What Is the CP565 Notice, and What Should You Do With It?

What does the CP565 notice tell you?

The CP565 tells you that the IRS has accepted your Form W-7 and assigned you an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. The notice shows the number itself, the name and date of birth the IRS has on record for you, and the date of the notice. The IRS describes an ITIN as a number for you to use on federal tax documents. It is issued to people who need a U.S. taxpayer identification number for federal tax purposes but are not eligible for a Social Security number.

Think of the CP565 as the end of the application process. Once it arrives, the waiting is over: you have a number you can put on your federal tax return, on tax documents where a payer asks for a taxpayer identification number, and on any future renewal. If you are still waiting and want to know where your application stands, see how to check your ITIN status.

The number follows a fixed pattern. Per the Internal Revenue Manual, ITINs are in the format of an SSN and begin with the number 9, and the fourth and fifth digits fall in the ranges 50–65, 70–88, 90–92 and 94–99. If the number on your notice does not start with 9, you are looking at a different document.

What does a CP565 notice look like?

A CP565 is a one-page-style IRS letter with the notice number in the top corner, your name and mailing address, the notice date, and your ITIN shown prominently. The mock-up below is a simplified illustration of where those items usually sit, so you know what to look for when the envelope arrives.

What should you do when your CP565 arrives?

You don't have to reply to the IRS; the IRS says it is not necessary for you to respond, so no further action is required. There are still a few things worth doing the same day you open the letter:

1. Check your name and date of birth. The IRS asks you to make sure the name and date of birth it has on record are right. A misspelled name can cause matching problems on later returns, so raise it now by calling the number on the notice.
2. Store the original safely and make copies. The IRS says to keep a copy of your notice for your files. Scan it and keep the paper with your tax records. Banks, payers and tax preparers may ask you for the number, and the notice is your cleanest record of it.
3. Use the ITIN on federal tax returns. Put the number in the taxpayer identification field of your return and on tax documents such as a Form W-9 when someone needs your taxpayer identification number.
4. Watch for your documents.If you mailed an original passport or certified copies, the IRS will return them within 60 days from the notice's date. If they don't arrive by then, call the number on your notice.
5. Keep using the number.An ITIN expires if it isn't used on a U.S. federal tax return for three consecutive tax years, so file when you have a filing requirement.

What if your CP565 never arrived?

If your CP565 hasn't arrived, first make sure the IRS processing window has actually passed, then call the IRS. The IRS usually takes 7 weeks after it receives your application, and 9–11 weeks during tax season (January 15 to April 30) or if you apply from abroad. The window starts from the date the IRS receives your application, so add the time your envelope spent in the mail. Calling before the window is over usually only tells you the application is still being processed.

Once the window has passed, call 800-829-1040 from inside the U.S. (7 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time) or 267-941-1000 from outside the U.S. (not toll-free). The TTY/TDD line is 800-829-4059. Have a copy of your Form W-7, the date you mailed it, and your mailing address ready. Our ITIN status guide lists what to have in front of you before you dial.

A missing CP565 doesn't always mean a lost letter. The IRS may have sent a different notice instead. The table shows the three ITIN notices you might receive after you apply.

A CP566 has a deadline: the IRS gives you 45 days from the date of the notice to reply. If you don't, the IRS rejects the application and you have to submit a new one. That is why it pays to open every IRS envelope promptly during the waiting period.

How do you get your ITIN if you lost the CP565?

If you lost your CP565, look for the number on your own tax paperwork first, and if you can't find it, call the IRS. The IRS ITIN page says that if you can't find the CP565 notice mailed with your assigned ITIN, you should contact them. The numbers are 800-829-1040 in the U.S. and 267-941-1000 from abroad.

Places to check before you call:

• Copies of federal tax returns you filed with the ITIN. The number is in the taxpayer identification field.
• Tax software or your preparer's records, if someone prepared a return for you after the ITIN was issued.
• Forms a payer sent you, such as a Form 1099, if you gave them your ITIN on a Form W-9.
• Your W-7 paperwork, if you kept a scan of the CP565 alongside it.

When you call, be ready to confirm your identity and the details you gave on your Form W-7. For a step-by-step walk-through, read our ITIN number lookup guide. Be wary of any website that offers to "look up" your ITIN online: the IRS points people who can't find their CP565 to its phone lines.

When do your original documents come back?

The IRS says it will return your documents within 60 days from your notice's date. Mailed originals go back to the mailing address on line 2 of your Form W-7. Documents verified in person at a Taxpayer Assistance Center or by a Certifying Acceptance Agent are handed back right away, so they don't follow this timeline. If your passport hasn't come back after 60 days, call the number on your notice, or 267-941-1000 if you are outside the U.S.

Your passport and your CP565 may arrive in separate envelopes on different days. Don't assume one is lost because the other came first. Count 60 days from the date printed on the notice before you call about the documents.

What can you not use the CP565 or your ITIN for?

You can't use the CP565 or the ITIN as general identification, as work authorization, or to claim the Earned Income Tax Credit. The IRS lists what an ITIN does not do: it doesn't qualify you for Social Security benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit, doesn't provide or change immigration status, doesn't authorize you to work legally in the U.S., and doesn't serve as identification outside the federal tax system.

Keep the CP565 letter as your record of the number; see does the IRS issue an ITIN card? for more. Some banks accept an ITIN to open an account, but that is the bank's policy, not an IRS rule. See our banks that accept ITIN list for options.

What happens to your CP565 if you later get an SSN?

If you later get a Social Security number, you stop using the ITIN on your CP565 and tell the IRS. The IRS says that when you get an SSN, it will combine all your tax records under your SSN. To do that by mail, write a letter stating you were assigned an SSN and want your tax records combined, and send it to Internal Revenue Service, Austin, TX 73301-0057. You can't have both an ITIN and an SSN; if you keep using both, you may not receive credit for all wages paid and taxes withheld. Keep the CP565 with your records so you can quote the old ITIN in that letter.

Does the ITIN on your CP565 ever expire?

Yes. An ITIN expires on December 31 after three consecutive tax years in which it wasn't used on a U.S. federal tax return. All ITINs assigned before 2013 that were never renewed have expired. You renew with the same Form W-7 by checking "Renew an existing ITIN", and under current rules a renewal goes with a federal tax return unless an exception applies. You only need to renew if the ITIN will be included on a federal tax return. Our ITIN renewal guide covers the steps.

Related guides

• How to get an ITIN number (complete guide)
• How to check your ITIN application status
• ITIN processing time in 2026
• ITIN number lookup: finding a lost ITIN