Identity verification firm ID.me has been chosen by the U.S. tax agency for its single sign on Direct File pilot. The Internal Revenue Service says ID.me is the project’s only qualified option. This is another chapter in the IRS’ uneven efforts to modernize tax-filing through the use of digital IDs.
The federal government is continuing to labor over its own single sign-on, Login.gov, but the IRS says that that program is insufficiently secure. As its name suggests, Direct File is intended to give taxpayers a way to cut out intermediaries. It’s optional; all other approved filing processes remain valid. ID.me can verify an identity, at a taxpayer’s request, using face biometrics or through video calls to company customer support staff.
