Veronica Tubman: Oh my goodness, I see it's the top of the hour. For those of you joining. Welcome to today's webinar, Accessing IRS Online Services: Understanding the Identity Verification Process. We're glad you're joining us today. My name is Veronica Tubman, and I am a Senior Stakeholder Liaison with the Internal Revenue Service. And I have the pleasure of being your moderator for today's webinar, which is slated for 75 minutes. Before we begin, if there is anyone in the audience that is with the media, please send an email to the address shown right on the slide. Be sure to include your contact information and the news publication you're with. Our Media Relations, Stakeholder Liaison staff will assist you and answer any questions that you may have. So keep that in mind. As a reminder, this webinar will be recorded, posted in the IRS Video Portal in a few weeks. The video portal is located at www.irsvideos.gov. We hope you won't experience any technical issues, but just in case you do. The slide shows helpful tips and reminders. We posted a technical help document you can download from the material section on the left side of your screen. It provides the minimum system requirement for viewing this webinar, along with some best practices and solutions. If you've completed and you passed your systems check, and you are still having problems, then try one of the following: Close the screen where you're viewing the webinar and simply relaunch it. Click on settings on your browser viewing screen and select HLS. You should have received today's PowerPoint in a reminder email. But if not, no worries, we've got you covered. You can download it by clicking on the materials drop down arrow on the left side of your screen as shown on the slide. Closed captioning is available for today's presentation. If you're having trouble with hearing the audio through your computer speaker, please click the closed captioning drop down arrow, and that's located on the left side of your screen. This feature will be available throughout the webinar. If you have a topic specific question today, we'd love to hear it, please submit it by clicking the ask question drop down arrow to reveal the textbox. Type your question in the textbox. And then just click send, and this is very important audience. This is extremely important. Please do not enter any sensitive or taxpayer specific information in with your question. So during the presentation, we'll take a few breaks to share knowledge based questions with you. At those times, a polling style feature will pop-up on your screen with a question and multiple choice answer. Select the response you believe is correct by clicking on the radio button. And the next click on your selection and then just click submit. Some people may not get the polling question, but this may be because you have a pop-up blocker on. So please just take a few minutes to disable your pop-up blocker now. So you can get the answers and that you can answer those questions as well. We're going to take some time right now to test that polling feature. Just in case, here's your opportunity to ensure that your pop-up blocker is not on. So you can receive the polling questions throughout the presentation. Okay, here we go. How many times have you attended an IRS National Webinar?

All ready, so A, is this your first time with us; B, one to five; C, six to 10; D 11 to 15; or E, 16 or more. Take a minute and click the radio button that corresponds to your answer. And I'll give you a few seconds to make sure that you have time to make your selection. How many times have you attended the IRS National Webinar? Is it A, first time; B, one to five; C, six to 10; D, 11 to 15; or E, 16 or more. I'll give you a few more seconds on that. Okay, we're going to stop the polling now. Let's see how often you've attended our national webinar. Let's take a peak at that. Okay, so for our first timer, 22% of you. Welcome to our national webinar. B, one to five of you, 29%. C, six to 10, 16% and D, 11 to 15, 10% and E, 16 or 18 I'm sorry, 16 or more, 24%. That's really, really good. And we are so glad you're here. We hope that everybody received the polling question and was able to submit your answer. If not, well, now's the time to check your pop-up blocker to make sure that it has been turned off. We've included several technical documents to describe how you can allow pop-up blockers and that's based on your browser, whatever browser you are using. We have documents for Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, and Safari for Mac. You can access them by clicking on the material drop down arrow. And that's right on the left hand side of your screen. Again, welcome and thank you for joining us for today's webinar. But before we move along with our session, let's make sure that you're in the right place. Today's webinar is Accessing IRS Online Services: Understanding the Identity Verification Process. The webinar is scheduled for approximately 75 minutes. Let me introduce you to today's speakers for our presentation. Angela Gartland, currently serve as the Director, Identity Assurance in the Privacy Governmental Liaison and Disclosure and that's PGLD Division.

She provides strategic business direction for enterprise authentication and authorization initiatives to include the IRS Online Identity Verification and Authentication Platform, e-signature strategy and policy and authorization capabilities. Courtney Rasey, serves as the assistant to the Identity Assurance Director at the Internal Revenue Service. And then in this role Courtney provides strategic direction for the Identity Assurance Organization and collaborates statewide on programs around Authentication and Authorization Policies and Practices.

And that's across the IRS service channels to create a seamless taxpayer experience. And that's great. I'm going to turn it over to Angela to begin the presentation. Angela? Angela Gartland: Good morning, and good afternoon. I'm Angela Gartland. And I wanted to thank you for joining us to discuss the upcoming integration of e-services online applications with our New Modernized Identity Verification Platform. Welcome to our presentation today titled Accessing IRS Online Services: Understanding the Identity Verification Process. In this session, you will learn about how we've improved access to many IRS online services. We will also focus on what this means for e-services users. We will then go into detail on our New Identity Verification platform, including an overview of the new registration process. And lastly, we will wrap up with questions and answers and some key takeaways. We're excited to inform you that we have improved our user access to many IRS online services. Last fall, the IRS migrated the primary taxpayer facing online applications to a New Identity Verification and Authentication Platform to perform the user experience, excuse me, to improve the user experience and to comply with federal guidelines.

This modernized platform uses our current credential service provider, or CSP ID.me to improve identity verification for access to IRS online services. IRS is continuing to move online applications behind this new platform, including the e-services suite online applications. After the migration new users accessing e-services online applications will verify their identity with ID.me. Our legacy secure access registration process relied on outdated federal guidelines and required users to have financial records, which unfortunately excluded many of our users from using our online services. So our new online system with ID.me improved access to IRS online applications through expanded options for identity documents. While no longer exclusively relying on validation of financial account information. In addition, ID.me provides customer support options that were not available to individual taxpayers with the Legacy Secure Access Platform.

ID.me offers a video chat verification option for individuals who are unable to complete the self-service verification and offers a help desk for users who have trouble registering. This customer support model has expanded the number of individuals who can successfully register and then can use our IRS online services. This ID.me registration process is mobile friendly and provides additional multi-factor authentication options, which allows users to complete the process on their smartphone, mobile device, or computer with the camera. So what does this mean for e-service users? The e-services integration with our new modernized platform is scheduled for the summer. When this occurs, e-services users with an active IRS account may continue to sign in with their existing username and password. You may already have an ID.me account to access online IRS online services or from another federal or state government agency that uses ID.me for identity verification and authentication. So if you already have an account with our current credential service provider ID.me you can sign in with that information to access our IRS online services. New users or active secure access users choose to switch will create an account with ID.me. This new Sign In or Create a New Account process is already available for many IRS services including: Online Account; Get Transcript; Online Payment Agreement; Get an IP PIN; Tax Pro Account; and Submit Forms 2848 and 8821 Online. So what is new with this system and what has changed? The New Modernized Identity Verification and Authentication platform complies with the National Institute of Standards and Technology or NIST. Special Publication 800-63-3 Digital Identity Guidelines. This enables users to securely access IRS resources online, thus reducing burdens on non-digital channels, such as our toll free phone operations and paper, as well as saves service costs to the IRS. One of the key differences between the new process and legacy platform is that we have now enabled the ability to accept credentials from trusted Credential Service Providers or CSPs. The first CSP that we have integrated with is called ID.me, and you'll learn more about their process today. We will now cover our first polling question. So back to you, Veronica. Veronica Tubman: Thanks a lot, Angela. Okay, audience, our first polling question is, the IRS implemented the new digital identity platform to comply with what federal standards? was it A, the National Institute of Standards and Technology or NIST; B, Freedom of Information Act, that is FOIA; C, Internal Revenue Manual and those are IRM; or D, The National Archives and Records Administration, that's the NARA, we will take a moment and click the button that best answers the question. I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection. Okay, we're going to stop the polling question now. And we'll share the correct answer on the next slide. The question was, the IRS implemented the new digital platform to comply with what federal standards? Was it, A, The National Institute of Standards and Technology, NIST; was it B, the Freedom of Information Act, FOIA; is it C, Internal Revenue Manual, the IRM; or was it D, the National Archives and Records Administration, the NARA. And the correct response is the National Institute of Technology and that was A, so let's see how everyone did on that, we will see. Good, I see that we had an 89% of you that responded correctly. And that is absolutely great. They really, really enjoy the information that Angela shared. So with that being said, Angela, I'm going to turn it back over to you to discuss the benefits of the New Identity Verification platform. Angela Gartland: Thank you, Veronica. The new platform reduces barriers to access IRS online applications by providing higher success rates, more identity verification options, and modern support for our users. We'll now take a moment to share some of the benefits of our new platform. The federated credentials allow users to access applications across different agencies using a single set of credentials.

These credentials also allow interactions with external credential service providers, and offers continued support of existing IRS usernames. The modern technical architecture introduces a simplified modern and scalable architecture that reduces technical complexity and provides improved services. Another benefit of this new platform is increased success rates and coverage.

Live results from the applications that have already transitioned to the new platform indicate higher identity verification success rates compared to our legacy system. More options for registration allows a user to verify data across multiple sources and document types other than financial records which can accommodate the low income, unbanked, elderly and other users without a financial record. Help desk assistance is provided by our CSP and allows for video chat identity verification, thus increasing successful registrations, while reducing demand on IRS non-digital services and delivery channels such as phone, paper and lastly, the modern design allows for mobile friendly usage, uses modern web design for increased usability, supports multiple languages and enables frequent updates and improvements. So to give you an idea of what this new process means, let's go through the sample flow for new user who is accessing an e-services application through ID.me planned for this summer. In step one, the user visits irs.gov/eservices and selects an option, such as e-file provider services to access the e-file application. In step two, you'll see the user chooses the ID.me sign in and registration option, and then is directed to ID.me's website. In step three, the user creates a username and password with ID.me, then the user chooses a multifactor option for added security. After registering the multifactor authentication feature generates a one-time code each time a returning user signs in. In step four, the user completes the identity verification to register for an account. In step five, the user consents to be redirected back to the IRS and share the data needed to finalize the account registration process. And then lastly, in step six, the user is successful in accessing the IRS online application. So before we provide an overview of the new registration process, let's take a look at another polling question, Veronica. Veronica Tubman: That sounds really good to me.

Okay, audience. Here's our second polling. What are the key benefits of the new identity Verification and Authentication Process? Is it A, improved customer experience; is it B, expanded identity verification option; is it C, a modern system that works on mobile devices and computers; or lastly, is it D, all of the above? So just take a moment and click the radio button that best answers the question. So I will give you a few more seconds to make your selection.

Okay, audience, we're going to stop the polling question now. And we'll share the correct answer on the next slide. Let's listen to that question again. What are the key benefits of the new identity Verification and Authentication Process? Is it A, improved customer experience; B, expanded identity verification option; C, a modern system that works on mobile devices and computers; or is it D, all of the above. So let me take a little peek here. And I see that 99% of you responded correctly. You rock, that is a great response rate. I'll now turn it over to Courtney who will provide an overview of the new registration process. Courtney? Courtney Rasey: Yes, great. Thanks so much. So we're going to walk everyone through the ID.me registration process that new users will experience. When a new user accesses IRS online services, they're prompted to create an ID.me account. And as Angela mentioned earlier, users with an active IRS username and password can continue to sign in to e-services with their existing username and password. To establish a new user account, you're going to first select an IRS online application and then you're going to select ID.me create an account. Now once you arrive on the create in an ID.me account screen, you're going to enter in your email address and also create a password. So next, then you'll secure your account by setting up that multifactor authentication that Angela mentioned before. That multifactor authentication will be used each time you log into your ID.me account. Now to set up that multifactor authentication, you're going to select between receiving a text message or phone call, a push notification code generator or using an accepted hardware authentication device to secure your account. So users have two options for verifying their identity to access IRS online services. So one of those options is that you can choose a self-service flow which I'll go through first or you can opt to verify identity during a live virtual video chat. So I'll discuss both of those in more detail throughout the rest of the time, we have here today. To register users must have a social security number, email address, government issued ID like a Driver's license, passport, passport card or a state ID, and either a smartphone or you can use your computer as long as you have a camera like a webcam. So first, we'll walk through the Self Service flow. That self-service registration process is available in many different languages, including English, Spanish, Chinese, and additional options. It does require users to submit images of a government issued ID, so those I mentioned before, like a Driver's license, passport, passport card, or state ID, and a photo of themselves which people typically refer to as a selfie, and that's how I'll refer to it today as well. Users must have a mobile phone or a webcam so that they can take and upload a selfie. For comparison with their Driver's license, state ID card or passport, you will be prompted to select the document type that you want to upload, which can either be uploaded from existing photos on your desktop, or you can enter in your mobile phone number to receive a secure link to take a photo of those documents on a cell phone. Now, after you upload a picture of your ID, you are then going to take, what's called a video selfie from your smartphone or whatever device you're using the camera on that device. Now instead of a still image selfie, the video selfie is video that's about five seconds long, that involves lights and colors. Now this confirms that the individual taking the selfie is alive and present there for taking the photo and prevents a fraudster from being able to take a picture of a picture. This selfie is only used for account creation and it will automatically be deleted within 24 hours, except in cases where there's suspicious fraud, fraudulent activity. Now after you submit your photo ID and video selfie, the next step is going to be to enter your social security number. I do want to mention that ID.me protects all sensitive information with advanced encryption technology. Once you do that, you're going to review your information before you submit it for identity verification. If the information isn't accurate, then you can make changes to the information by selecting the Edit button. Now ID.me does not share your information with any organization without your consent. So you will need to consent to ID.me sharing your information with the IRS before you can access IRS online services.

So once you consent to ID.me sharing your information with the IRS, you'll then be automatically redirected back to the IRS application that you were trying to access. Now if you're unable to complete that self-service verification process, ID.me automatically gives you the option to meet with a video agent which they refer to as a trusted referee, if you encounter any issues with the verification process ID.me also offers other types of 24/7 support. The support services offered by ID.me to the video agent option, and the articles and other venues that they have available that will replace the current IRS, e-helpdesk support that's offered to assist e-services users with account creation through our legacy platform. The help desk will still be available for non-registration questions, but will no longer be available to assist with creating your account. ID.me also offers additional resources like the help articles on their website, which you can find at help.id.me and you can submit a support request through that website. So I'm going to pass it back to Veronica to take our next polling question. Veronica Tubman: Thanks a lot, Courtney. Okay, audience, let's get ready. Here's our third question. What is the Credential Service Provider? is it A, IRS's new digital identity platform; or is it B, a trusted entity that provides identity verification and authentication services and issues credentials; is it C, a trusted entity that provides a financial record background; or is it D, a trusted entity that provides a criminal background. So take a moment and click the radio button that best answers the question. I will give you a few more seconds to make your selection. Okay, audience we're going to stop the polling. And we'll share the correct answer on the next slide.

So let's read that again for you. What is the Credential Service Provider? Is it A, IRS's new digital identity platform; is it B, a trusted entity that provides identity to case authentication services and issues credentials; is it C, a trusted entity that provides a financial record checks; or D, a trusted entity that provides a criminal background check. So let's take a look and see how everything went. And I see that 90% of you responded correctly.

That is a wonderful response rate. As a matter of fact, that's great. So Courtney, I'm going to turn it over to you to continue. Courtney Rasey: Great, thank you so much. As I mentioned before, IRS does offer two options for verifying your identity to access online services. So we've just walked through that self-service process. And now I'm going to walk you through a video chat verification option. Now in February of 2022, this is when the IRS made the new video chat option available in our authentication system. For individuals who want to sign up for IRS online accounts without providing a selfie. Individuals have the option to verify their identity during a live virtual video chat with an ID.me employee, so the trusted referee that I referred to earlier. There's no selfie, no biometric data that is required if users choose this verification method. Now, I do want to assure you that we have taken steps to ensure that wait times for the trusted referee don't become a barrier to identity verification through this new option. So for example, users are given the option to upload their document for review and then come back later to complete the process when their documents have been reviewed and a trusted referee is available. I also want to let you know, wait times do vary by time of day but throughout the peak of filing season, wait times for a trusted referee averaged at about 30 minutes. ID.me does record these live chat sessions for quality assurance and to review any suspicious activity. But ID.me does delete all remote live chat session recordings with the trusted referees within 30 calendar days of both authenticated and abandoned attempts of IRS online account creation. Again, these live chat session recordings can only be used for quality assurance, and to review any possible suspicious or fraudulent activity. And now we're going to walk you through the actual steps. The first step in the video chat option will be to enter your personal information as it appears on your identity documents. As I mentioned earlier, ID.me protects all sensitive information with advanced encryption technology. The video chat process provides more identity document options than the self-service flow. The number of documents that a person has to provide depends on which identity documents they choose to use. And this is because ID.me follows NIST guidelines that require either two primary identity documents, or one primary document and two secondary documents. So if you only have one primary identity document, you can still use the video chat verification process, but you'll need to provide that one primary document along with two secondary documents. Now through this video chat process, ID.me accepts 14 primary documents and 31 secondary document types. So you should be able to find document types on the list that you're able to use for verifying your identity. Users are presented with a list of options and that allows you to select the documents that you have available. The identity documents must all be in your name. So that's very important. The primary identity documents must be physically presented on the video chat to the agent is on the call. Now I'm going to walk you through the 14 primary identity documents that are accepted by ID.me. First is your driver's license from a U.S. state or territory. Another type of government issued photo ID now that must be a permanent document that has a photo. A state issued photo ID is also acceptable. And there's some tips, I'm not going to read through the slides I do want to let you know. There are some there was additional information with some tips there. U.S. Passport; U.S. Passport Card; U.S. Permanent Residence Card, the USCIS-Issued Employment Authorization Card; a Foreign Passport, so a non-U.S. Passport; a DHS Trusted Traveler Cards so like your global entry; Veterans Health ID Card; a Canadian Driver's License; Certificate of Naturalization; National ID Card now that's only if you're residing outside of the U.S.; or a Federally Recognized, Tribal-Issued Photo ID.

So those are the 14 primary document options. After choosing which identity documents to provide, you'll then have to upload them for review. You can upload previously saved documents, or you can capture them live from your smartphone device. Now most documents do require that you upload images of both the front and the back of the document. And if you choose to take photos with your phone, then you'll receive a text with a secure link to guide you through the photo capture process. An ID.me trained document reviewer will review the documents after you submit them. I want to give you just a few document upload tips to make the process easier for you. The first is that you should ensure that the document type matches the option selected. The document does need to be visible and well-lit in the picture. And please do have that same document ready when you join the video chat. So now it's time for our next polling question. I'm going to pass it back over to Veronica. Veronica Tubman: Thanks a lot. Yes, it is. Okay, audience here's our fourth and final polling question. What Identity Documents can be used for identity verification?

Is it A, a US Passport; is it B, a Drivers License or State ID Card; Is it C, a Native American Tribal-Issued Photo Identification; Or is it D, a US Permanent Resident Card and that's an I-551; or is it E, all of the above. So take a moment and click the radio button that answers the question. And, as before, I'll give you a few more seconds to make your selection. Okay, we're going to stop the polling now. And we'll share the correct answer on our next slide. Now let's take a look at that question in. What Identity Documents can be used for identity verification?

Is it A, a US Passport; B, a Drivers License or State ID Card; Is it C, a Native American Tribal-Issued Photo Identification; D, a US Permanent Resident Card or an I-551; or is it E, all of the above. Let me take a look and see how the audience did. I see that 99% of you responded correctly. You all rock that is absolutely fabulous response rate. So everybody was listening. So I'll turn it over to you, Courtney to continue the discussion on video chat verification.

Courtney, you're up. Courtney Rasey: Perfect. Thanks so much. So we just walk through the process for uploading your documents. Now after your documents have been approved, you will remain in the queue to meet with an ID.me video chat agent. Now, if your documents have not been approved, then ID.me will alert you on screen and provide feedback on how you can address the issue with your document. Now the wait time like I mentioned earlier can fluctuate depending on demand. One tip is wait times are typically lowest between midnight and noon, Eastern Standard Time. And then also if you prefer not to wait at that time, you can always choose save and exit. Now this will not save your place in line. But it does allow you to come back at a later time that's more convenient for you. You should use any wait time that you do have to prepare for your video session by reviewing the information you submitted, and making sure that you have the previously submitted documents with you to show the video agent. Now you'll then receive an email from ID.me inviting you to join a video call with one of the trusted referees or the ID.me video chat agent. And you should select check in now to join. The video call itself typically takes about five to 10 minutes to complete. Do please make sure that you have the documents you previously submitted with you on the video session, because you will have to confirm the information previously submitted. Now once you've successfully verified, you will have to navigate back to the IRS application that you are trying to access. And just simply sign in and consent to your consent for ID.me to share your information with the IRS. The video agent will also provide you this guidance verbally on the call. And ID.me will send you an email with these instructions as well. You can at any time view and manage your ID.me account by going to account.id.me. And there you can sign in to manage the information associated with your digital identity, view your ID.me account activity and monitor what data has been shared with whom, with your consent. So all of the places that you have consented to share your data. So I do want to thank you all for the opportunity to talk with you today about our new identity verification platform. And to give you some information to assist you in the migration of e-services applications behind that platform. I hope it's been useful to walk through that process today. Angela and I are happy to answer any questions you may have at this time. So Veronica, I'm going to pass it to you to help us manage the Q&A. Veronica Tubman: Thanks, Courtney. Hello again, it's me Veronica Tubman and I still have the pleasure of being your moderator for our Q&A session. But before we start the Q&A session, I want to extend my sincere thanks to everyone for attending today's presentation, Accessing IRS Online Services: Understanding the Identity Verification Process. Now, earlier I mentioned, we want to know what questions you have for our presenters. Here is your opportunity.

If you haven't input your questions, well, guess what? There're still time to do that. So go right ahead and click on the drop down arrow, which is to ask question field, and type in your question and just click send. As Courtney said, and Angela, are going to hang around with us for your questions. So once again, just a little reminder before we get started, we may not have time to answer all your questions that have been fit, but you know what we'll answer many of them as time allows. So, let's get started. And just make sure you still have time for those questions in there. Okay, ladies. Okay, Angela. Why does ID.me ask for this information to verify my identity?

And that's one of the questions from our audience. Angela Gartland: Thank you so much for this question. I'm sure the questions been on other's minds. So appreciate that. So ID.me asks for this information to verify your identity to adhere with those National Institute of Standards and Technology, or NIST digital guidelines that we covered earlier. ID.me can collect two strong or one strong and two fair pieces of identity evidence to verify individuals. Courtney went through that long list. So to meet these NIST requirements. The user must also provide their email, full name, phone number, social security number, and those identity documents that, that were covered earlier. Veronica Tubman: Okay. Thanks, Angela. That's really good to know.

Okay, Angela, let me take a look at questions. Let me see we've got some really, really interesting ones. And I have another question from our audience, Angela. What if I have trouble registering or can't complete a step? What are my options? Angela Gartland: Well, I'm happy to share that approximately 90% of our users can complete the self-service verification process on our new platform. So if you're unable to complete the self-service verification process, there is 24/7 help available. And ID.me also allows you to verify on a video call with a trained video agent referred to as a trusted referee. Courtney went through, those steps earlier in our session today. Veronica Tubman: Okay. Thanks, Angela. It's really reassuring to know that there are second option available for the verification. Okay, let me see. Okay. Courtney, can I ask a question for you. Courtney? Can I switch verification methods, if I selected one that does not work for me? Courtney Rasey: Yes, that is a great question. Yes, that's the short answer, you can switch verification methods. Now, if you've chosen to select to verify with a video chat agent or self-service, and then you want to switch to that other way of doing it. You can do that at any point, all you have to do is close your browser window, and then sign into the IRS with the same email and password associated with your ID.me account. So that first step in the process where you input in an email and choose a password. Use those to sign into the IRS and you can start over at that screen and choose the other verification method. Veronica Tubman: Okay. Thanks, Courtney, for that one. Let's see, I've got another question coming your way Courtney. What do I do if I have a long wait time to see a video chat agent? Courtney Rasey: Yes, definitely. As I mentioned before, I hope that you don't have a long wait time we have been seeing that that they've been average pretty well. But I know sometimes people can't wait. I will tell you that when you are waiting, the approximate wait time will be displayed on that wait screen. So you will be able to see and make a choice, if you're able to wait that amount of time or not. Now, if you're not able to wait at that time, just select that save and exit button, so that you can save your progress. And then you can return at a more convenient time. And as I mentioned before we do suggest coming back when wait times are at their lowest, which is typically between midnight and noon Eastern Standard Time. That might be easier for you. Veronica Tubman: Wow, that sounds really great. We all we try to get in so much into our workday. So it's good to know that there are some other options that are available. Okay, Angela, let me take a look, I'm going to send this one to you. Can I speak with video chat agent in a language other than English? Angela Gartland: Absolutely. At the beginning of your video call, you may ask for a video chat agent or also known as a trusted referee who speaks your preferred languages. There are 16 languages offered, including sign language for the hearing impaired. You may also choose to bring an adult interpreter with you to that video call or other types of help you need if you choose that video chat option. Veronica Tubman: Okay, that's great, Angela. IRS offers several languages as well as sign language for the hearing impaired. And that's to make sure that we serve all of our taxpayers. And ID.me, they provide those same options as well. Okay, Angela, here's another one for you. If I use the video chat verification process, can I still get access to all of the other great IRS online services? Angela Gartland: Yes, of course, if you are successful in verifying your identity through the video chat verification process, and can successfully register, you will receive ID.me credentials for access to IRS online applications.

So you can still get access to all of those IRS online services through your new ID.me account.

Veronica Tubman: Thanks, Angela. It's good to know that we still have access to those applications and those great resources from IRS. Okay, let's take a look here. Okay, Courtney, how do I contact ID.me for help? Courtney Rasey: Yes, that's a great question. If you need any help or support during the process, it's available 24/7. I suggest you visit the website help.id.me. And once you're there, you can submit a support request directly to ID.me and they do work those like I said 24/7. Veronica Tubman: Okay. Cool. That's good to know. Okay, and we're going to stay with you. And let's see, if I've created an ID.me account elsewhere. Do I have to create another ID.me account to access IRS application? Just wondering. Courtney Rasey: Okay, yes, no, no, no, no, you do not need to create another ID.me account. So ID.me some of you might have an ID.me account to the Veterans Administration or one of the other state or federal agencies or even there's some private sector organizations that partner with ID.me for identity verification services. So if you already have an account with ID.me, you can log in using that username or password if that account meet the security requirements of IRS applications, then no further actions required. Now you may have an ID.me account that doesn't satisfy the stricter security requirements of the IRS. And if that's the case, then you'll just be asked to perform additional verification steps. Please don't create a second ID.me account. Veronica Tubman: Excuse me. Thanks so much. We're really glad that Angela and Courtney are staying with us and sharing their experiences expertise with us. Okay, Angela lastly. Here's a goodie, once you've successfully verify with ID.me, well, you have to verify your identity. Well, again, the next time that you log in, does that require? Angela Gartland: That's another great question. So once you've successfully verified your identity with ID.me will not have to verify your identity the next time you log on. So after you have successfully registered, you made it through that identity verification process. The next time you go to sign in, you will receive a one-time authentication code that is texted to the user's phone or sent through a voice call or an accepted hardware authentication device, depending on the multi-factor option you chose during that registration process. And each time you return as user to sign in, you will get that code to complete the log on process, but you will not have to verify your identity again, once you've completed the registration process. Veronica Tubman: Okay, thanks again, Angela. Okay, let's do that. I have another one for you. You're ready, Angela. Angela Gartland: Yes. Veronica Tubman: When I create an ID.me account, when I create an ID.me account to access IRS online services, will my various permissions also migrate? Angela Gartland: Yes, of course, the migration to our new identity platform does not affect your individual authorities and the various online application permissions that you have that will all migrate along with your new ID.me account access. Veronica Tubman: Okay, thanks a lot, Angela. Really excited that we've got time to get these questions. Okay, Courtney, what will happen to the e-services support process? What's going to happen, Courtney? Courtney Rasey: Yes, thank you. So for both of those identity proofing options, both the video chat and the self-service, the support services that ID.me offers will replace that IRS e-helpdesk support is offered today through our legacy platform to assist the e-services users with account creation, so that will no longer be available for account creation questions or issues. Again, you can go to that help.id.me for more information about what support services they do provide, in addition to opening a support ticket, and you'll find there that there's some step by step video demos of both the self-service process and that video chat verification option. Veronica Tubman: Okay. Appreciate you. Okay, Courtney let's see. Someone asked if I have an existing IRS username, do I need to create a new account with ID.me? Courtney Rasey: No, you do not have to create a new account with ID.me, if you have an active IRS username, then you can continue to sign in with that username and password. I will say that you can choose if you want to create an ID.me account, you can still choose to do that, even if you have an existing IRS username, or if you already have an ID.me account and you prefer to go ahead and switch over to using that account, that would be fine too.

Veronica Tubman: All right, okay let's see, Angela, why did the IRS or why did they launch new authentication platform? Angela Gartland: So the IRS launched this new modernized authentication platform to expand online access for taxpayers. I hink we mentioned in the session, that there were challenges on our legacy secure access system because it required financial documentation.

Also, to comply with those NIST or National Institute of Standards and Technology, federal digital identity guidelines that we discussed earlier in the session. So that's why we migrated and launched this new authentication platform. Veronica Tubman: Okay, thanks for that. Angela.

It's really good to know why the new platform was launched. Okay, Angela, does ID.me or the IRS offer an in-person registration option, maybe I want to comment about this, is there an option for in-person? Angela Gartland: I'm sorry, at this time an in-person registration process is not available for access to IRS online services. So we don't have that option available at this time.

Veronica Tubman: Okay, thanks, Angela. But there are really great online services that you can take, that you have access to. And that's good to know. Okay, Courtney, is there an age requirement to create an ID.me account, is there an age requirement by chance? Courtney Rasey: Okay, yes, there is. So ID.me does not verify individuals who are under the age of 18. So if you know someone under the age of 18, who needs to verify their identity for IRS online services, then you can refer to the alternative options that are found at the bottom of the online application login page. There's a section that says like, what if I can't verify my identity, if you click on that, then you'll find alternative options. Veronica Tubman: Okay, thanks a lot for that. So what we'll be looking at is, okay, if I have an ID.me account with my state, do I need to register again under the new system? Courtney Rasey: No, if you have an ID.me account with any other agency, organization, public place, you do not have to register again, under the new system, you're just going to sign in with your existing ID.me credentials. And as I mentioned earlier, if it doesn't meet the IRS requirements, you're just going to be asked to perform some additional verification steps before you can access e-services. Veronica Tubman: Okay, much appreciate. So that in itself and all this good information is good to have that as a resource well. Angela, how can I continue to use my existing IRS credentials after the e-services migration? Angela Gartland: So users can continue to use the existing active IRS credentials after this e-services migration this summer. However, the IRS has not finalized the decision on when the legacy secure access credentials will be retired. But rest assured, we will communicate well in advance to allow our users to prepare for any transition away from the legacy platform.

Veronica Tubman: Okay, thanks, Angela. So Angela, will the IRS, the e-Help Desk continue to provide other assistance outside of registering? Angela Gartland: Yes, absolutely. The IRS e-help desk will continue to provide to e-services users for non-registration related inquiries. And remember ID.me help is available 24/7 for your registration and sign in support, but the e-helpdesk at IRS will continue to provide those non-registration related inquiries for our e-services users.

Veronica Tubman: Okay, thank you much. Okay. Let's look again, we've got some really, really good questions. Our audience sets us and we are rolling along. Okay, Courtney, will the IRS provide a registration option for ITIN holders? Angela Gartland: Yes, the IRS is working on that, we're collaborating with our current credential service provider ID.me to implement a registration option for ITIN holders, so that the IRS will be doing that. Veronica Tubman: Sounds good. Sounds good. Hi, Courtney, let's see few more good questions that just coming in, can a taxpayer that lives overseas, set up an account? Courtney Rasey: Yes, that's a really great question. I'm glad that came up. Yes, taxpayers who are living abroad can create an ID.me account, they're going to have the most success using that video chat verification option that I walked through. So, for taxpayers living overseas, I recommend using that video chat verification option. Veronica Tubman: Of course, that's good to know our taxpayers overseas still have that ID.me option and the video chat verification option for them as well. Okay, Courtney, how do you verify your identity if you do not have an email address because you know, some people do not necessarily have an email address. So how can they verify their identity? Courtney Rasey: Yes, I mean unfortunately, taxpayers, tax professionals who are using ID.me to verify their identity, they will need to establish an email address, to be able to register for access to IRS online services, because an email address, the security social security number, and then either that smartphone or computer with a webcam. Those are all things that are required for the ID.me registration process. Veronica Tubman: Okay, well, that's good to know. Well, so, having an email address is a part of it. So we really encourage you to have that, so that we can provide you with the best that we have available. All right, Angela, where can I find a list of secondary ID documents because I'm wondering, make sure I have that when I apply.

So where can I find that listing? Angela Gartland: So that full list of accepted identity documents can be found at help.IDme excuse me, help.id.me and it includes the full list of those, 14 primary and the 31 secondary document types. And just as a reminder, those to comply with the NIST digital identity guidelines, ID.me will collect two strong those primary and one strong and two fair, the secondary pieces of evidence to verify. And that's in addition to what we had said previously where the user must provide email address, full name, telephone number, social security number along with those identity documents. Veronica Tubman: Okay, sounds good.

Okay, Angela. Let's see, we have time for one more question. Can I use ID.me to access both e-services and my personal IRS information? Angela Gartland: Absolutely, so after the e-services migration this summer, users can use their ID.me account to access their personal tax account information in any of those online services associated with your federal and other tax filing as well as to access the e-services for tax professionals. And once you have that ID.me account and you log in, you will be able to either log in to access the accounts or launch the online application that you're accessing that will take you to the login page, but you will have access both your personal tax account information as well as the e-services for our e-services users.

Veronica Tubman: Okay, good. Okay, audience that's all the time we have for questions. I want to thank our presenters, Angela and Courtney for sharing their knowledge and expertise for answering your questions. But before we close the Q&A session, Courtney, why don't you share some key points, you want the attendees to remember from today's webinar? Courtney Rasey: Yes, great. Thanks so much, Veronica. And thanks, everyone for being here today. I just want to go over a couple key points for you guys to walk away with. And the first is that existing users don't need to take any action at this time. After that transition of e-services, users that have an active IRS account can still sign in or if you want, you can choose to create a new account or to use an existing account with ID.me. Before the end of this summer, the e-services applications is going to transition to the new identity verification and authentication system. All of the e-services tools at that time will use this new sign in system that requires new users to register with ID.me who is our current credential service provider, I have two options to register that self-service workflow or the video chat option. We walked through both of those today. And for both of those identity proofing options, it's important to remember that the support services from ID.me replaced that IRS e-helpdesk support to assist users with account creation. I want you guys to remember you know that your data is encrypted, ID.me automatically deletes the selfie and biometric data captured for online account creation and also within 24 hours and within 30 days for the video chat verification options, except in the case where there's suspicious or fraudulent activity. One thing that I definitely want just so it doesn't confuse you guys, when you go and sign in for the first time, existing e-services users will be prompted to access the e-services terms of service, again, when you first access e-services through ID.me. And that'll just be that first time that you access it, you won't have to do that, again, when you log in, in future times. So you'll just have to accept those terms of service again. And then for all of the steps that we talked about today, users only have to complete these steps, when initially verifying their identity and registering with ID.me, when you come back in the future, you're just going to sign in, use your multifactor authentication and get access to online services. So this is a one-time in a deal with verifying the identity. So Veronica, I'm going to go ahead and turn it over to you to close out this webinar session today. Thank you everyone so much for being here. Veronica Tubman: Okay, thank you so, so much, Courtney, and Angela for that wonderful. And we've planned additional webinars throughout the year. To register for all upcoming webinars, please visit irs.gov keyword search, webinars, and select the Webinars for Tax Practitioners or Webinars for Small Businesses. When appropriate, we will be offering certificates and CE credits for upcoming webinars. We invite you to visit our video portal at www.irsvideos.gov. There you can view archived versions of our webinars, lots of good information. But please note, continuing education credits, or certificates of completion are not offered, if you view any version of any webinar after the live broadcast, so keep that in mind. Again, a big thank you to Angela and Courtney for a great and rewarding webinar. We thank them for sharing their expertise and answering your questions. Moreover, I also want to give out a big thank you to our attendees for attending today's webinar, Accessing IRS Online Services: Understanding the Identity Verification Process.

Now, if you attended today's webinar for at least 50 minutes from the official start time of the webinar, well you qualify for one possible CE credit. Again, the time we spent getting to know each other because we're not face to face before the webinars started, well that doesn't count towards the 50 minutes. If you're eligible for continuing education from the IRS as registered with your valid PTIN, your credit will be posted at PTIN account.

If you qualify and have not received your certificate and or credit by August 9th, well, please email us at cl.sl.web.conference.team@irs.gov. The email address shown on the slide as a reference. If you are interested in finding out who your local stakeholder liaison is, you may send us an email using the address that's shown on this slide and we will send information out to you. We would appreciate it if you would take a few more, a few minutes to complete a short survey before you exit the webinar. If you'd like more sessions like this one, well, please let us know if you have thoughts on how we can make that better, well guess what? Please let us know that. Well, we value your opinion. If you have requests for future webinar topics, or if you have pertinent information that you would like to see, say in an IRS Fact Sheet, Tax Tip or FAQ on irs.gov.

Well, then, please include your suggestions in the comment section of the survey. So just go right ahead and click the survey button on the screen. If it doesn't come up, just to make sure you disabled your pop-up blocker. I would like to let all of you know that it has been my esteemed pleasure to be here with you. And on behalf of the Internal Revenue Service and our wonderful presenters, we would like to thank you for attending today's webinar. Just so appreciative of you taking time out of your schedule to spend time with us. It's important for the IRS to stay connected with the tax professional community, individual taxpayers, industry associations, and federal, state and local government agencies. You make our job a lot easier by sharing the information that allows for proper tax reporting. Thanks again for taking time out of your day again to attend today's webinar. We hope you found the information helpful. You may exit the webinar at this time and thank you.