What do I do with my ITIN after I get an SSN?
Short answer
After you get an SSN, stop using your ITIN and use the SSN on every tax return. Then tell the IRS, by letter or at a local IRS office, so it combines your tax records under the SSN and voids the ITIN. Without that step, you may not get credit for all wages and withholding.
By Alex Thomas · Founder of ITIN Club
Updated
What to do, step by step
You can't have both numbers. The IRS says it's improper to file returns with an ITIN and an SSN assigned to the same person.
- 1
Switch to the SSN
Use your SSN for tax purposes from now on, on your own return and anywhere else you'd have given your ITIN for taxes.
- 2
Write to the IRS, or go in person
Write a letter saying you've been assigned an SSN and want your tax records combined. Or explain the same thing at a local IRS office. The IRS lists what the letter needs, in the table below.
- 3
Mail it to Austin
Send the letter to Internal Revenue Service, Austin, TX 73301-0057.
- 4
Let the IRS merge your records
The IRS voids your ITIN and links all the tax information filed under it to your SSN, so your past returns end up under one number.
What goes in the letter
| Include | Notes |
|---|---|
| Your full name | Your complete name |
| Your mailing address | Where the IRS should write to you |
| Your ITIN | Plus a copy of the CP565 notice that assigned it, if you have it |
| A copy of your Social Security card | A copy, not the card itself |
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