The first thing that stalled our tax filing wasn’t the return itself — it was getting my kids an ITIN.
To file taxes in the US, you need either an SSN or an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number). Our kids weren’t born here, so an SSN was never on the table. That left one real option: ITIN.
Here’s what applying for it actually involved — the paperwork, the timeline, comparing a CPA against doing it myself, and what I’d do differently next time.
SSN vs. ITIN: They’re Not Interchangeable
An ITIN is issued by the IRS strictly for tax purposes. It lets you file a return and claim dependents, but that’s where it stops.
- SSN: tax filing + Social Security benefits + Child Tax Credit
- ITIN: tax filing only — no benefits, and no Child Tax Credit
That last part is the one that trips people up. You can absolutely list your kids as dependents with an ITIN. You cannot claim the Child Tax Credit for a child who only has an ITIN — that credit requires an SSN. Depending on your family size, that difference alone can move your refund by a noticeable amount, so it’s worth knowing before you file, not after.
Why We Couldn’t Just Get an SSN
Before assuming ITIN was the only path, I checked whether an SSN was possible at all. A walk-in visit to the Social Security office went nowhere without an appointment, and a follow-up call confirmed it: if the purpose is tax filing, you go through ITIN, not SSN. That back-and-forth alone burned a fair amount of time I hadn’t planned for.
Three Ways to Apply for an ITIN
1. File directly with the IRS (Form W-7)
- Cost: free
- What you submit: Form W-7, your tax return, and your child’s original passport (or a notarized copy)
- Processing time: roughly 7–11 weeks in normal periods, and up to 14 weeks during tax season (January–April)
The catch is real: you’re mailing an original passport to the IRS. That means a real risk of losing it in transit, and if your deadline is close, you may simply not have the runway. This is where I stopped.
2. Go through a CAA (Certifying Acceptance Agent)
CAAs are agents authorized by the IRS specifically to verify identity documents so you’re not mailing originals anywhere.
- You keep your passport
- Processing tends to be more predictable
- Cost: typically $150–$300 per person
The downside is availability — depending on where you live, finding one nearby isn’t always easy.
3. Go through a CPA who’s also a CAA (what I did)
The CPA I worked with happened to be a certified CAA as well, which meant:
- No need to mail original passports
- ITIN application handled alongside the actual tax filing
- Cost: $200 per child for the ITIN application. The tax return itself was a separate fee, so with two kids and a joint return, we paid $700 in total
With the deadline getting close, this was the option that cut both the risk and the guesswork out of the process, so that’s the one I went with.
The Comparison, at a Glance
| File it yourself | CAA | CPA | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $150–$300 | ~$200/child + return fee |
| Mail original passport | Yes | No | No |
| Reliability | Moderate | High | High |
| Best for | Plenty of time to spare | Middle ground | Deadline approaching |
What I’d Do Differently
If I had more runway, I probably would have at least looked into filing it myself — it’s free, after all. But once I weighed the risk of losing a passport in the mail against the tax deadline creeping closer, going through a CPA who could also act as a CAA was the option that let me stop worrying about it. If you’re doing this as a family rather than solo, a CAA or CPA is the more realistic choice.
One more thing worth repeating: apply early in the tax season if you can. Processing times stretch the closer you get to the deadline — which is exactly the situation I put myself in.
Related reading: We also went through the process of opening a bank account and building credit from scratch around the same time — that post covers the SSN side of the story.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need an SSN to claim your kids as dependents?
No. An ITIN is enough to list a child as a dependent on your tax return. What it won’t get you is the Child Tax Credit — that specifically requires the child to have an SSN.
Is it faster to apply for an ITIN directly with the IRS or through a CAA/CPA?
Filing directly with the IRS (Form W-7) is free but requires mailing your child’s original passport, and takes about 7–11 weeks in normal periods — up to 14 weeks during tax season. Going through a CAA or CPA costs more ($150–$300, or around $200/child + return fee through a CPA in my case) but skips the passport-by-mail risk and tends to be more predictable.
Related reading: We also went through the process of opening a bank account and building credit from scratch around the same time — that post covers the SSN side of the story.