Latino Community Assn. to help taxpayers renew ID numbers

What is an ITIN and why is it important to certain taxpayers? The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issues Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers (ITINs) to people who must file a tax return but who are not eligible for a Social Security number.

According to the American Bar Association, over 21 million ITINs have been issued to date. However, only 5 million are currently being used on tax returns.

The PATH Act (Protecting Americans from Tax Hikes), passed by Congress in 2015, requires millions of people to renew their ITIN before their tax returns can be processed by the IRS.

Prior to this Act, ITINs were issued with no expiration date. All ITINs not used on a federal income tax return at least once in the past three years expired on December 31, 2018. Plus all ITINs with middle digits 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 81 or 82 have expired. Anyone filing a tax return with an expired ITIN will have their tax refund suspended until the renewal is submitted and approved, a process that can take up to three months.

The Latino Community Association (LCA), with support from CASH Oregon, has been offering free assistance with the ITIN renewal process since 2015, and has helped 228 people with both new and renewal applications.

Their services include completing IRS Form W-7 and either sending required identification and proof of foreign status documents, or, in place of sending the originals (i.e., Mexican passport), verifying the validity of these documents and sending the IRS a Certificate of Accuracy along with copies of the original documents.

To get help renewing an ITIN, call (541) 382-4366 or 325-6837.