Prior-year AGI or PIN: what the e-file signature screen wants

Prior year AGI or PIN: what the e-file signature step is

Every e-filed return needs a signature, and the prior year AGI or PIN screen is where do-it-yourself software collects it. IRS Publication 1345 calls this the Self-Select PIN method: you pick a five-digit PIN as your signature and supply authentication information so the IRS can tie the return to you.

That authentication is one of two numbers from last year: your adjusted gross income, or the self-select PIN you signed last year's e-filed return with. Software offers both. The AGI is usually easier to produce, because it is printed on last year's return, while a PIN exists only if you wrote it down.

Prior year AGI meaning, and how it differs from the PINs

Adjusted gross income is total income minus the adjustments on Schedule 1. On the 2025 Form 1040 it is line 11a; on the 2024 form it was line 11. For signing purposes, the number that counts is the one on the original return the IRS processed, not a later amended figure.

Three different PINs show up around filing time, and mixing them up causes rejects. The comparison below separates the two the signature screen can ask for.

• This year's self-select PIN: any five digits you choose now; it becomes your signature.
• Last year's self-select PIN: only usable if you e-filed last year with that method and remember it.
• Identity Protection PIN: a six-digit number the IRS assigns each year to enrolled taxpayers. The IRS says it must be entered when the software asks, and it verifies identity instead of prior-year AGI or PIN.

Prior year AGI: where to find it

The IRS lists several places to get the number. Pick the fastest one you can reach:

Prior year AGI lookup when you switched software

Changing products does not change the number, but it does change where you look. If you used TurboTax last year and something else now, sign in to TurboTax and open the saved return; Intuit also lists a View adjusted gross income (AGI) link under Your tax returns & documents on Tax Home. Downloading the PDF first is covered in download a prior-year return from TurboTax.

Zero AGI situations

Some filers have no prior-year AGI the IRS can match. The IRS guidance covers three groups:

• First-time filers over age 16 enter 0.
• Filers whose prior-year return is still being processed enter $0, per the IRS's published guidance, so the new return can be accepted.
• Primary filers under 16 who have never filed, and spouses under 16 who did not file last year, cannot use the self-select PIN at all, according to Pub 1345. That return is printed and mailed.

A worked example: a 17-year-old filing for the first time with $6,200 of W-2 wages enters 0 as prior-year AGI and picks any five-digit PIN. The same person next year enters the AGI from this first return. Intuit's troubleshooting for TurboTax, including when to try 0 after a correct number is refused, is in TurboTax rejected AGI.

Self-select PIN option: when to use last year's PIN

Using last year's PIN instead of AGI makes sense in one case: you signed last year's e-file with a PIN you still have written down, and you cannot easily get the AGI. Otherwise, AGI is safer, because you can verify it on paper or a transcript while a remembered PIN cannot be checked anywhere.

Joint filers authenticate separately: each spouse enters a prior-year AGI or PIN for themselves, and on a joint return last year the AGI is the same full amount for both.

Where each product asks for prior-year AGI or PIN

The screen names differ by product, based on each vendor's help pages. Most show it near the end of the filing steps, just before you transmit.

Prior year AGI in FreeTaxUSA

FreeTaxUSA's help center gives the path Final Steps, then Step 3 - Submit Tax Return, then the Prior Year AGI or PIN screen. If a FreeTaxUSA e-file comes back rejected for this reason, the fix and resend steps are in FreeTaxUSA rejected return.

H&R Block and TaxAct

H&R Block Online reaches the field after a rejection through Check Status, Next Steps, Review Your Rejection Messages and Fix Issues, which opens a Correcting Your Federal Electronic Signature screen. TaxAct shows an E-Filing - Prior Year Information screen in its filing steps, where you choose to enter last year's AGI or PIN. More on H&R Block rejects is in H&R Block rejected return.

If an IRS letter gave you an IP PIN, look for a separate identity protection question in the same area; TurboTax's version is described in the IP PIN guide for TurboTax. For every other reject type, start from the rejected return resubmission guide. Keep last year's AGI handy before the season opens; the timing is covered in when TurboTax starts accepting returns.