CP565: The IRS Confirmed Your ITIN
By Forrest Baumhover, CFP®, EA · Last verified September 19, 2026
CP565 confirms your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). It asks for nothing back unless the name or date of birth on it is wrong, and it carries a rule worth knowing: an ITIN that goes unused on a tax return for three years expires.
If you got this letter
Got a CP565 in the Mail?
Short version: this is good news, and there is normally nothing to do. CP565 confirms your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), the nine-digit number the IRS gives people who must file a federal tax return or tax document but do not qualify for a Social Security number. It is not a bill, and it has no deadline.
Do one thing: check that the name and date of birth printed on it are right. The IRS uses your ITIN together with your full name and date of birth to match your tax documents and payments, so a mistake there can cause delays. If anything is wrong, complete the Contact information section printed on the notice and mail it to the address at the top of the notice. If everything is right, you do not need to respond.
Keep the notice in a safe place with your other important documents. If you sent original documents with your Form W-7 application, the IRS says it will mail them back separately within 60 days of the notice date; call the number on the notice if they have not arrived by then.
What the notice actually says
CP565 is titled "Confirmation of your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number." The IRS's page on the notice describes it as the IRS telling you it gave you an ITIN, while the IRS's published sample notice reads "We renewed your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number." The two descriptions point at the same document: a confirmation of the number the IRS has assigned to you, new or renewed.
It lists your ITIN, your full name, and your date of birth, and states plainly that you do not need to respond unless that personal information is incorrect. It carries no balance due, no penalty, and no response deadline.
How to read the notice in your hand
The IRS's published sample shows the layout. The top of page 1 carries the notice number (CP565), the notice date, a case reference number, and your date of birth, along with the IRS phone numbers: a toll-free U.S. number and, for international calls, 267-941-1000. Below that, a section headed "Your ITIN and personal information" lists your ITIN, your full name split into first, middle and last, and your date of birth, so you can check each part.
The notice also includes a Contact information section, which you fill in only if your name or date of birth is wrong. The second page is the reference half: what you need to do, important reminders about what an ITIN is not, and next steps for a name change or a new Social Security number. Nothing on either page is a payment demand, and no response deadline appears anywhere on it.
If your notice looks different from that layout, or arrived with no notice number at the top, do not assume it is a CP565; the IRS Notice Library lists the notices this site covers, and the IRS's own "Understanding your notice" pages are the place to compare.
What to do with it
The IRS's notice lists what you need to do: use your full name and ITIN on all correspondence with the IRS, including tax returns, tax payments and refund claims (using an incorrect name or ITIN may cause processing delays or errors on your account), use your ITIN in place of a Social Security number when one is requested on a federal tax document, and keep the notice for your records.
The one rule with real consequences: the notice states that you must use your ITIN on at least one federal income tax return within a three-year period or it will expire. If yours has expired, the IRS's ITIN page explains how renewal works. Check this before your next filing rather than after.
What an ITIN does and does not do
The notice's own reminders are direct: an ITIN is for federal tax purposes only, having one does not change your immigration status or make you eligible to work in the United States, and it is not a Social Security number. It does not entitle you to Social Security benefits or to the earned income tax credit, and the IRS's page adds that a person filing with an ITIN cannot claim the EITC.
The IRS also answers the identification question head on: an ITIN cannot be used for identification outside of tax purposes.
If your name changes, or you get a Social Security number
If you change your name, the notice says to send the IRS a copy of the notice along with supporting documentation of the change, such as a marriage certificate or court record, so it can update its records. Send original or certified legal documents to the address at the top of the notice.
If you become a U.S. citizen or legal resident, you can apply for an SSN from the Social Security Administration. When you get it, the notice says to send the IRS a copy of the notice with a copy of your Social Security card, and from then on to use the SSN for all federal tax purposes and stop using the ITIN. The IRS's page says it will give you credit for taxes withheld under your old ITIN.
What CP565 gets confused with
Two other IRS ITIN notices sit right next to it, and they mean the opposite kind of news. CP566 says the IRS needs more information to process your ITIN application, because a form was incomplete or the documents were wrong. CP567 says the IRS rejected an ITIN application or revoked an ITIN. Neither of those is a confirmation. If your notice is one of those, follow the instructions printed on it, and read the IRS's pages for CP566 and CP567.
CP565 is also unrelated to a name-and-number mismatch on a filed return, which is a different notice family. CP565 arrives because of an ITIN application or renewal, not because of anything on a tax return.
Who to contact
Within the United States, call the toll-free number printed on your notice; if the line is hard to get through on, how to reach the IRS covers the options. From outside the U.S., the IRS gives 267-941-1000, which is not a toll-free number. If you want an authorized person to talk to the IRS for you, the IRS's page notes you can authorize someone to represent you before the IRS. Free help is also available from the Taxpayer Advocate Service or a Low Income Taxpayer Clinic if you qualify.
Common Questions
What is a CP565 notice?
A CP565 is the IRS's confirmation of your Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN). It lists the ITIN, your full name, and your date of birth, and it does not ask you to pay anything.
Do I need to respond to CP565?
No, unless the name or date of birth on it is wrong. If either is incorrect, complete the Contact information section on the notice and mail it to the address at the top.
When will the IRS send back the documents I submitted with my W-7?
The IRS says it will mail them in a separate envelope within 60 days of the notice date. If they have not arrived by then, or if you moved after applying, call the number on the notice.
Can my ITIN expire?
Yes. The notice states you must use your ITIN on at least one federal income tax return within a three-year period or it will expire. See the IRS's ITIN page for how renewal works.
Does an ITIN let me work in the U.S. or claim the earned income tax credit?
No. The notice states an ITIN is for federal tax purposes only, does not change immigration status or make you eligible to work in the U.S., and does not entitle you to Social Security benefits or the earned income tax credit.
What if I get a Social Security number later?
Use the SSN for all federal tax purposes and stop using the ITIN. Send the IRS a copy of the notice with a copy of your Social Security card so it can update its records.