PTIN renewal dates, fees, and how to renew
PTINs run on the calendar year and expire on 31 December. Renewal has opened in the second half of October in recent seasons. This page records what the IRS has actually published rather than guessing at dates it has not announced.
Key facts
- PTINs expire on 31 December. The 2025 PTINs expired on 31 December 2025.
- Renewal for the 2026 season opened in late October 2025.
- The fee to obtain or renew for the 2026 season was $18.75.
Key takeaways
- The IRS has not published the 2027 opening date or fee as of 21 September 2026.
- Online renewal is same-session. Paper Form W-12 takes roughly six weeks.
What the IRS has published
For the 2026 season: renewal opened in late October 2025, 2025 PTINs expired on 31 December 2025, and the fee was $18.75.
Anyone who prepares or assists in preparing federal tax returns for compensation must hold a valid PTIN for the year in which the return is prepared. All enrolled agents must hold one as well, whether or not they prepare returns.
The IRS has not announced the opening date or the fee for the 2027 season as of 21 September 2026. Recent seasons have opened in the second half of October, and that is a pattern worth planning around, but it is not a published date and this page will not present it as one.
Online versus paper
Online renewal through your IRS Tax Professional account finishes in one sitting. The paper route takes about six weeks.
Online, you sign in to your existing account, work through the renewal application confirming your personal and business information and answering the questions including Line 11, and pay the fee by card or eCheck.
On paper, you file Form W-12 and wait. The IRS puts processing at roughly six weeks, which means a paper filer who starts in mid-December is running at a deadline they cannot influence.
The other thing that happens at renewal
You sign the Data Security Responsibilities acknowledgment at Line 11, which is the only annual federal touchpoint most preparers have on information security.
It costs nothing and takes a second, which is exactly why it is easy to sign a fourth or fifth time without ever building the plan it refers to.
If you are going to close that gap, the weeks before renewal opens are the sensible time. It is the one point in the year when the question is in front of you anyway.
| Item | Published value |
|---|---|
| Renewal opened | Late October 2025 |
| Prior-year PTINs expired | 31 December 2025 |
| Fee to obtain or renew | $18.75 |
| Online processing | Same session |
| Paper Form W-12 processing | About six weeks |
| 2027 opening date | Not announced as of 21 September 2026 |
| 2027 fee | Not announced as of 21 September 2026 |
FAQ
When does PTIN renewal open for the 2027 season?
The IRS has not announced the 2027 renewal date as of 21 September 2026. For reference, renewal for the 2026 season opened in late October 2025 and 2025 PTINs expired on 31 December 2025. Renewal has opened in the second half of October in recent years, but treat that as a pattern rather than a published date until the IRS says so.
What did renewal cost last year?
The fee to obtain or renew a PTIN for the 2026 season was $18.75. The IRS has not published the 2027 fee as of 21 September 2026.
How long does renewal take?
Online renewal through the IRS Tax Professional account is usually finished in one sitting. The paper route on Form W-12 takes roughly six weeks to process, which is the reason to not leave it until late December.
I am a one-person shop. Does this still apply?
Yes. 16 CFR 314.3(a) requires a written program of covered financial institutions with no exemption for size. A firm holding information on fewer than 5,000 consumers is relieved of four specific written obligations under 16 CFR 314.6, but the written program itself is not one of them.
Sources
- IRS Form W-12 (Rev. October 2025), PTIN Application and Renewal
- IRS, PTIN requirements for tax return preparers
- IRS, Tax pros reminded to renew PTINs for the 2026 season
- FTC Safeguards Rule, 16 CFR Part 314 (eCFR)
- IRS Publication 5708, Creating a Written Information Security Plan
- IRS Publication 4557, Safeguarding Taxpayer Data
Use the run-up to renewal
Build the written plan before the box is in front of you again. About twenty minutes of plain questions, four cited documents out the other end.
Start the questionnaire