ITIN · Renewal

Renew your expired ITIN before it delays your refund

Q: How is an ITIN renewed?

With the same Form W-7 used to apply, checking the renewal box and attaching valid identification — ideally your passport. As IRS Certified Acceptance Agents we verify your documents ourselves, fill out the form with you, and send the package to the IRS. In most cases the renewal goes in together with your tax return, and your passport stays out of the government’s mail entirely.

If your ITIN expired — or is about to — it needs renewing before you file, or the IRS can hold up your return and your refund. We renew it as IRS Certified Acceptance Agents, verifying your documents ourselves so your passport never gets mailed to the government.

Renew your ITIN

Not in Austin? See how renewal works by mail

Documents, notebook and calculator on an office desk where an ITIN renewal is prepared

What you need to renew your ITIN

Your current ITIN (the original IRS letter, if you have it)
A valid passport — or two alternate documents, one with a photo
Your tax return for the year, if you’re filing

Not sure whether your ITIN expired? We check it for free. Start here →

First things first

How do I know if my ITIN expired?

Your ITIN expires if it goes unused on a federal tax return for three years in a row. That’s the most common way: you skip filing for a couple of years, and without noticing, your number goes inactive. In earlier years the IRS also retired ITINs in batches by their middle digits — if yours was in one of those groups and you never renewed, it’s still expired.

The clearest way to find out? When you file with an expired ITIN, the IRS processes the return but denies certain credits and delays your refund, and sends you a notice (a CP-567 letter or a CP-48) asking you to renew. If one of those letters showed up — or you simply haven’t filed in years — it’s a sign to renew before your next return.

3 years unusedYou haven’t filed taxes with your ITIN in the last 3 consecutive years.

An IRS letter arrivedA notice (CP-48 / CP-567) saying your ITIN expired or is about to.

Your refund ran lateLast year’s took too long, or a credit was denied with no clear reason.

Filing after years awayYou’re filing for the first time in years and don’t know if your number is still active.

On your free consultation we confirm your ITIN’s status before filing anything — so you don’t renew a number that’s fine, or file with one that expired.

Your document, in your hands

How we renew your ITIN — without it ever going to the IRS

Renewing uses the same Form W-7 as applying, with the renewal box checked. The difference is how your identity gets verified: as Certified Acceptance Agents, we do it ourselves — and your passport stays out of the government’s mail.

Free consultation with a CAA

We confirm your ITIN actually needs renewing and which documents apply to your case, at no cost.

We fill out your renewal Form W-7

With you, checking every line — the errors that delay renewals at the IRS are almost always small ones.

We verify your documents ourselves

As Certified Acceptance Agents: in our Austin office if you’re local, or over a video interview if your passport reaches us by mail. It is never sent to the IRS.

We send the renewal to the IRS

The package goes to the ITIN Operations Center — together with your tax return, if you’re filing — and we keep you posted on where it stands.

You receive your renewed ITIN

You keep the same number: renewal doesn’t change your ITIN. The IRS mails the confirmation, and we follow up until it arrives.

Is it your first ITIN, not a renewal? See how to get your ITIN step by step. Did you get a Social Security number since? Then don’t renew: check ITIN vs. SSN and tell the IRS so your records merge. Want the whole picture first? Back to the ITIN hub.

Before your appointment

What to have ready for your renewal

With this we can get started. Missing something? We go over it together on the free consultation.

Your current ITIN — the original IRS letter if you kept it (lost it? we can still help).
Primary identification — a valid passport is ideal, because it qualifies on its own.
Alternate documents — no passport? A consular ID, driver’s license, or birth certificate plus a photo ID.
Your tax return for the year — in most cases the renewal is sent together with your taxes.
Your dependents’ or spouse’s ITINs — if they’re on your return and expired, we renew them all at once.

Right Step’s office in Austin, TX, where ITINs are renewed by a Certified Acceptance Agent

Not a cold franchise

A certified ally, 365 days a year

IRS Certified Acceptance Agents — we verify your documents ourselves; your passport never goes to the IRS.
Anywhere in the U.S. — in our Austin office, or entirely by mail with tracking and required signature.
Renewal and taxes in one go — we renew your ITIN and file your return together, so your refund doesn’t wait.
The whole family at once — your ITIN and your dependents’ or spouse’s, in the same filing.
All year long — not just at tax time; we’re here when that IRS letter lands. With your ITIN active, we handle your tax preparation the same year.

Frequently asked

ITIN renewal questions, answered

How do I know if my ITIN expired?

Your ITIN expires if it goes unused on a federal tax return for three years in a row. The clearest sign: you file and the IRS delays your refund, denies a credit, or sends you a letter (a CP-48 or CP-567) asking you to renew. If you haven’t filed in years, or one of those notices showed up, it’s time. On your free consultation we confirm your number’s status before filing anything.

How is an ITIN renewed?

With the same Form W-7 used to apply, checking the renewal box and attaching valid identification — ideally your passport. As IRS Certified Acceptance Agents we verify your documents ourselves, fill out the form with you, and send the package to the IRS. In most cases the renewal goes in together with your tax return, and your passport stays out of the government’s mail entirely.

Do I need to renew if I’m not filing taxes this year?

Generally you only need to renew when you’re about to use the ITIN on a tax return — if you’re not filing, there’s no rush. But if your ITIN also backs other things (a loan, your business, a bank account) or you plan to file soon, it’s worth keeping active so nothing stalls later. On the consultation we tell you whether your case calls for renewing now or waiting.

Do I have to mail my passport to the IRS to renew?

No — that’s exactly what we exist to prevent. As Certified Acceptance Agents, the IRS authorizes us to verify your passport ourselves, so it never gets mailed to the government. Come to our Austin office and it doesn’t leave your hands; live in another state and it travels to us with tracking and required signature, then ships back within 24 hours of your video interview.

How long does the renewal take?

The clock belongs to the IRS, not to us, and it varies with the season — it stretches during peak filing months, February through April. We track your case so you know where it stands without calling the IRS yourself.

Do my dependents or spouse need to renew too?

Yes — if they appear on your return and their ITINs expired, each one needs renewing so the IRS processes your return without delays. The good news: we renew everyone at once, in the same consultation, with the same document verification.

Renew your ITIN before it delays your refund

Free consultation with a Certified Acceptance Agent. We check your ITIN’s status, renew it — with your passport never going to the IRS — and leave everything ready for your taxes.

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