How to Find Your ITIN If You Have Lost It
There is no online lookup, and no website can retrieve it for you. But the number is almost certainly already in your own paperwork — and if it is not, the IRS will confirm it once it knows who you are.
Every rule on this page is cited to an IRS source, linked where it is used. Last read against those sources September 8, 2026.
Your ITIN is printed on your CP565 notice — the letter that assigned it. If that is gone, the number also appears on every federal tax return you filed with it, on any W-2 or 1099 issued against it, and often on bank or lender paperwork. If none of those survive, call the IRS on 800-829-1040 from inside the United States or 267-941-1000 from outside (not a toll-free number) and confirm it after identity questions. There is no online ITIN lookup, and any site offering one cannot deliver it.
Key takeaways
- Check your own returns first. This is the fastest route and it works far more often than people expect.
- There is no lookup portal. The IRS confirms a number to you, after verifying who you are — never to a third party, and never through a website.
- A number starting with 9 in the first position is an ITIN, not a Social Security number.
- A CP567 means no number was ever issued. If that is the notice you have, you are not looking for a lost number — the application was rejected.
- Finding it is not the same as it being valid. Check the three-year rule before you file with it.
Where the number is, in order of likelihood
Work down this list. Most people find it in the first three.
| Where to look | What you are looking for | How likely |
|---|---|---|
| Your CP565 notice | The IRS letter that assigned the ITIN. The number is printed on it. Often filed with a passport or immigration papers rather than with tax records. | Definitive, if you have it |
| Any federal tax return you filed | The taxpayer identification field at the top of the Form 1040 or 1040-NR. Your own copy, or your preparer's. | Very likely |
| Your tax preparer's records | If someone prepared a return using the number, they hold it. A quick email is usually all it takes. | Very likely |
| W-2s and 1099s | The recipient's identification number box on any form issued against the ITIN. | Likely |
| Bank or lender paperwork | Account opening documents and mortgage files often record the number you supplied at the time. | Possible |
| Any IRS letter about a return | Correspondence about a filed return normally shows at least the last four digits, which is often enough to confirm a number you half-remember. | Possible |
Is this number even an ITIN?
A common version of “I lost my ITIN” is actually “I have a nine-digit number and I do not know what it is.” That one is easy to settle.
- An ITIN is written 9XX-XX-XXXX and always begins with 9.
- The fourth and fifth digits fall inside published ranges: 50-65, 70-88, 90-92, 94-99.
- A Social Security number never has 9 as its first digit, so a leading 9 settles it immediately.
- An EIN is also nine digits but is written differently, as two digits then seven, and it belongs to a business rather than a person.
Source: IRS Publication 4757 — Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), read September 8, 2026.
More on the distinction, including what each number lets you do, is on ITIN vs SSN.
Asking the IRS directly
If your own paperwork has genuinely gone, the IRS will confirm the number to you. It will not hand it over on request — you have to establish who you are first.
- Gather what you have before you callYour passport or identity document, your current and previous addresses, and anything from an old return — a year, a refund amount, a filing status. The more you can answer, the shorter the call.
- Call 800-829-1040 from inside the United StatesOr 267-941-1000 from outside it — not a toll-free number. Expect a wait, and expect it to be longest between January and April.
- Or go to a local IRS officeBy appointment, on 844-545-5640. Slower to arrange and faster once you are there, and you can bring documents rather than describe them.
- Answer the identity questionsThis is not obstruction; it is the reason no website can do this for you. The IRS will not disclose a taxpayer number to someone who cannot prove they are the taxpayer.
The three notices, decoded
People searching for a lost ITIN are frequently holding a notice and not sure what it says. There are three, and they mean very different things.
| Notice | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| CP565 | Your ITIN was assigned. This notice is where the number itself is printed. | Keep it. It is the cheapest proof of your number, and you will be asked for a copy of it the day you get a Social Security number and want the two records merged. |
| CP566 | The IRS needs more information before it can decide — usually a document that was missing, unreadable, expired, or not certified by the issuing agency. | Reply by the date on the notice with exactly what it asks for. The processing clock effectively restarts, so a fast, complete reply is worth more than a fast, partial one. |
| CP567 | The application was rejected. The IRS gives three broad reasons: you may not be eligible for an ITIN, your documents may not have been valid, or a request for more information went unanswered. | Read the reason on the notice before you re-file. A fresh application repeating the same defect gets the same answer. Confirm first that you are genuinely not eligible for an SSN. |
Source: IRS — Understanding your CP567 notice, read September 8, 2026.
If you never received a notice at all
Two quite different situations look identical from where you are standing.
| What may have happened | How to tell | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The notice was sent to an old address | You moved during the processing window. The IRS posts the CP565 to the mailing address on the W-7, and your original documents go the same way. | Call the IRS to confirm the number and update the address. If your documents were also returned to the old address, say so on the call — that is the urgent part. |
| The application was rejected and you missed the CP567 | No number exists. Any attempt to use one will fail because there is nothing to use. | Ask the IRS what happened to the application, then re-apply addressing the reason. |
| It is still being processed | Fewer than seven weeks have passed, or fewer than eleven in filing season or from abroad. | Wait. Calling early does not accelerate anything and adds to the queue for everyone. |
You found it — but is it still valid?
Finding the number and being able to use it are two different things. Someone digging out an ITIN they have not used in years is, almost by definition, in the group most likely to have let it lapse.
December 31, 2026
Source: IRS — How to renew an ITIN, read September 8, 2026.
The full test, how to renew, and what a return filed with a lapsed number costs you are on renewal and expiration.
What works: asking the previous employer for a copy of an old W-2, which carries the number in the recipient identification box. That takes a day, not a phone queue.
What they then discover: the number appeared on none of the last three returns, because there were no returns. So it lapsed on December 31, 2026, and it has to be renewed before it can be used.
The right order: find the number, check it against the three-year rule, and renew it in the autumn — before the January-to-April queue, and before the deadline is close enough to matter.
Keeping it safe from here
- Keep the CP565 with your passport, not with your tax files. You will need it the day you receive a Social Security number and want the records merged — see from ITIN to SSN.
- Keep a copy of every return you file. It is the most reliable backup of your own number, and useful for a great deal else.
- Update your address with the IRS when you move. Most lost notices are not lost; they are at a previous address.
- Treat the number like an SSN. It is a taxpayer identification number and it is worth stealing. Do not send it by email or give it to anyone who cannot say why they need it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find my ITIN number if I lost it?
Look on your CP565 notice first — that is the letter that assigned the number. If it is gone, the number appears on every federal tax return you filed with it, on any W-2 or 1099 issued against it, and often on bank or lender paperwork. If none of those survive, call the IRS and confirm it with them after answering identity questions.
Is there an online ITIN lookup?
No. There is no public ITIN lookup and no self-service portal that will show you the number. Any website offering to look up an ITIN for you is not able to do so — the IRS confirms a number only after verifying your identity directly with you, and it will not disclose one to a third party.
What phone number do I call about a lost ITIN?
Call 800-829-1040 from inside the United States, or 267-941-1000 from outside it (not a toll-free number). Have your identity documents and, if possible, an old return to hand — you will be asked questions to establish who you are before anything is confirmed.
How do I know if a number is an ITIN or a Social Security number?
An ITIN is written 9XX-XX-XXXX and always begins with 9. The fourth and fifth digits fall inside published ranges: 50-65, 70-88, 90-92, 94-99. A Social Security number never begins with 9 in that position, so a leading 9 is the quickest test.
What does the CP565 notice look like and why does it matter?
The CP565 is the IRS notice that assigns your ITIN, and the number is printed on it. It matters twice: it is the cheapest proof of your number, and the IRS asks for a copy of it the day you receive a Social Security number and want the two tax records merged. Keep it somewhere you would keep a passport.
Can my tax preparer look up my ITIN for me?
A preparer with a valid authorisation on file can discuss your account with the IRS, and if they prepared a return with the number they will have it in their own records. Absent that, the IRS will not disclose your number to someone else. The quickest route is usually your own copy of an old return.
I found my ITIN but I have not used it in years. Is it still valid?
An ITIN that is not used on a U.S. federal tax return for three consecutive tax years expires on December 31 of that third year. So check whether the number appeared on any of the last three federal returns. If it appeared on none, it lapses and has to be renewed before it can be used on a return again.
What if I received a CP567 instead of a CP565?
A CP567 is a rejection, not an assignment — no number was issued, which is why you cannot find one. The notice gives the reason: you may not have been eligible, your documents may not have been valid, or a request for more information went unanswered. Read the reason before applying again.
Once you have the number back
- Check whether it has expired — the three-year rule takes thirty seconds.
- 2026 federal tax calculator — the return you needed it for.
- Quarterly estimated tax planner — if the income has no withholding.
- ITIN eligibility & document checker — if a renewal package is next.