Setting up new on-line accounts

[Car-Guy]

Like all of us, I have countless on-line accounts. Most were quick and easy to setup. e.g. Email address or ID and password and it's ready to go. Some are getting harder and required 2 factor authentication. (Text, voice call back, emails, tokens, voice recognition, etc). I've used/have them all.

However, today I wanted to setup an account to access my tax information at the IRS. It requires the use of ID.ME, so I set it up. Wow, what an elaborate process to setup an account. email address, cell phone #, ID, PW, two forms of identification to upload, and then a live video chat session with an agent. Took about an hour but it worked.

Anyone else go through the ID.ME authentication process?
Anyone ever had anything harder to setup?

 

[SnowballCamper]

I have an id.me account, but don't remember the process. I probably got it when leaving the military service, so I think I got ported over. Linking a new account to Treasury Direct was harder for DW.

 

[aja8888]

I have it. PIA for sure.

 

[badatmath]

Like all of us, I have countless on-line accounts. Most were quick and easy to setup. e.g. Email address or ID and password and it's ready to go. Some are getting harder and required 2 factor authentication. (Text, voice call back, emails, tokens, voice recognition, etc). I've used/have them all.

However, today I wanted to setup an account to access my tax information at the IRS. It requires the use of ID.ME, so I set it up. Wow, what an elaborate process to setup an account. email address, cell phone #, ID, PW, two forms of identification to upload, and then a live video chat session with an agent. Took about an hour but it worked.

Anyone else go through the ID.ME authentication process?
Anyone ever had anything harder to setup?

Don't have it but seems ridiculous. The average person (even young/mid person) is not that interested or possibly that smart.

I was behind a guy in line at Fed Ex that asked the employee how to use his own phone . . . not kidding. Mid 40s probably. The phone and man were filthy and the employee didn't help him. . .

But the point is they should design this stuff so average people can do it in a reasonable amount of time/effort.

I guess the upside is I don't really ever worry about my stuff getting stolen online since I can barely get into my own accounts as it is.

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

I have an account but I don'r remember a video chat but I do remember similar for a bank one time with some DocuSign transactions I think but it's been a while. I'm so ready to blow up with the amount of personal information that every website seems to feel they're entitled to these days especially since many seem to be unable to keep our information secure, Every day we seem to hear of a new hack.

 

[isisdave]

Social Security is pushing us all toward login.gov or id.me, so I got the latter. I don't recall a live interview, but did have to do the other things Car-Guy mentioned.

 

[Koolau]

I hope I never need it. I don't adapt well to such things and they make me appear to be obtuse.

 

[frank05]

I have an account but I don'r remember a video chat but I do remember similar for a bank one time with some DocuSign transactions I think but it's been a while. I'm so ready to blow up with the amount of personal information that every website seems to feel they're entitled to these days especially since many seem to be unable to keep our information secure, Every day we seem to hear of a new hack.

If you don’t want to take a picture or can’t get their photo recognition to work you must do the interview. Also don’t delete your id.me account on their site since government logins will no longer work.

 

[savory]

I am willing to accept the upfront pain to prevent the backend pain. I’ll get mad if a hack occurs.

 

[braumeister]

I don't think the ID.me process is much different from the Login.gov process. I have both, along with other similar programs, and have never had a problem with any of them.

 

[Car-Guy]

I don't think the ID.me process is much different from the Login.gov process. I have both, along with other similar programs, and have never had a problem with any of them.

I have both and the setting up ID.ME was 10 fold more complex than setting up the LOGIN.GOV account. Once setup though, the actual log-on processes are very similar and pretty easy, IMO.

 

[ncbill]

id.me is a private company & I simply don't trust them to keep the personal data they collect secure.

I've had absolutely no issues with DirectPay for any federal taxes.

I doubt I will ever need an account with the IRS.

And it will be over a decade before I file for SS, so I'll worry about signing up with them then.

 

[5Miler]

I have had both ID.ME and LOGON.GOV accounts for several years but did not have to suffer through an interview process for either one. I do remember waiting for a snail mail authorization or password or something for one of them but it has been too many years to recall precisely.

I seem to be using them somewhat frequently as either can be used to sign on to the VA Healthnet system for my VA health benefits/pharmacy access. As with the Social Security system, they are dropping their own Healthnet logon the end of this month. I also use ID.ME to access veteran discounts at Apple and several other retailers so it is worthwhile to me. Trusted Traveler programs also use LOGON.GOV for access.

I do remember years ago having issues connecting one of my old logons to LOGON.GOV and I finally gave up in disgust but was able to use my ID.ME account. I think it eventually resolved itself as I haven't experienced any access issues on my various accounts. I did have a lot of issues signing up for my 10% Lowes discount prior to them implementing ID.ME for screening which involved a lengthy application and sending in a copy of my DD214 but ultimately failing so I had to go in person to get it straightened out. ID.ME is a much more elegant process in my opinion. Go through the pain of an application once and then use it to gain access to multiple other sites.

 

[AudiDudi]

At the present time, I see no need for either account and I certainly do not believe that any information given is secure.

 

[GenXguy]

I set id.me up some time back. I don't recall it being too difficult. I might have sent a photo of my license, just like I had to do with my MYGA's. I'm sure I didn't do a video chat - I would have remembered that.

 

[TheWizard]

Like all of us, I have countless on-line accounts. Most were quick and easy to setup. e.g. Email address or ID and password and it's ready to go. Some are getting harder and required 2 factor authentication. (Text, voice call back, emails, tokens, voice recognition, etc). I've used/have them all.

However, today I wanted to setup an account to access my tax information at the IRS. It requires the use of ID.ME, so I set it up. Wow, what an elaborate process to setup an account. email address, cell phone #, ID, PW, two forms of identification to upload, and then a live video chat session with an agent. Took about an hour but it worked.

Anyone else go through the ID.ME authentication process?
Anyone ever had anything harder to setup?

I set up a login.gov account rather than Id.me.
It was pretty easy.
I just used it a while ago to log into ssa.gov and again to get into EFTPS...

 

[TheWizard]

id.me is a private company & I simply don't trust them to keep the personal data they collect secure.

I've had absolutely no issues with DirectPay for any federal taxes.

I doubt I will ever need an account with the IRS.

And it will be over a decade before I file for SS, so I'll worry about signing up with them then.

Careful, your mental acuteness is quite possibly better now than a decade from now...

 

[Alan]

I set up id.me 2 or 3 of years ago from England, it was the only option I had for an overseas user with no US abode or cell phone. I had to wait 6 hours for my video appointment. When I bought a new iPhone a couple of years ago it was fairly straightforward to transfer the app onto the new phone.

Last year when my wife went through the same process it was very easy in comparison. Her wait time for the video appointment was minutes rather than hours if I recall.

 

[RetiredHappy]

Sounds about right except for the live video chat part.

 

[Blue Poles]

Careful, your mental acuteness is quite possibly better now than a decade from now...

Yeah, you don't need an account with the IRS, right up until a time comes that you do.

 

[GalaxyBoy]

DW and I were doing some spring winter cleaning today and were purging some old files. One thing we did was to create a new file for data breaches. Sad, but a reality these days. I don't mind the PITA of setting up an account as opposed to being an identity theft victim (which I've avoided so far).

 

[TheWizard]

Yeah, you don't need an account with the IRS, right up until a time comes that you do.

I've needed mine the past several years to pay fourth quarter additional taxes on my Roth conversion, using EFTPS.
Your mileage may vary...

 

[Cheerios]

id.me is a private company & I simply don't trust them to keep the personal data they collect secure.

I've had absolutely no issues with DirectPay for any federal taxes.

I doubt I will ever need an account with the IRS.

And it will be over a decade before I file for SS, so I'll worry about signing up with them then.

Likewise. I began the process of id.me but could not go through with it because of the need for my image. I don't trust the company either. I finally went through with login.gov, though, when I went to pull my latest SS statement. At first, it allowed me to continue using my former user and password but at some point, it finally reached the point where you had to use login if you want to get through to your account.

 

[AudiDudi]

<snip> At first, it allowed me to continue using my former user and password but at some point, it finally reached the point where you had to use login if you want to get through to your account.

Same for me but I have no need to login to SSA or IRS.

 

[NeilDH]

I’ve logged in to ID.me and got my client to do it, too. We didn’t have an interview but a scan of our face through the phone, after the ID upload. It seems a bit much, but the online IRS account is very handy to look up your payments and pay taxes.

It became very helpful for my client, after the IRS misassigned payments made through DirectPay. That took a few years and many snail mailings to sort out, but once I finally went through the trouble of getting her set up via ID.me, we could log in and see the payments she made and exactly how a few were incorrectly assigned. Another time the IRS incorrectly sent a balance-due notice. Through the IRS account, we uploaded our letter claiming why they were wrong, with supporting documentation. They accepted the explanation and rescinded their notice in -days-.