ITIN processing time and how to check your status

How long does an ITIN take?

The IRS says to allow 7 weeks for it to tell you the outcome of your ITIN application. It can take 9 to 11 weeks if you apply during tax season, which the IRS defines as January 15 to April 30, or if you apply from overseas. The same timeframe covers renewals.

These figures assume a complete application. Publication 1915 adds that applications mailed from abroad “may take considerably longer.” The answer comes by post, as one of three notices, to the mailing address on line 2 of your Form W-7.

When the clock starts

The IRS doesn’t publish a start date, but its internal manual counts from submission. Staff who take status calls from acceptance agents are told to advise waiting until 7 weeks have passed since the application was submitted, or 9 to 11 weeks for peak-season and overseas applications.

If you mail your package, it also has to reach the ITIN Operation in Austin, Texas. A private delivery service can give you written proof of the mailing date, and tracking tells you when it arrived. Keep a copy of everything you send, as the W-7 instructions advise. You’ll want it if you have to call.

The date also matters for some tax credits. A new ITIN’s assignment date is generally the date the IRS received your application, if nothing else was needed to complete it. If you apply on or before your return’s due date (including extensions) and the IRS issues the ITIN, it treats the ITIN as issued by that due date. That affects credits such as the credit for other dependents and the American opportunity tax credit.

What slows an ITIN application down

Anything that makes the IRS write back to you adds another round of post. The IRS’s own guidance points to these causes:

• Timing. Applying between January 15 and April 30, or from outside the US, puts you in the 9 to 11 week window.
• Missing information. If the IRS needs more to process your application, it sends a CP566 notice and holds the application until you reply.
• Unclear documents. The IRS says documents that aren’t clear or have blemishes are likely to be treated as invalid, and you may get a letter asking for new ones.
• An old form. Publication 1915 says to use the current Form W-7 (Rev. December 2024) to avoid delays or having the application sent back.
• Name mismatches. Your ITIN is set up under the name on line 1a. If your tax return uses a different name, processing of the return may be delayed.
• Renewals without the old number. Leaving your previous ITIN, or the name it was issued under, off line 6f delays a renewal.
• Moving. Notices and your documents go to the line 2 address. Publication 1915 says to tell the IRS straight away if you move before your ITIN arrives, using Form 8822.
• A missing tax return or exception documents. This gets the application rejected, not just delayed. The IRS sends a CP567 and you have to apply again.

The document checklist covers what a complete package contains.

How to check your ITIN status

You check by phone, once the processing window has passed. There’s no online tracker for ITIN applications. The National Taxpayer Advocate has reported that the IRS can’t trace an individual application and its documents until the application has been processed and entered into its ITIN system. The W-7 instructions say to call if you haven’t received your ITIN or a letter by the end of the window.

IRS ITIN phone numbers

Callers in Alaska and Hawaii follow Pacific time. Deaf or hard of hearing callers can use TTY/TDD 800-829-4059. Publication 1915 says the 267 number isn’t available to US residents. If you already have a letter from the IRS about your application, you can also use the phone number printed on it.

What to have ready

The IRS must verify your identity before it discusses your personal information. Its checklist for callers includes birth dates, the tax return you’re calling about and any letters it has sent you. For an ITIN application, that means:

• Your full name exactly as on line 1a of your Form W-7, and your date of birth
• The mailing address you gave on line 2
• Your copy of the Form W-7 and the tax return you sent with it
• The date you mailed or submitted it, and any courier tracking
• Any letter the IRS has already sent you

If a Certifying Acceptance Agent submitted your application, ask them first. The IRS says CAAs receive copies of their clients’ ITIN notices and can work with the IRS to resolve problems with applications. Tax professionals with a valid third-party authorization can call the IRS Practitioner Priority Service.

The three letters the IRS sends

The IRS answers every application with one of these notices, mailed to your line 2 address.

See what the CP565 notice means for the good outcome, and CP566 and CP567 letters for the other two.

When you get your documents back

The IRS says it returns mailed documents to your line 2 address within 60 days. Its CP565 page puts it as within 60 days of the date on your notice. If they haven’t arrived by then, call the numbers above. You can include a prepaid express mail or courier envelope, and the IRS will use it for the return trip.

It may be quicker in practice. In its 2024 report to Congress, the National Taxpayer Advocate said the IRS changed its process in July 2024 so that it checks documents first. According to the IRS, it can now return them within ten days of receipt, though peak periods may take longer. The change doesn’t shorten the wait for the ITIN itself.

If you’ll need your passport while you wait, don’t mail it. The W-7 instructions suggest applying in person at an IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center (US only) or through a Certifying Acceptance Agent. Both can check most documents and hand them back at the appointment.

What to do if your ITIN is late

1. 1

   Check the date

   Count 7 weeks from when you submitted, or 9 to 11 weeks if you applied from abroad or between January 15 and April 30. The IRS asks people not to call before the expected time has passed.

2. 2

   Call with your details ready

   Use 800-829-1040 in the US or 267-941-1000 from abroad. Ask whether the application has been received and what its status is.

3. 3

   Update your address if you’ve moved

   The IRS mails your notice and documents to line 2 of your Form W-7. Tell it about a new address straight away.

4. 4

   Don’t send it again

   The IRS asks people waiting on something they mailed not to file it a second time. If it needs more from you, it sends a CP566.

5. 5

   Get help if the delay is hurting you

   If you face financial harm, or the problem has run more than 30 days past normal processing time, the Taxpayer Advocate Service may take your case.

Can an ITIN be expedited?

Not through any option the IRS offers applicants. Form W-7 has no rush box, and the IRS’s ITIN pages don’t describe an expedite process.

The one route in the IRS’s internal manual runs through the Taxpayer Advocate Service (TAS). When TAS takes a case, it can ask the ITIN Operation to expedite it. The manual says each request is decided case by case. TAS generally asks when a delay would cause economic harm, after extended delays or repeated IRS failures, or when a serious health issue is involved. In hardship cases, TAS can also ask for your identity documents to be returned by overnight delivery.

TAS says it has changed the types of cases it can currently accept, so check its site before you ask for help.