How to set up and use your IRS Online Account

Your IRS Online Account

Your IRS Online Account at IRS.gov shows your balance, payment history, recent notices and tax records, and lets you make payments, set up a payment plan and approve a tax professional’s authorization request. You create it once, after verifying your identity.

Reviewed by [REVIEWER NAME], Enrolled Agent · Last reviewed [DATE]

What you can do in it

See what you owe, by year, including penalties and interest.
See payment history and scheduled payments.
Read digital copies of some IRS notices.
Get transcripts of your account, returns and reported income.
Make a payment or set up a payment plan, if you qualify.
Approve or reject authorization requests from tax professionals.

How to set it up

Go to IRS.gov/account and choose to create an account.
Verify your identity with the IRS’s sign-in provider. You’ll need a photo ID and a phone that can take a picture or receive codes.
Sign in and review your account summary.

If identity verification fails online, the IRS offers other ways to verify. We can walk you through it in our app.

Use it to check any IRS letter

If you’re unsure whether a letter is genuine, compare it with what’s in your Online Account. See is this IRS letter real?.

Common questions

Why do I need to verify my identity?

The account shows your full tax records, so the IRS requires identity verification before you can sign in. Have a photo ID ready.

Can I set up a payment plan in my Online Account?

Yes, if you qualify. Individuals who owe $50,000 or less and have filed every required return can usually set up a Simple Payment Plan online.

How does ScrubJay use my Online Account?

We send an authorization request from our IRS Tax Pro Account, and you approve it in your Online Account. That gives us access to your IRS records, processed in real time.