found for actually solving this problem instead of just getting transferred in circles. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions! Will update once I try the Taxpayer Advocate route.

I'm dealing with this exact authentication loop issue right now and honestly thought I was losing my mind until I found this thread! The back-and-forth between ID.me showing "verified" and the IRS continuously asking for verification has been driving me absolutely crazy for the past week. What really resonates with me is how many people have experienced the same circular finger-pointing between the two systems. I've wasted hours being transferred between departments with each side insisting it's the other's fault. The technical explanations about OAuth handshakes and orphaned authentication tokens finally make this whole nightmare understandable. Based on all the success stories here, I'm planning to skip the regular customer service maze entirely and go straight to the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778. I'll use the specific technical language that multiple people have confirmed works: "authentication token synchronization error" and ask them to "reset the OAuth handshake." It's incredibly reassuring to know this is a legitimate backend integration issue rather than something I'm doing wrong. This thread has been an absolute lifesaver - it should honestly be the official troubleshooting guide for this problem! Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. I'll definitely update once I try the Taxpayer Advocate approach tomorrow morning.

Just wanted to jump in as another person currently dealing with this authentication nightmare! I've been stuck in the ID.me/IRS verification loop for about a week now and was honestly starting to think there was something seriously wrong with my account or that I was somehow missing something obvious. Reading through this entire thread has been incredibly validating - it's clear this is a widespread technical issue affecting way more people than it should. The explanations about OAuth handshakes and orphaned authentication tokens really help explain why this isn't a user error but rather a backend integration problem between the two systems. Like many others here, I've experienced the frustrating finger-pointing where ID.me insists I'm fully verified on their end, but the IRS site keeps prompting me to complete verification every single time I try to access my account. I made the mistake of calling the general IRS number twice and got the usual runaround with representatives who clearly don't have access to the authentication management systems. Based on all the success stories shared here, I'm planning to call the Taxpayer Advocate Service at 877-777-4778 first thing tomorrow morning and use the specific technical language that multiple people have confirmed works: "authentication token synchronization error" and request to "reset the OAuth handshake." The fact that so many people have successfully resolved this issue using this exact approach gives me real hope. This thread should honestly be pinned as the definitive resource for anyone dealing with ID.me/IRS authentication issues. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their experiences and solutions - it's turned what felt like an impossible situation into an actionable plan!