PTIN Renewal 2025: What You Need to Know (And How WISP Builder Can Help)
It’s that time of year again! The PTIN Renewal season opened October 16, 2025, and your PTIN Renewal must be completed by December 31, 2025 in order to have a valid PTIN for the 2026 filing season. Every year PTINs automatically expire, and every year that PTIN must be renewed. Part of this renewal now involves providing proof of your Written Information Security Plan (WISP).
Can you check the box confirming that you have a maintained WISP? Here’s what will be asked of you and how to best prepare for it.
The PTIN Renewal Checklist: 4 Steps You Must Complete
When you renew your PTIN online, you’ll be asked to log into your account to:
- Update your personal information (mailing address, phone number, business name and address).
- Verify or update your credentials such as your professional licenses including the expiration dates.
- Confirm employment and business status such as whether you’re self-employed, and provide your EIN or other business identifiers.
- Pay the renewal fee online (now $10 for 2025 renewal).
Most importantly, you will have to answer questions in regards to your security data protection. You will be asked to check the box confirming that you have a WISP (Written Information Security Plan) and that you have been maintaining it.
If you don’t have a WISP in place, or if you created a WISP but never updated it, your PTIN renewal can be blocked. This also creates a hefty compliance risk for you.
WISP Mandate: Why Your Plan Must Be Ready for Renewal
A WISP is a detailed security plan that you maintain explaining how you are actively working to protect confidential client data.
Core Components Your WISP Must Document:
- Risk assessment
- Policies for data access, storage, encryption, and safeguards
- Employee and staff training requirements
- Incident response plan
- Monitoring and review schedule
- Assigning who in the firm is responsible for data security
- Vendor or third-party service provider security obligations
- Documentation and keeping records of your security activities
IRS Publication 5708 offers a free template outlining how to create a WISP, but WISP Builder takes you through the entire process from creation to storage to maintenance with peace of mind knowing that you are fully compliant.
How WISP Builder Helps You Check the Box with Confidence
If you’re working on your PTIN renewal this year, WISP Builder is a helpful tool that makes it easier and helps you comply.
WISP Builder is a one of a kind tool designed to build and securely maintain your IRS-required WISP including an editable IRS-compliant template based on IRS Publication 5708. It offers electronic (auditable) sign-off from employees or contractors to document that they understand the policy which is required for compliance. WISP Builder’s app also stores your WISP securely, manages updates, provides you with annual review reminders, and tracks who has acknowledged it.
If you want someone to create your WISP for you, WISP Builder now offers LIVE experts through WISP Assist to make creating your WISP even easier.
If you have created a WISP already, but want to make sure that it is fully compliant, WISP Builder’s LIVE experts can do this, too, with the new WISP Review service.
Because PTIN renewal involves checking the box proving that you have a WISP and that you comply with data security rules, using WISP Builder lets you check that box with confidence and get your PTIN renewal done.
