The CPEO Application is for Certified Professional Employer Organizations and other Professional Employer Organizations (PEO) applying for certification, only. If you received Letter 4883C or Letter 5071C, please see the Identity Verification Service information. If you are not associated with a CPEO applicant or CPEO please do not use the steps below. Instead refer to the identity verification process for the program you are seeking.
The CPEO program has a one-time Individual Identity Verification process that allows the IRS to validate the person’s identity by asking questions that are personal, including questions from the individual’s most recently filed tax return. This is a mandatory process that applies to any individual submitting either a Responsible Individual Personal Attestation (RIPA) or a CPEO application for certification.
To begin, you must determine your eligibility by answering these pre-screening questions.
- Do you have a Social Security Number?
- Are you 18 years of age or older?
- Have you filed a U.S. individual income tax return in the last five (5) years?
After completing the pre-screening questions, you will need information from your most recent federal individual income tax return to complete the Individual Identity Verification. The information submitted must match exactly what is on your return. If it does not match, your identity cannot be verified, and you will not be able to complete other activities in the IRS Online Registration System as required for CPEO certification. More information about completing your Individual Identity Verification can be found on the CPEO FAQs page.
After you complete the verification, you will be assigned an Individual (INDV) Number. Your INDV number will show your rank within the online registration system. After completing identity verification, your rank shows as “ID-Proofed” in the “My Information” box of the Main Menu screen of your online account.
If you have successfully verified your identity and you are a responsible individual, you must also submit a Responsible Individual Personal Attestation (RIPA). Once submission of the RIPA is complete, the responsible individual must share their INDV number with the account submitter of each CPEO applicant for which they are a responsible individual.
INDV accounts and information that are not associated to a CPEO applicant, a CPEO, or a controlled group license will not be maintained and will be deleted after 90 days.