What does it mean to verify my identity and why do I have to do it?

Identity verification is a one-time process that we ask you to complete for your Login.gov or ID.me account. The process often takes about 10 minutes.  

During this process, the account provider (Login.gov or ID.me) will ask you to provide certain personal information and identification (ID). This process helps us make sure that the person creating your account is really you—and not someone pretending to be you. It’s a lot like the process for setting up a bank account. 

Identity verification is not about whether we trust that you’re who you say you are. It’s about protecting you from scammers who may try to set up an account in your name to access your information and benefits.  

After you verify your identity, you won’t have to do it again for that account unless you lose access to your account’s multifactor authentication method or need to recreate your account. In the future, we may ask you to help us reverify your identity once every several years for added protection.