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ITINGet your ITIN without mailing your passport away.
We have an IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent on the team. That means we can verify most of your documents ourselves and give them straight back, instead of you posting the originals to the IRS and waiting.
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An ITIN is a tax number for people who have to file in the US but cannot get a Social Security number.
You apply on Form W-7, almost always attached to a tax return, and you prove who you are with original documents. Applying through a Certifying Acceptance Agent is what lets you keep those originals: we verify them in the appointment and send the IRS our certification instead. Allow about 7 weeks for a decision, or 9 to 11 weeks between 15 January and 30 April.
What a Certifying Acceptance Agent actually does
A CAA has a signed agreement with the IRS to verify identity documents for ITIN applicants. The IRS trains and authorises them for it, which is why your originals do not need to travel.
There are limits, and they are worth knowing before you book. A CAA cannot authenticate foreign military identification cards. For dependents, a CAA can only verify passports and birth certificates. Anything else has to go to the IRS directly or be certified by the issuing agency, and we will tell you on the call if that is your situation.
Being a CAA does not make us part of the IRS, and it does not speed up the IRS's own processing. It removes the part where your passport is in the post.
Who needs one
- A non-resident who has to file a US tax return, or claim a treaty benefit.
- Someone living in the US, filing taxes, who is not eligible for a Social Security number.
- A spouse or dependent being claimed on a US return.
- Anyone whose ITIN has expired and who needs to file again.
If you are eligible for a Social Security number, you apply for that instead. An ITIN is not work authorisation, it does not affect your immigration status, and it is not a path to either. It exists so you can file.
Three steps, one appointment.
- 1
Free call
We check that an ITIN is the right thing, which documents you have, and whether a return needs to go with it.
- 2
Document appointment
In person or by video. We verify what we are authorised to verify and you keep your originals.
- 3
We file and follow it
The W-7 goes in with your return and our certification. We track it and tell you the moment the IRS answers.
What to have ready
- Passport, or two other IDs
- Any previous ITIN letter
- Your income documents for the year
- Dependents' passports or birth certificates
How long it takes
The IRS asks you to allow about 7 weeks to hear back. Between 15 January and 30 April, and for applications sent from outside the US, it is 9 to 11 weeks. Those are the IRS's own figures and nobody can shorten them.
What we can do is stop the application coming back. Most ITIN rejections are documents that did not meet the requirement or a return that did not match the form, and both get checked before anything is sent.
Who does this at Zolt
Jorge Liste is an Enrolled Agent (EA) and an IRS Certifying Acceptance Agent (CAA). Zolt Advisors is not affiliated with or endorsed by the IRS.
ITIN questions, answered straight.
Can I get an ITIN immediately?
No. Nobody can issue an ITIN on the spot, including the IRS. Allow about 7 weeks to hear back, and 9 to 11 weeks if you apply between 15 January and 30 April or from outside the US. What a Certifying Acceptance Agent changes is the paperwork, not the clock: we verify your documents in the appointment so you keep them, instead of posting your passport away for weeks.
Who is eligible to get an ITIN?
People who need a US taxpayer number but cannot get a Social Security number. That usually means a non-resident who has to file a US return, a resident for tax purposes without work authorisation, or the spouse or dependent of someone in either group. If you are eligible for a Social Security number, you apply for that instead.
Do I have to send my passport to the IRS?
Not if you apply through a Certifying Acceptance Agent. We can verify most supporting documents ourselves and hand them straight back at the end of the appointment. Two limits set by the IRS: we cannot authenticate foreign military identification cards, and for dependents we can only verify passports and birth certificates. Anything outside that has to go to the IRS or to a consulate.
Do I need to file a tax return with the W-7?
Usually yes. Most applicants attach Form W-7 to a completed federal return, because the ITIN exists so you can file. There are exceptions, mostly treaty claims and certain reporting situations, and we check on the call whether you fall into one before you prepare anything.
My ITIN expired. Is renewing different from applying?
It is the same Form W-7, ticked as a renewal, and the same document check. You do not lose the number, and it keeps its old digits. If you file with an expired ITIN the return is still accepted but certain credits get held up, so renew before you file rather than after.
What does it cost?
It depends on whether you need the return prepared as well, and you get the number on the free call before anything starts. We do not charge for the ITIN based on your refund, and no reputable preparer does.
Start with the free call.
- Fifteen minutes
- In English or Español
- We say if an ITIN is not what you need