By David Enna, Tipswatch.com
The Treasury sent an updated email over the weekend again alerting investors that TreasuryDirect will soon require using ID.me for login verification.
This change has become quite contentious, accelerating since my August 17 post on this topic. That article now has 205 reader comments (and rising).
ID.me will go live with a soft launch on September 13 and then become the sole login allowed on October 28. The email says:
You can still use your traditional TreasuryDirect login until October 28, 2026. At that time, ID.me will replace your traditional TreasuryDirect login. If you don’t set up ID.me, your account, funds, and investments will remain safe, and you can easily restore online access at any time after October 28, 2026, by completing the ID.me setup process and linking your TreasuryDirect account(s).
Treasury also updated its FAQ page on this transition with some new information that raises new questions. Here is the link to the FAQ. Let’s talk about some of the new details.
Logging in
Will I be required to use ID.me to access my TreasuryDirect account after October 28, 2026?
Yes. After October 28, 2026, ID.me will be the only method to log in to your TreasuryDirect account. You will have the option to use your traditional TreasuryDirect login between September 13, 2026, and October 28, 2026.
If you do not sign up and/or connect your TreasuryDirect account(s) to ID.me by October 28, 2026, you can easily restore online access at any time by completing the ID.me setup process and linking your TreasuryDirect account(s).
Thoughts. It is interesting that Treasury uses the (s) after the word account, which implies it might be possible to access multiple personal accounts with one login. That is not likely. The reference likely applies to people who manage trust and entity accounts.
Will I be permanently locked out of my account on October 28, 2026, if I haven’t set up ID.me yet?
No. After October 28, 2026, only your online access to your TreasuryDirect account will be restricted until you complete the ID.me verification. If you choose not to verify your identity with ID.me by that date, you will not be able to access TreasuryDirect online, but your funds will not be permanently frozen or seized after the deadline. Your funds and investments will remain safe, and you can easily restore access at any point in the future by simply going through the ID.me setup process.
Thoughts. You have only one option: Set up ID.me for access to your account.
What if I don’t want to sign up for ID.me? Can I still use my traditional TreasuryDirect login to access TreasuryDirect?
Temporarily. Your traditional TreasuryDirect login can be used up until October 28, 2026, throughout the optional period for signing up for ID.me. If you do not have an ID.me Wallet after October 28, 2026, you will not be able to log in to TreasuryDirect.
How will I access my tax documents if I am locked out of my account due to ID.me verification issues or do not sign up for ID.me?
ID.me will be the simplest way to access TreasuryDirect for online retrieval of your tax documents for the current tax year. However, you may request 1099 tax forms for the current tax year be mailed to by contacting TreasuryDirect Customer Support at 844-284-2676 (toll-free) after TreasuryDirect makes those forms available in January of the following tax year.
Thoughts. This is new information, and should be reassuring for people worried about next year’s tax documents. Even if you unload all TreasuryDirect investments this year, you will need those 1099s next year.
Privacy and security
Will ID.me have access to my financial data or know the balance of my TreasuryDirect investments?
No. ID.me is used strictly for online digital identity verification and single sign on (SSO) to TreasuryDirect. ID.me does not have access to your TreasuryDirect account balances, your transaction history, or your linked personal bank account information. Once ID.me verifies that you are the correct individual, they pass a secure digital security key to TreasuryDirect to log you in. Your personal assets remain completely private and isolated inside the secure Treasury system. …
Your data is accessible only by the authorized identity verification system and personnel bound by strict confidentiality obligations.
Your data is never sold. Neither TreasuryDirect nor ID.me sells, rents, or shares your personal information with third parties for marketing or advertising purposes. ID.me acts solely as an identity provider.
Thoughts. Again, this is new information. It will require some “trust” from investors. I’ll point out that once you set up your ID.me Wallet, you will probably be exposed to some shopping opportunities on the company’s site.
What information is shared between ID.me and TreasuryDirect?
To keep your account secure, ID.me securely shares your full name, SSN, date of birth, mailing address, e-mail, and phone number with TreasuryDirect. ID.me does not have access to your TreasuryDirect account balances, your transaction history, or your linked personal bank account information.
Thoughts. That is a lot of personal information stored with a private company, and the reason a lot of investors are objecting.
Why is TreasuryDirect not using Login.gov instead of ID.me?
TreasuryDirect is using ID.me because it aligns with Treasury security requirements and those used by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), ensuring it meets the highest Federal identity verification and fraud-prevention standards. … If you already have a Login.gov account, you will still need to verify your identity through ID.me for TreasuryDirect access.
Thoughts. This squashes speculation that Login.gov will be another alternative, as it is on the Social Security site and others.
Account setup questions
Important things to watch out for when setting up ID.me.
After signing in or completing your ID.me setup, you’ll be returned to TreasuryDirect and can continue using your account as usual. You won’t need your TreasuryDirect account number for this process, although it’s helpful to keep it handy for future support needs.
Do not try to use your old login: Attempting to type in your traditional TreasuryDirect login information after linking to ID.me will result in an error. Always use the “Secure Sign In” button.
Check your ID.me details first: Make sure the name on your ID.me Wallet matches the name on your TreasuryDirect account exactly to avoid delays. …
Once you link your TreasuryDirect account to ID.me, your traditional TreasuryDirect login and personalized security image are retired.
RED FLAG. A couple things are alarming here: 1) Once you use ID.me to log in, even during the ramp-up period, you will be locked out of using the legacy system. ID.me will be your only way in. 2) What about the many users who use one email to log in to two accounts, for example for a married couple? The ID.me Wallet is not likely to match the name on both accounts.
What this means. Do not rush to use ID.me on September 13. Let’s let other brave souls try it and report back. I really don’t want to use two ID.me accounts (and two 2-step verification systems) to log into our two accounts. Many of you also have trust and entity accounts. Who wants to volunteer?
Additional security steps?
ID.me has different levels of security for different purposes. Your existing ID.me Wallet may not meet the security level requirements for TreasuryDirect, so you may be required to complete additional identity verification to meet these requirements before you can use ID.me to log in to TreasuryDirect.
Thoughts. No real information here, so the brave souls who go first can report back on the “additional” verification needs.
Can I use the same ID.me Wallet for multiple TreasuryDirect accounts?
Yes, if you manage other accounts, you will have a single login to access them.
Thoughts. If true, this is very good news for investors with trust or entity accounts. But then we get the bad news …
Can my spouse and I use the same ID.me Wallet or the same email address?
No. ID.me is a personal identity verification service so each person must have their own unique ID.me Wallet tied to their own unique e-mail address. You cannot share an ID.me Wallet or use the same e-mail address for multiple verified identities, even if you share a household or bank account.
Thoughts. In my case, my usual log in is to the account with my wife as the primary owner (and me as secondary). Both of our accounts are connected to my email. I have no idea if I will still be able to access the main account. If I have to use her ID.me login, then she will need to be standing by every time to provide two-step verification. Also, is there a high chance that her ID.me login will glitch because of the mismatched emails?
I manage an entity account, such as a corporation, trust, or estate. How will ID.me verification work for entity account managers?
For entity accounts like businesses or trusts, ID.me verifies the individual account manager (using their government-issued information) rather than the entity itself. The person in charge of the entity (such as the POA, manager or trustee) must verify their personal identity through ID.me first. While your personal details will be kept safe, private, locked, and managed by ID.me, the business or trust details can still be updated with help from TreasuryDirect Customer Support.
Thoughts. Seems like this is a solution for those asking about trust and entity accounts.
Final thoughts
Read through the entire FAQ page, which does provide additional information. I have submitted a series of additional questions to ID.me, but have not yet gotten answers. If I do, I will publish those before September 13, if I can.
My key takeaway: If you intend to continue using TreasuryDirect, go ahead and complete the ID.me verification process. But do not rush to log in during the September 13 to October 28 “trial period.” Use that time to log in conventionally and get your account(s) in order, canceling reinvestments if need be, redeeming savings bonds, etc. Plus, verify your holdings at TreasuryDirect.
Maybe the ID.me transition process will be smooth. I suspect not.
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David Enna is a financial journalist, not a financial adviser. He is not selling or profiting from any investment discussed. I Bonds and TIPS are not “get rich” investments; they are best used for capital preservation and inflation protection. They can be purchased through the Treasury or other providers without fees, commissions or carrying charges. Please do your own research before investing.
I am in US expat living overseas. Having the toughest time getting into ID.me – i have all documents and have gone thru the live person verification after waiting over 50 hrs total on multiple attempts. Had to give my overseas driving license. Then treasury direct did not work. Now ID.me says i need to work it out with treasury direct and td says idme needs to correct their records. Its a stalemate for me. I will sell my ibonds on oct 1 if the old login still works. 1 ibond will be left < 1yr old. Any suggestions or comments?
David, we can no longer rely on the dates on your/others posts…why is almost everything Sept 9????
I am not seeing this. I see correct dates. Can you provide examples?
I have three accounts in my name with two distinct emails. I signed in today with my ID.me account (required for my IRS-related work, also connected to Social Security). It was easy after I found the ID.me connection.
It worked great! 1Password stores my secure passkey and I readily signed in. After I accepted what Treasury data would get from me (much less than it already has on me for my Treasury Direct account) it moved to a listing of all my accounts. That includes two corporate accounts plus one personal account so this will be much easier than three distinct sign ins. Note these accounts had two different emails. Once in an account, it’s the same 1980’s style interface with a button at the top that says “Return to Account List”. Overall I’m pleased.
I did get a text that did not require a reply. The text confirmed I had signed in using ID.me – it would have required a reply if it wasn’t me or had the wrong person’s name.
I know some folks aren’t a fan of ID.me, but nothing is perfect. I have had to use Government owned Single Sign On systems which were hacked with much, much more sensitive information. At least hospitals and universities with Single Sign On systems have been responsive with reporting and monitoring services. It was quite a fight to get DoD to do anything with a much more sensitive data breach.
For those who prefer visuals, here is a link to a few screen captures of the new parts of the interface (personal information redacted) – Treasury Direct Screen Captures for ID.me.
I read your message and I’m not getting what you got. I looked at the visuals. I got the first screen and I clicked on yes and then it took me to another page to set up a new account with Treasury Direct. I never got the page to choose my account. I don’t know what to do now. Any suggestions?
No idea except contacting TD. Did you set up ID.me and a TD account with the same email? My ID.me is associated with my primary email address for TD.
When you signed up for ID.me for treasury related work…you gave up your rights then, not now. And, no liability for a breach by them! And you got a text…right, the bad guys are going to respond? Seriously. More spam texts! This is a scam. If one does not have a camera and/or cell phone, you are toast…that was not a precondition to buying ibonds! And “they” still have people at TD collecting a check for this!
David, you have unleashed the Kraken! As a counterpoint, I would point out to all those who are mad/sad/scared that we already live in a world where most of our information is “out there” and available to scammers/criminals. Experian estimates that around 80% of names/addresses/SS# are available today on the dark web.
What we have to learn/teach is how to avoid being a victim. I do this every week with my 80-something parents. My best success has been to drum into them … do NOT CLICK on ANYTHING that you don’t know for sure is safe.
Regarding things we “didn’t sign up for” … well that’s life. Thirty years ago, I didn’t sign up for a lot of things that are just accepted today as being essential. Like the internet, which all your readers use and is just as (if not more) vulnerable as ID.me to attack during their everyday use.
In short, calm down, sign up and carry on.
Are there step-by-step directions for TD account holders who are setting up ID.me for the first time? That would be helpful to those of us who like to follow along with written directions.
https://help.id.me/hc/en-us/articles/9198013708439-Verify-your-identity-with-ID-me-Self-Service#what-youll-need
This is about the best link I have seen to set up an ID.me wallet and identity verification.
I did it!!!
It took a while, probably longer than most but sometimes I am a bit technically challenged – to wit, I do not own a smart phone. Well, maybe I do, My phone is TCL tracphone and it is much smarter than I. I believe it would be easier with a smartphone and the proper working knowledge.
I already had an ID.me account/wallet. So, I may have been ahead of the game in that respect. I attempted to login to my TD account today using ID.Me.
After my password was accepted, it asked for picture of my ID to verify my identity. It did not really want a picture, it wanted to take a picture. Then it wanted a take picture of me to verify that it was I that let them take a picture of my ID. So, I needed to use my portable computer as it has a camera.
Interestingly, all along the way, I received several 6 digit codes sent to my phone to continue the identification/login process. At the end of the process, they sent a link to my phone to verify that it was correct. Where they thought I had gotten the 6-digit codes I have no idea.
Regardless, I finished, logged out and then reentered my account on my main computer. Sure enough, I got in and requested a purchase of the reopening 10 year TIPS on Thursday.
A bit frustrating, but less so than having to go to the post office to verify my ID for my login.gov account.
Two points:
I was able to use my existing ID.me wallet to successfully access TD. No hassles.
Scott Bessent: “I am the house.” This morning: 10-year nominal hits 5%. Ahem… OK – sure!
treasury send out an email yesterday afternoon promising a link to the new login process. The old one was still posted. Not a good sign. I will try to restrain until the path is a little well worn.
You should be seeing the new login now, with the link “Secure Sign In.”
I have two Treasury Direct accounts. The first is in the name of my revocable living trust under my SSN. The second is my husband’s residual trust account under its EIN. I redeemed all the items in the second account in 2024. It is dormant and set to close on November 1.
I signed into Treasury Direct using ID.me this morning with no problems. The “additional verification” mentioned in the Q & A is just the usual second step authorization—passkey, text message, etc. I used the passkey method.
After clicking “OK” to two questions that asked whether it was OK for Treasury to have & access information it already has anyway, I was taken to a page that listed both accounts. I could then select the one I wanted to access. I clicked my RLT account and from there the usual screens appeared.
From my experience, I would say that if you need to access entity accounts and already have ID.me, the process does not present problems.
I do want to mention that I went to the ID.me site to see whether Treasury Direct was listed. While IRS and some other Treasury entities are shown, it did not yet list Treasury Direct. So, at least as of 06:30 CDT September 14, you have to go to the Treasury Direct site to log on. You cannot yet log on from the ID.me site.
I just signed in to my Treasury Direct account via ID.me, which I had established previously. It was fairly easy and resembled the use of passkeys that are now encouraged for mutual fund accounts as being more secure. I did notice that going to savings bonds.gov led to a dead end however treasurydirect did work. Once you’re past the id.me sign n process it all looks the same. No biggie for all of you panicking out there.
One more thing: after signing in, I received a text that said “You successfully signed in to the U.S. Department of the Treasury, (your name). Reply N if this wasn’t you or X if your name is not (your name).
Nice!
One more thing and at the risk of sounding condescending: if you’re having trouble navigating the whole thing ask a trusted younger family member or friend to assist you in the process. The young are so much more facile with computers and technology! I have done so many times and am not too proud to ask for help.
I have an ID.met account setup a few years back. I am verified on ID.me. Walk me and others through this:
You go to the Treasury Direct website, select Secure Sign In, and it takes you to the Treasury Direct Sign in with ID.me page. You click to sign in and it takes you to another ID.me and Treasury Direct sign in page where you put in your ID.me sign in information.
What happens next? Did you have to do any further verification? I am guessing you might have to choose your 2FA method (email, phone, passkey, etc) – is that correct? Then at that point you are in your Treasury Direct account?
Seems to me that is how it should work if you already have an ID.me account with the IRS – you simply sign in via the Treasury Direct website, possibly choose a 2FA method, and that is it. Is that correct?
yes as long as you already provided ID.me with all your info (SSN), including drivers license or passport, video selfie. If not, you need to add that. But yes, then you enter username, password, 2FA and done.
Was pleasantly surprised when I tried it out today. Logged in smoothly to my (pre-existing) ID.me account through my personal email address, and TreasuryDirect was smart enough to recognize I have two accounts – one personal, and one for my LLC (which uses a different email address).
Login lets me toggle between the accounts, and I did not have to deal with the frightening prospect of creating a second ID.me account for my LLC email address.
Positive results for both me and my wife. She already had an Id.me wallet and I did not. Both paths worked very well. The photo verification process required three tries to succeed. Apparently you really do need to crank the screen brightness all the way up.
Was just able to use the new experience with id.me. So much better! I already had an account so I just had to login and used passkey to authenticate. It immediately found my single personal account and I got in. This is the way to go!
I just logged in with Id.me and it showed me I screen with my 2 TD accounts, my personal one and my trust that I am the account manager on. I selected the personal one and it looks the same only at the top of the screen it has “Return To Account Listing” along-side of the “Help’ & “Logoff” buttons. I clicked on the New button and returned to the account listing screen. Works perfect and now I don’t have to log in to both accounts separately. And NO OPT Code to put in. Yeah!
Worked great for my account and trust account. However, got this error message for my wife’s account (She was using my email address which is different from her id.me email address):
TreasuryDirect is unavailable.
We apologize for the inconvenience and ask that you try again later.
I am able to login using the account number/password and changed her email address to match her id.me login. Still no luck.
My Mom got the same error, despite her ID.me working with SSA and IRS sites no problem. Hope it gets fixed soon.
My account and my wife’s account was able to login and see our accounts though.
Maybe check to see if that email address is also on the ID.me account. One person can have multiple email addresses associated with their ID.me account.
Did you manage to resolve the problem? I have the same problem.
Same positive result for me. Preexisting ID.me account for federal payment and IRS purposes. Got right into my personal and trust TD accounts too.
Same for me! This is actually an improvement
Today I received an email from US Dept of the treasury with information about how to log in TD using the new ID.Me process. Was excited to see links with a video about how it will be but after 2 minutes, the video only showed how to log in now. Not off to a good start. Hopefully someone will update the link but it’s name gives me some cause for concern. I think I will wait a bit before actually trying this.”
Watch this video on logging into TreasuryDirect using ID.me (https://www.treasurydirect.gov/indiv/tools-videos/log-in/) to learn more.
I assume TD will keep pushing back the timeline for ID.me to start until they get it to work. Missed the time stated twice so far.
And the email I received earlier today that Id.me is here appears to have been premature.
If you and your spouse use Yubikeys for MFA, do you still need a different telephone number for each to create the wallets? I ordered the Yubikeys (they’re in transit via USPS) because we only have VOIP for our home phone and a prepaid Tracfone for emergency use only. I hope that with the Yubikeys the phones won’t be scrutinized as closely. Has anyone successfully created a Wallet with a yubikey and a prepaid or VOIP phone? Thanks for any assistance. I getting too old for all of this rigmarole, we’re both within 1 year of our 80th birthdays.
Can I opt out of the ID.me and request instead paper I-bond instruments be mailed to me at my address by the US Postal Service from the US Treasury… or is that not secure enough either?
Paper I Bonds have been completely discontinued. So all you can do is leave them at TD, and request in writing when you want to redeem. Expect delays.
This was posted on the treasury direct log in page today:
The TreasuryDirect application will be unavailable on Sunday, September 13, 2026, from 8:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. ET due to system maintenance. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.
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Looks like that will be for the implementation of the ID.me login feature.
We see the TD Staff exudes confidence. Still out and hour after the outage was to be done. They sent out an email 45 minutes after the outage was to be done (“ID.me is Here – Your New Way to Log in to TreasuryDirect”. The links go to old login videos. Not there of course.
My husband and I currently have three accounts @ TreasuryDirect, two individual accounts and one revocable trust account. I already have an ID.me login, but my husband doesn’t want to get one, son yesterday we completed the TD Transfer Request FS Form 5511 to transfer his I-Bonds from his individual account to the trust account, got a medallion signature at our small-town local bank, and mailed in the form. Once his account is empty we will close it (or leave it to be closed for lacking a minimum balance of $100). In future we should be able to purchase I-Bonds in my account and in the trust account, and view each account using my ID.me login. Will be curious to see if this works.
We also had 3 accounts, each of us had personal accounts and one trust account. We sent the Forms 5511 to TD in December 2025 to move I-Bonds from each personal account to the trust account, and they said it would be approx. 9 months before they got into the trust. We just received an email last week that the paperwork WAS assigned to someone and they would finish moving them in 2 to 3 weeks. The good thing, if there is one, is they can’t be sold until the 12-month waiting period is over in December. PS: We’re not selling them anyway but it’s nice to move them during the waiting period.
Judging from our own experience, your 9 months constituted “speedy” service in TreasuryDirectWorld.
My wife and I submitted the same paperwork, for the same kind of transfer from individual accounts to our joint trust, in May 2025.
In response to our occasional telephone inquiries about the status of the situation, TreasuryDirect always assured us there was no problem and our requests were just awaiting review.
15 months after we filed the paperwork, TreasuryDirect still hadn’t taken any action. So, just a few weeks ago, we gave up and redeemed the individual account I Bonds we’d been trying to transfer.
This experience, plus thoughts of extreme TreasuryDirect wait times when someone eventually has to administer our estate, plus the privacy issues raised by the forthcoming ID.me monopoly on TreasuryDirect account log-in, have killed our interest in I Bonds.
What a boondoggle. QUESTION: What if a couple has only one phone for verification? Will that be an issue too (as with needing 2 separate emails).
Good question. One phone should be OK, unless ID.me insists on one phone number per verification.
From the ID.me chat when I asked about this:
You can still use ID.me if you share a phone plan, as long as each of you enters your own personal phone number during verification. If you mean you both use the exact same phone number, that number should not be shared for verification; each person needs their own number, or one of you may be able
sorry, I cut off the last sentence:
”If you mean you both use the exact same phone number, that number should not be shared for verification; each person needs their own number, or one of you may be able to verify by video call instead.
(__).me
The following doesn’t address the privacy/data security issue; nor does it address the the potential initial setup issue of using the same email for multiple TD accounts:
However, for those worried about ongoing account management of multiple accounts (like husband and wife etc) , ID.me does provide a large variety of (good) 2FA options. So, if set up correctly, you won’t need to use a spouses email or phone(text message) to login to the account.
I haven’t used ID.me a lot, so accept that ID.me could do something funky with these options to make them less convenient. But the above should be accurate.
Congressional Investigation Findings: In November 2022, the House Committee on Oversight and Reform and the Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Crisis published official findings from their joint inquiry into ID.me. The investigation revealed that ID.me inflated pandemic fraud estimates, mischaracterized its technical verification capacity to federal agencies, downplayed facial recognition failures, and subjected applicants to video-chat wait times exceeding four to ten hours. You can review the official congressional findings online via the House Oversight Committee Release: https://oversightdemocrats.house.gov/news/press-releases/chairs-maloney-clyburn-release-evidence-facial-recognition-company-idme
David, I have read your excellent series on TreasuryDirect’s upcoming switch to ID.me. Thank you for the practical information. But I don’t think the gravity of the Nexus breach, or its relevance to this decision, has received sufficient attention.
IDScan.net and ID.me perform comparable functions: collecting sensitive identity evidence to verify people for other organizations. Their systems and safeguards may differ, and there is no evidence that ID.me was involved in Nexus. Nevertheless, the exposure of authentic driver’s-license images illustrates what can happen when the information collected to prevent impersonation becomes available to facilitate it.
The consequences extend well beyond fraudulent credit applications. Once copied into criminal hands, those documents cannot reliably be recalled. Neither credit monitoring nor shutting down the marketplace restores their confidentiality. Assurances that ID.me cannot see our TreasuryDirect balances do not address this risk.
The FBI investigation is ongoing, and the mechanics and full scope of the compromise remain publicly unresolved. I consider it unreasonable for Treasury to make ID.me mandatory without first explaining whether the same failure could occur there and what specifically prevents it. At minimum, the existing login should remain available until Treasury can give customers a substantive answer.
If my TD account is in the name of my personal revocable trust, will I be able to rely on the same procedures outlined for commercial trusts–in other words, will I be able to use my personal ID.me information?
Wrote a letter; got a lame response … wholeheartedly disgusted & completely unsatisfied. Have not yet contacted my Rep.
I’m ok with loaning the USG my chunk of chump change as a general matter, even as I’m never close to happy with its funding priorities.
But I won’t give a dime to the Trump/Johnson clownshow, and am out of the bill & note game entirely.
I still have I-Bonds that were always intended to be emergency funds, and I’m perfectly fine with doing absolutely nothing about this sleazy login arrangement until well after the circus is in the rearview mirror is over / they autoredeem a quarter century from now.
We are in the same boat. Fortunately our last auto redemption will be in 2031.
SSA.gov warning when you choose to log in with Id.me:
“ID.me is not under our control and may not follow SSA’s privacy, or accessibility policies located on SSA’s official website at https://www.ssa.gov/privacy.”
Aren’t they legally required to change to login.gov in a year or two regardless? Seems like a very costly boondoggle to have to go through all this twice.
IIRC the guidelines for use have until I think March 2027 to be published.
Implementation requirement for Login.gov would be late 2028 the earliest.
It’s certainly possible that there could be an eventual offering, but ID.me likely currently satisfies the current General Services Administration’s security for the interim, which agencies have a year to comply with.
So in theory, come late 2028, people could connect Login.gov to their TreasuryDirect account, and then go to their ID.me wallet and disconnect TreasuryDirect from ID.me. This would be another transition to go through, but likely the best in the end as it removes third-parties.
That’s based on my interpretation of the GSA memo. We’ll see how it plays out.
Sure, you could stop actively using ID.me to log into TreasuryDirect at that point, but they’d still have your biometric data, doing who knows what with it.
While this doesn’t help anyone who doesn’t want or can’t get an ID.me account, you can add multiple email addresses to a single ID.me account.
I’ve already redeemed 2 of the 3 iBonds held in TD and the 3rd will be redeemed the 1st week of October; once it becomes redeemable and before the ID.me becomes the only way to log in. I have one remaining ID.me login for USPTO which is so much more difficult to access than before, but it is what it is. At least SSA is still using the login.gov solution that has worked very well without the “Problems” of ID.me.
Bye bye TD…and good luck with this.
Cyborg, et al…you allude to the fact that no one is discussing what one can do by paper redemption w/o ID.me.
Also, should “we” change our spouses email NOW to that which is not used by both?
Also, no discussion on 1099 alternatives…one can get an on-going update on their tax transaction for all years including 2026. For example, I have redeemed all my Ibonds that can be redeemed after the one year hold and I know what I have and most importantly I know what TD has. Go to “Manage Holdings” at TD and look for taxes for the year in Q
Finally, no discussion on alternatives to Biometrics…there was some discussion on another blog that was shut down. That is what could be most helpful!
Re: “there was some discussion on another blog that was shut down.”
Without further specificity, I can’t know if you’re actually referring to what I think you mean.
But if your reference is to a Bogleheads thread about ID.me, it began in mid-August after TreasuryDirect’s ID.me announcement; was eventually locked by a moderator as “topic exhausted”; but then, as comments about ID.me began to infiltrate multiple other threads about Treasury log-in, and moderators kept transferring those other ID.me-related posts into the locked thread, they decided to reopen it. So, in case that’s what you were referring to:
https://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=474308
Currently over 250 posts there, so a lot to read, although much that’s also repetitive.
Am I the only person who has heard absolutely nothing directly from TreasuryDirect about this change?
I received 2 emails (for 2 different email addresses for different accounts) from TD on August 17 regarding ID.me.
I finally received my email on Saturday (9/5)
LOL — talk about misleading! An ordinary person reading this could be expected to walk away with the impression that any privacy concerns are silly — after all, they’re “only” sharing “your full name, SSN, date of birth, mailing address, e-mail, and phone number with TreasuryDirect.” But that’s not the concern at all.
What they’ve conveniently left out is all of the additional intimate biometric data that users are required to provide directly to ID.me, after which it’s in the hands of a private company whose practices many people have raised serious questions about. Note that they haven’t included anything like this in their FAQ: “What biometric data does ID.me collect on users, whether directly or indirectly?” or “What recourse do users have if ID.me uses this biometric data improperly?”
Has anyone ascertain the operative liability terms and conditions, if any, of ID.me for mistakes, negligence, data breaches, etc.? What happens to data if BK is filed? I saw this https://www.id.me/terms
The ID.me privacy policy is actually quite permissive when it comes to sharing personal information: https://www.id.me/privacy#section-three
All of the above quoted sections basically include catch-all language that could be applied to anything. The concepts of “improving our services” or of entities providing services including broad service classes such as “analytics” could be used to describe any number of instances of data sharing that I’m confident most people would consider unacceptable mishandling of their information if they were presented with a specific case study. I’m not even sure what they are referring to when they mention eligibility for discounts but that just sounds effectively like sharing information for marketing purposes.
While I agree forcing the switch is obnoxious, this change has already been made at the IRS and SSA websites and you’ll just use the same login at TD. I presume they will eventually make you use your ID.me credentials at the CMS website soon. Is it more or less secure than other systems? Dunno? Will it help to minimize fraud? Dunno but would hope so.
tried numerous times to set up ID Me with my online Social Security Account. Went thru all the steps and still unable to because their data bank has my old home phone contact number and they can’t verify it thru a text. A complete failure. Government must do better with this roll out
I disagree you would need the 1099’s next year. I sold my dad’s I Bonds and just printed out the record of transactions to PDF and saved it where I put my other tax documentation. I plan to never log into Treasury Direct on his account again, especially since he would need serious assistance in order to pass the ID.me selfie check. You do not need a 1099 to know you have to pay taxes on interest income.
To keep your account secure, ID.me securely shares your full name, SSN, date of birth, mailing address, e-mail, and phone number with TreasuryDirect.
This doesn’t seem much different than what third party off the shelf tax software would want but I have never used tax software for that reason. The solution to just sell your I Bonds would be extremely disruptive for me. It’s all very discouraging.
Check your ID.me details first: Make sure the name on your ID.me Wallet matches the name on your TreasuryDirect account exactly to avoid delays. …
To my surprise, I have an ID.me account with the IRS from a few years back, haven’t used it since. I have always been very careful and consistent with my naming, using my full name. Yet my name in my ID.me wallet does not exactly match the name once logged into the IRS, or the name for Treasury Direct. It is a subset of my full name.
Either they are choosing only to display the subset, or they lacked database fields.
Problems ahead? Paper forms ahead.
My spouse and I just dumped our iBonds 14 months early. We will not jeopardize our security with ID.ME. We are done with TD, except when we call in early 2027 to get our 1099s.
I’m right with you on this. However, has anyone figured out what each login account with ID.me costs the taxpayer. This commercial company isn’t doing it as a public service…
Shortly after obtaining a GSA Schedule vehicle, ID.me secured a single-award Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) with the Treasury Department (Chief Information Officer Office) valued at up to $1,027,709,739.11 under Award ID 2032L226A00006 (Referenced IDV ID: 47QTCA26D002K). This uncompeted contract listed only one bidder, handing a private company exclusive gatekeeping authority over public Treasury systems without open competition or a government-operated fallback. The official federal record can be reviewed via USAspending.gov: https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_IDV_47QTCA26D002K_4732
This whole transition is very FRUSTRATING for the following reasons:
Doing things against your will and choice is not only UNACCEPTABLE and UN-AMERICAN but a direct violation of your personal autonomy and fundamental rights.
I will be curious to see how this works for me as I manage three TD accounts – a personal one and two for non-profits for which I am the Treasurer. I’ve had an ID.me account for a long while to work on IRS accounts (personal and business) filings so that is not an issue, but I would hate to have multiple ID.me accounts.
I’m not more concerned about ID.me being hacked than any other entity
The email on ID.ME and Treasury Direct are not the same. Is this an issue?
I volunteer as tribute.
I have an ID.me account. And I only have one account at TD. I can do the trial run.
Those of us a bit more cautious appreciate this. 🙂
I just confirmed that my Treasury Direct and ID.me information match, but I still intend to wait a few days for initial issues to get ironed out.
Thanks, please report back.
David – I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you doing such a great job in explaining how this change is all going down. I am carefully evaluating my next steps for the four accounts that I help manage: mine, spouse, MIL, and daughter. Thanks again!
David, why not write to the TD acting IG and ask the critical Qs!!!
For those of us who are advising our elderly parents (or anyone else for that matter) to cash out their TD holdings before October 28th, should they abandon their TD accounts when done, or delete them entirely? Is there a practical difference? Does it matter?
Seems like once you get logged in its as easy as a button push to sell. But you don’t want to be a day late for heirs.
Once ID.me verifies that you are the correct individual, they pass a secure digital security key to TreasuryDirect to log you in. Your personal assets remain completely private and isolated inside the secure Treasury system. …
Hmmm…I wonder how long it will be before AI hacks it. It is such a gold mine. Will it now lock out Elon Musk’s DOGE?
Treasury missed security controls in giving DOGE system access, GAO finds – Nextgov/FCW
2) What about the many users who use one email to log in to two accounts, for example for a married couple? The ID.me Wallet is not likely to match the name on both accounts.
This will, I suspect, impact many people. I wonder if there is value to changing the email of record at treasury direct for the spousal account in advance? Is this even possible (to change the email on a treasury direct account). Would it be useful or cause further problems down the line? Thank you for your serious thinking on this transition. I hope somebody at treasury is also deploying foresight!
As soon as I got the notice about Id.me I went into my spouses TD account and changed her email address to her own (we both had the same one) to match the one she used to get her Id.me account set up. She set up her Id.me account on the second try in about 20 minutes with driver’s license and selfie.
I did the same, but also had to update drivers license expiration dates.
Thank you. I have now changed the spousal email address. This will enable (I hope) a more seamless transition to ID.me logins.
Don’t we all log in now by typing in our account number and password? The email is only used for the two-factor authorization code.
That’s correct, but since TD is saying the account number will no longer be necessary, it’s likely ID.me verification will depend on a matching email address.
The way it works is that when you click to login to TD, it will redirect you to login to ID.me instead (with your email). ID.me will verify your login credentials and redirect you back to TD (inside your account.)
I changed my e-mail address at TD last month. It was easy. I don’t remember having trouble finding out how.
john
We could wait until Sept. 13 for “trial balloon reports” but I do think it is likely that each account owner will need a separate email address, and that address will need to match the one at ID.me. So it will probably be necessary to make corrections in the TD account to match up.