What this line means
Your name and Social Security number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) as they appear on your Form 1040. The IRS uses this information to match your language preference to the correct taxpayer account. Without accurate identification, the IRS cannot apply your language preference to future correspondence.
Does this apply to you?
- You are filing Schedule LEP for the first time and need to provide your identifying information
- You recently changed your legal name and need to ensure the name on Schedule LEP matches your current Form 1040
- You use an ITIN rather than an SSN for tax filing purposes
- You are filing a joint return and want to confirm which taxpayer’s account receives the language preference
Easy to overlook
Your name must exactly match what is on your Form 1040 If your name on Schedule LEP does not match the name on your Form 1040, the IRS cannot link your language preference to your account. Filers who recently married, divorced, or legally changed their name sometimes use a different version on different forms. Update your name with the Social Security Administration first, then use the same name consistently across all forms. 1 IRS Schedule LEP instructions — Identification requirements
ITIN holders benefit the most from Schedule LEP Filers who use an ITIN instead of an SSN are disproportionately likely to prefer communications in a language other than English. If you have an ITIN, ensure it is current and not expired. An expired ITIN does not prevent the IRS from processing your return, but it delays all correspondence — including translated notices you requested through Schedule LEP. 2 IRS Publication 1915 — Understanding Your IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number
Watch out for this
Entering a different SSN or ITIN than what appears on your Form 1040. The IRS matches Schedule LEP to your tax account using this number. A mismatched or transposed number means your language preference goes to the wrong account — or nowhere. Double-check that the number on Schedule LEP is identical to the one on your Form 1040 header.
Footnotes
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IRS Schedule LEP (Form 1040) Instructions, How to Complete. https://www.irs.gov/forms-pubs/about-schedule-lep ↩
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IRS Publication 1915, Understanding Your IRS Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. https://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p1915.pdf ↩