Changed Your Phone Number: How to Update Tax Account Access
Update the right authentication settings, recover access when needed, and keep separate tax records current.
If you changed your phone number, update the sign-in account that sends your security codes. Updating a preparer’s contact list or entering a new number on a tax form does not necessarily change your online authentication method.
Start by identifying whether you use ID.me or Login.gov for the IRS service. Then determine whether you can still authenticate with the old number or another enrolled method.
Contact information and sign-in security are different settings. Confirm that your new authentication method works before retiring the old one, whenever you still control it.
Still have access?
Use your existing authentication to add and confirm a new supported method.
Already locked out?
Use an enrolled backup or the selected provider’s recovery instructions.
Check other records
Review tax software, preparer, and agency contact details separately.
1. Identify what actually changed
A new phone, a new number, a new carrier, and a lost authenticator app are not the same event.
| Situation | Starting action |
|---|---|
| New number; old method still available | Sign in and add a replacement authentication method. |
| Old number unavailable; backup method works | Authenticate with the backup, then update settings. |
| No usable authentication method | Follow the provider’s account recovery process. |
| New phone; number unchanged | Check SMS access and separately review authenticator, passkey, or device-based access. |
| Number changed without permission | Contact your carrier through a trusted channel and secure affected accounts. |
Begin at the official IRS service page. Identify the provider you normally use and avoid unnecessary duplicate accounts.
Record the exact error if access fails. A password problem or IRS application error may need a different remedy from a phone update.
2. If you still control the old number, update before switching
Sign in while a working method is available. Review the provider’s authentication settings rather than only a general contact-information field.
Add the new supported method and complete its confirmation. Make sure the number and any country-code selection are correct.
Check which method or number is selected for future authentication. Then remove an obsolete number that you no longer intend to use.
Test access from the official IRS service after the change. Keep a working alternative so your access does not depend entirely on one device.
Never ask a new holder of your old number to forward authentication codes. Use account recovery if you no longer control that number.
3. Updating or recovering ID.me access
ID.me’s phone-change guidance explains that a new phone number requires a new MFA setup when you use text or telephone authentication.
If you can sign in through an existing method, review Sign In & Security and follow the current instructions to add and confirm the replacement before removing the unwanted method.
If codes go to an old number you cannot access, use ID.me’s MFA recovery process. It may require confirmation that you own the account and then enrollment of a new authentication method.
Follow the process through completion. Confirming ownership without finishing the replacement setup may leave you unable to sign in.
A new number can also create a separate identity-proofing issue. If ID.me cannot confirm the number during verification, its guidance directs users to the alternative prompts, which may include a video call.
If recovery fails, use the official ID.me Help Center. Do not create another account merely to bypass a recovery problem.
4. Updating or recovering Login.gov access
Login.gov lets you add a phone number after signing in and authenticating. Follow its current account instructions to add the new number and select the default when appropriate.
Its guidance says the default phone number receives SMS codes when that authentication method is used. Confirm the final settings rather than assuming that adding a number made it the default.
If the old phone is unavailable, select another previously configured security option when offered.
If every authentication method is lost, Login.gov’s recovery instructions may require deletion and recreation of the Login.gov account. Review the official procedure and its consequences first; this is not a routine first step.
That process is specific to Login.gov. Do not apply it to an ID.me account or assume deleting a sign-in account is a way to correct IRS tax records.
5. A new device may need attention even with the same number
SMS access may continue when you retain the same number, but an authenticator app or device-bound credential may need its own transfer or enrollment process.
Installing an authenticator on the new phone does not necessarily restore the old account’s setup. Follow the app and sign-in provider instructions while you still have a working method.
If a device was lost or stolen, remove its obsolete authentication access through the provider’s official settings when possible.
Keep recovery information securely, separate from the device it protects. Never place passwords, backup codes, or security keys in a shared tax checklist.
6. Review contact records separately
A provider phone change is not a universal update to every organization that holds your tax information.
| Record or service | What to review |
|---|---|
| ID.me or Login.gov | Authentication methods, default settings, and recovery access. |
| Tax preparation software | Its separate login, account recovery, and contact profile. |
| Your preparer | Current contact number and secure document-sharing arrangements. |
| IRS correspondence or active case | Whether current instructions require updated contact information. |
| State or local tax portal | Its own security and contact settings. |
| Professional or business services | Any separate profile, such as PTIN information when applicable. |
Do not assume a phone change updates a mailing address, refund bank details, representative authorization, or prior filed return.
A number change by itself is not a reason to amend a correctly filed tax return. Address an actual tax-return error separately.
7. Keep IRS verification and IP PIN tasks separate
Restoring sign-in access does not automatically complete an IRS identity and tax-return verification request.
If you have a verification letter, follow its instructions after recovery. If the online route remains unavailable, use the verified alternative listed for that letter.
A missing IP PIN is another separate filing issue. Follow the IRS retrieval instructions rather than assuming a phone change cancels or replaces the PIN requirement.
Do not submit Form 14039 solely because you changed numbers or had a technical sign-in failure. Review identity-theft reporting only when the facts and IRS guidance support it.
8. Protect deadlines during recovery
Phone updates and account recovery do not automatically extend tax deadlines.
If access is delayed, review other IRS options for the task you need to complete. Payments, transcripts, and notice responses may have alternatives, subject to their own requirements.
Keep proof of any payment or submission made outside Online Account. Do not repeat a transaction just because you cannot see it online.
After recovery, return to the IRS service and finish the actual task. A working new number is not proof that a return verification, payment, or document request was completed.
Two settings, two different results
A taxpayer tells their preparer about a new number but does not change their sign-in provider’s authentication settings. Codes still go to the old number.
The preparer’s contact record is updated, but account access is not. The taxpayer must use a working enrolled method or the provider’s recovery process, then complete the new MFA setup.
Afterward, the taxpayer checks tax software and state portal records separately.
Your phone-change checklist
- Identify the IRS service and sign-in provider.
- Confirm whether the old number or a backup method still works.
- Add and confirm a replacement method before retiring the old one when possible.
- Use provider-specific recovery if locked out.
- Review the default authentication setting.
- Remove obsolete access through official settings.
- Check new-device authenticator or passkey requirements.
- Update software, preparer, and other agency contacts separately.
- Keep verification letters and IP PIN tasks distinct.
- Protect deadlines through available alternatives.
- Test access and finish the original IRS task.
Frequently asked questions
Will putting my new number on a tax return update sign-in codes?
Do not assume it will. Authentication settings belong to the sign-in provider and require separate attention.
Can I reset my password to change where codes go?
A password reset alone may not change the authentication number. Use the appropriate MFA update or recovery process.
What if I still have my old phone?
Use a working method to add and confirm the replacement, then review obsolete settings.
What if I no longer control the old number?
Use an enrolled backup or official recovery. Do not ask someone else to receive your codes.
Should I create a second ID.me account?
Use ID.me’s existing-account recovery guidance rather than creating a duplicate to bypass the issue.
Does a new phone with the same number need updates?
Possibly. Device-based authentication and app setup may need separate action.
Does the update complete my IRS verification letter?
No. Complete the letter’s required identity and return-verification process.
Do I need an amended return because my number changed?
A phone change alone is not a reason to amend a correctly filed return.
Confirm the new method works
Update authentication, remove obsolete access, and review separate contact records. Then return to the IRS service and complete the task that brought you there.
