ITIN Letters Explained: CP565, CP566 and CP567, Lost ITIN Letters, Name Mismatches and What to Do Next

After an ITIN application goes to the IRS, the only thing you will hear back is a letter. There is no portal, no email and no tracking number. Weeks later, an envelope arrives at the foreign address on your application, with a notice code in the corner, and what you do next depends entirely on which code it is.

For non-residents, that letter often arrives late, sometimes to an address you have since left, and is written in the dense style of IRS correspondence. This guide explains the three letters every applicant can receive, what triggers them, how much time you have, and how to handle the problems around them: a lost letter, a forgotten number, a name that does not match your bank, and the silence when nothing arrives at all.

Short answer: CP565 means your ITIN has been issued. CP566 means the IRS needs more information and has put the application on hold; you have 45 days from the date on the notice to respond, or it will be rejected. CP567 means the application was rejected; any return sent with it is processed without the ITIN, and you need a new, corrected application. If you applied through us, we deal with all three for you.

The three letters at a glance

Each notice code appears on the letter itself, usually at the top right. If you have a letter with a different code, it is probably about a tax return or account rather than the ITIN application, and needs a different response.

CP565: your ITIN has been assigned

This is the letter you want. It confirms the nine-digit number, starting with 9, and shows the name and date of birth the IRS has recorded against it.

What to check

Read three things carefully: the spelling of your name, the order of your names, and your date of birth. The IRS will use exactly what is on the notice in every future record. If your passport gives your name as "MUHAMMAD ALI KHAN" and the notice shows "ALI KHAN MUHAMMAD", or a date of birth has been transposed, the time to raise it is now, not when a bank or platform rejects a form two years later.

What the number does and does not do

The ITIN is a tax number only. It does not authorise work in the USA, does not change immigration status, and is not a valid identity document outside the tax system. From now on, it goes on your US tax returns and on forms such as the W-8BEN where a US taxpayer number is requested, and the name you use with the IRS should match the notice.

Your documents

If original documents were sent with the application, the IRS says it will return them within 60 days of the notice date. When a Certifying Acceptance Agent verified your passport, there were no originals in the post, which is one of the main reasons to use one.

Keep it safe

Scan the notice and store it with your company records. Banks, lenders and platforms sometimes ask for a copy of the ITIN letter rather than just the number, and replacing it is not as simple as replacing an EIN letter (more on that below).

CP566: the IRS needs more information

A CP566 is not a rejection. It means the application is suspended: the IRS has started to process it but cannot finish without something more from you. The notice states what is missing.

What usually triggers it

From the cases we see, the common triggers are:

• Identity documents that do not meet the rules. An ordinary photocopy instead of an original, a certified copy from the issuing agency, or a copy verified by a Certifying Acceptance Agent.
• A missing or incomplete tax return, where the application was meant to go with one.
• Missing evidence for an exception, such as a bank or payer letter that was not included or does not say what the exception requires.
• A missing translation of a document that is not in English.
• Details that do not match: a name spelled differently on the passport, the return and the application, or a foreign address that differs between documents.
• An expired document, for example a passport that had expired by the time the application was submitted.

The 45-day clock

You have 45 days from the date printed on the notice, not from the day you receive it. For applicants abroad this matters. A letter dated the 1st of the month, posted internationally, may reach you two or three weeks later, leaving you a fortnight or so to respond.

If the IRS does not receive what it asked for within that window, it rejects the application, and you start again. If the application went with a tax return, the return is processed without the ITIN, and any refund on it waits until a new application succeeds.

What a good response looks like

The IRS wants exactly what the notice requests, signed where required, with documents that are valid, unexpired and consistent with the original application. A response that sends something different, sends more of the same rejected document, or changes details without explanation tends to end in a CP567. Because the response goes by post to the address on the notice, there is no chance to fix a mistake once it is sent.

This is where a CP566 is most often lost: an applicant sends a quick reply under time pressure, with the same kind of document that caused the problem. If you receive one, contact whoever prepared your application immediately, and send us a scan if you prepared it yourself. We can usually tell from the notice what will satisfy the request, and whether it can be met in the time left.

CP567: the application was rejected

A CP567 means the IRS has rejected the application. The notice states the reason, and it falls into one of three groups: you were not eligible for an ITIN, the documents were not valid, or the IRS did not receive a reply to an earlier request for more information.

What happens to your return

If a tax return went with the application, the IRS processes it without the ITIN. That means the filing itself is generally on record, but anything that depends on your identification, such as a refund of tax withheld, is held up until you have a valid number. For a partner waiting on a refund of partnership withholding, that can mean months of delay.

What happens to your documents

If you sent originals, they are returned, again within about 60 days of the notice.

Reapplying

You can reapply with a new, complete application and the correct documents. If the application originally went with a return, the new application includes a copy of that return, clearly marked as a copy, so the return is not processed twice. If you applied under one of the exceptions that allow an ITIN without a return, the new application needs the same exception evidence, this time correct.

The key is to fix the cause, not just resubmit. The table below shows how the stated reason translates into what has to change.

How long a rejection really costs

Processing usually takes about seven weeks, and nine to eleven weeks in peak season (mid-January to the end of April) or for applications from abroad. A CP566 adds the 45-day window and the time to process your reply; a CP567 adds a complete new cycle. A two-month process can easily become five or six. For anyone whose bank account, payment platform or refund depends on the number, that is the strongest argument for getting the first application right.

When no letter arrives

Silence is common, and it is not always bad news. The IRS says to allow seven weeks for a decision, and nine to eleven weeks in peak season or for applications from abroad. International post adds its own delay on top.

If that time has passed, possible explanations include a letter lost in the post, a letter sent to an address you no longer use, or an application still in the queue. The IRS can check the status of an application once the normal processing time has passed. For our clients, this is part of the service: we track every application and follow up with the IRS when the expected time is exceeded, rather than leaving you to wait and wonder.

If you moved after applying, tell whoever is handling your application straight away. The IRS writes to the address on the application, and a CP566 sent to an old flat is the most frustrating way to lose two months.

Lost your ITIN letter or forgotten the number

Owners often realise they need the number years after it was issued: a new bank asks for it, a lender wants the letter, an accountant needs it for a return.

If you have lost the letter

Replacing an ITIN letter is less routine than replacing an EIN confirmation. If you cannot find your CP565, the IRS's guidance is simply to contact it, and it will want to be satisfied that it is speaking to you before discussing your record. In practice, start by searching your own records: old tax returns, W-8BEN forms you gave to platforms, bank account opening documents and emails from whoever prepared your application usually contain the number. If we prepared your application, we keep a copy of the notice and can send it to you.

If the number may have expired

An ITIN that has not been used on a federal return for three consecutive tax years expires on December 31 of the third year. Having lost the letter often goes hand in hand with not having used the number. If you need it for a return, check its status first; renewal works like a new application. See renewing an expired ITIN.

You cannot simply apply again

Applying for a second ITIN because the first letter is lost is the wrong fix. A person should only have one ITIN, and a duplicate application creates confusion in IRS records that takes time to unwind.

Name problems: changes and mismatches

A legal name change

If your name changed after the ITIN was issued, for example on marriage, the IRS needs to be told so it can update its records, with supporting documents such as a marriage certificate or court document. If your ITIN is also due for renewal, the change can be dealt with at the same time.

A mismatch with banks and platforms

The more common problem is not a legal change but a mismatch: the IRS record shows one version of your name and the bank or platform another. It happens frequently with names that do not fit the US first-name/last-name pattern: single names, names with a father's name or "son of" element, or names written in a different order in different documents. Banks and payment platforms that verify tax numbers against IRS data may then reject the number, even though it is valid.

The fix is to decide on one consistent version, based on your passport, and use it everywhere: IRS records, W-8 forms, bank and platform profiles. Where the IRS record itself is wrong, it needs correcting; where the platform profile is wrong, that is a matter for the platform. When we prepare an application, we agree the name format with you before anything is submitted, because it is far easier to get right once than to correct across five systems later.

ITIN and SSN

You cannot hold both. If you later become eligible for a Social Security Number, for example after moving to the USA with work authorisation, the IRS should be told, and it voids the ITIN and links your earlier tax history to the SSN. From then on, use only the SSN.

Beware of fake ITIN notices

Genuine IRS notices about your ITIN arrive by post. The IRS does not send ITIN approvals or rejections by WhatsApp, text message or social media, and does not ask for payment to "release" an ITIN. Messages claiming your ITIN has been "suspended" unless you pay a fee are scams. If you receive something you are unsure about, send us a photo before you respond to anyone.

Worked examples

These are illustrative examples, not client cases.

Example 1: the CP566 that arrived late. An LLC owner in Karachi receives a CP566 dated 3 March on 24 March. It asks for a certified copy of his passport because he sent an ordinary photocopy. He has 24 days left. Getting a certified copy from the issuing authority in that time is uncertain; arranging verification through a Certifying Acceptance Agent is usually faster. The right response is decided on day one, not day forty.

Example 2: the partner waiting for a refund. A partner in a two-member LLC applied with her 1040-NR to claim tax the partnership withheld. A CP566 asking for a translated document went to the flat she had just moved out of, and a CP567 follows. Her return has been processed without the ITIN, so the refund is held. She submits a new application with the translation and a copy of the return, this time with her current address. The refund follows once the ITIN is issued.

Example 3: the name in the wrong order. A founder in Manila receives a CP565 with given name and surname reversed. A US bank later rejects his W-8BEN because the name and ITIN do not match its verification. Raising it when the CP565 arrived would have saved weeks.

Example 4: the forgotten ITIN. A consultant in Dubai obtained an ITIN in 2019, used it once on a return and lost the letter. A new bank asks for it in 2026. She finds the number on her old return, but it expired at the end of 2023 after three tax years without use. She does not need it for a return this year; she renews when she next must file.

How UCB helps

When you apply through us, every letter is handled for you. We prepare the application so that the common CP566 and CP567 triggers are dealt with before submission, coordinate verification of your passport so the original usually stays with you, track the application against the IRS's expected timelines, and respond to any request for more information within the deadline. The ITIN service costs $249, for new applications and renewals alike.

If you applied elsewhere and are now holding a CP566 or CP567, send us a scan. We will tell you what the IRS is actually asking for, whether the deadline can still be met, and what a new application needs to succeed. See the ITIN application service, or read who needs an ITIN if you are still deciding.

Holding an ITIN letter you are not sure about, or waiting for one that has not arrived? WhatsApp us at +91 8105 199 399 or email enquiries@ucbsolutions.com with a photo of the notice, and we will tell you what it means and what to do next.